DESPITE a challenging Rally Italia Sardegna that saw him finish fourth, Welsh rally star Elfyn Evans believes both he and his Toyota Gazoo Racing team are in a stronger position heading into the next gruelling gravel event.

While the result wasn't a cause for wild celebration, it proved to be a crucial exercise in damage limitation for the championship leader.

Evans' FIA World Rally Championship lead was trimmed from 30 to 17 points following Toyota Gazoo Racing team-nate Sébastien Ogier's victory, but crucially, he navigated the notoriously tough Sardinian stages without the major misfortunes that befell several of his rivals.

"Not too bad," Evans reflected at the finish talking to WRC.

"Probably a few points missed out on, but not many in the end actually.

“At the end of the day, we can be pleased just to be at the finish – that was difficult in itself this weekend."

The Dolgellau driver faced an uphill battle from the outset, hampered by the road-sweeping disadvantage on Friday and forced to stop for a wheel change on Saturday.

Yet, he salvaged a respectable haul of points, demonstrating resilience.

He also acknowledged the burgeoning threat from eight-time world champion Ogier in the standings, even with the Frenchman's future schedule unconfirmed.

"Seb can go for it, definitely," Evans conceded. "But only he knows if he wants to. That’s the thing."

Ogier's part-time schedule allows him to target specific events where he excels, maximizing his win rate and minimizing fatigue.

However, Evans' full-time commitment provides consistent points, crucial for a championship bid.

While Ogier can apply immense pressure with individual wins, Evans' strategic consistency across all rounds offers a more robust, long-term challenge for the overall title.

Attention now turns to the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece (26 – 29 June), another notoriously punishing gravel rally, where Evans is once again set to open the road.

He's under no illusions about the scale of the task or the event's inherent unpredictability.

"Greece will also be extremely difficult to open, but we don’t know what the weather or conditions will be yet, so we won’t speak too soon," he cautioned.

"It’s always a bit of a lottery – and Greece is even more difficult on punctures and all those types of things.

“So, take nothing for granted in this sport.”

Despite the difficulties, Sardinia offered significant positives for Evans and his team.

After struggling to find a confident balance with his GR Yaris Rally1 in Portugal, he departed Olbia encouraged by the progress made with the car's setup.

"That’s one point I am happy about – the progress we’ve made throughout the weekend," he affirmed

"We’re definitely in a better place with the car now than we were at the start, and that’s at least positive looking ahead."