Ott Tänak has explained his rally-ending Rally Japan crash which potentially cost Hyundai the World Rally Championship’s manufacturers’ title, branding his mistake a “complete f*** up”.
Hyundai entered the Japan season finale 15 points ahead of Toyota and was in the box seat to clinch the title after Saturday’s action, even after turbo issues for Thierry Neuville and a Friday crash for Andreas Mikkelsen. Ott Tänak had the rally after Saturday’s action and was set to bank at least 18 points.
But in the final section of Sunday’s opener, Nukata, Tänak understeered off the road, launching his i20 N Rally1 into the air and landing in a ditch.
A subdued Tänak explained what had led to his critical error: “I didn’t expect any slippy condition in this corner,” he said. “Somehow immediately when we hit the corner the front washed out. It was too far off the road to recover.”
As for how the 2019 world champion felt about his mistake, his responses were honest and straightforward.
“A proper disaster,” was Tänak’s assessment of his crash. “No other words to be honest, difficult to describe.
“To be honest, it’s a complete f***-up. It should have never happened.”
Tänak wasn’t the only driver caught out by the fast right-hander on Nukuta.
Former Formula 1 driver Heikki Kovalainen, who was Japanese national champion in 2023, also went off the road on the same turn, his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 coming to rest directly on top of Tänak’s stricken Hyundai.
With Tänak out of action, Hyundai’s title hopes rest on Neuville and Mikkelsen, who are keeping their team in the fight by running first and second in the Sunday classification.
After the penultimate stage of the rally Hyundai and Toyota are tied on 553 points, setting up a winner-takes-all powerstage. A tiebreak scenario would be decided in Toyota’s favour, with more rally wins in 2024 than its arch rival.
