Adrien Fourmaux knows. Andreas Mikkelsen doesn’t. Esapekka Lappi might. Dani Sordo probably does. Ott Tänak’s not fussed either way.
The Estonian’s phlegmatic approach to the identity of his other team-mate for next season is a reflection of where he is right now. Talking to DirtFish after a convincing win at the Central European Rally, the 2019 world champion was back to his best mix of laconic and laid-back.
He might be in with a shot at the title, he might not be. He’s not losing any sleep over it. All he can do is drive his Hyundai faster than anybody else drives theirs.
On the subject of who else might be aboard an i20 N Rally1 next season, there’s something of a shrug. He’s not going to be drawn on the Fourmaux chatter, but what about the policy surrounding the third seat. Would it be wise to have a third driver pushing for the win rather than working for the team to provide the perfect wingman to Tänak and Thierry Neuville?
“I guess it depends how you handle it,” said Tänak. “But in Toyota it’s working so it’s possible [to have three frontline drivers].
“This year between three drivers [Lappi, Mikkelsen and Sordo], maybe it’s been a bit challenging for them with the big breaks [between events]. If it’s organized maybe a bit better, I think it’s possible to make both ways work.”
Onto the subject of him driving his Hyundai faster than Neuville in Japan. Tänak’s first Tarmac win in more than two years will have filled him with even more confidence as he makes the journey from Passau to Toyota City. But he remains the most realistic of realists.
Tänak travels to Japan off the back of a Tarmac triumph
He knows the biggest swing he can create is five points (he wins everything and Neuville finishes second on Saturday, Sunday and powerstage), leaving him well short of the 25 needed to bridge the gap.
“It’s not up to me,” he said. “It’s only for Thierry to decide. The only thing I can do is to score as many points as possible in Japan. Theoretically the drivers’ championship is open. But it’s not up to me.
“For the manufacturers’, we need to fight very hard. We know that’s what Toyota will do and we need to respond.”
