The Finn assumed control on Saturday when team-mate Sébastien Ogier crashed out in treacherous conditions. From there, he managed the gap with trademark composure to take victory by 43.7sec.

It marked Rovanperä’s third win of the year following triumphs in the Canary Islands and Finland, and Toyota’s ninth manufacturers’ title - surpassing Citroën’s tally of eight and leaving the Japanese marque just one behind record-holder Lancia.

“It's been great to be back on Tarmac again, and I think the pace Séb and I had was pretty fast compared to the others,” Rovanperä said. “Huge congratulations to everyone in the workshop - clearly, we are super good as a team. I'm hungry for the title now; we increased our chances, it still will not be easy, but we'll try to continue.”

Behind him, Elfyn Evans snatched second place from Ott Tänak on the Wolf Power Stage after a day-long chase. The Welshman benefitted when Tänak had a moment on SS17 (Beyond Borders 2) at the same bridge which had earlier claimed Thierry Neuville, trimming the gap to 1.1sec heading into the finale. Evans then edged ahead by 5.6sec in the closing kilometres to seal a Toyota one-two.

Ogier’s incident, which occurred when he understeered into a tree on Saturday’s Keplý stage, proved a turning point both for the rally and the drivers’ championship. The Frenchman had arrived in Passau two points ahead of Evans, but his crash now leaves the Welshman back on top of the standings with a 13-point buffer.

A maximum haul of Super Sunday and Wolf Power Stage points means Ogier now sits level with Rovanperä approaching the final two rounds - part of one of the closest title fights in the WRC’s modern era.

Takamoto Katsuta capped off a promising weekend by finishing 17.5sec behind Tänak in fourth, while Adrien Fourmaux completed the top five in his i20 N Rally1 despite continued struggles with understeer. Rookie Sami Pajari impressed again in sixth - his fifth consecutive points finish.

Behind them, Josh McErlean and Grégoire Munster ensured both M-Sport Ford Pumas reached the finish, McErlean equalling his best career result in seventh overall. Newly crowned WRC2 champion Oliver Solberg ended eighth in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, with Czech stars Jan Černý and Filip Mareš rounding out the top 10.

The WRC now heads east for FORUM8 Rally Japan (6 - 9 November) before making its Middle Eastern return at Rally Saudi Arabia (26 - 29 November), where the 2025 season will reach its conclusion.