Former World Rally champion Ott Tänak has spoken out against the Rally Portugal itinerary, saying the drivers were treated like performing animals during the Matosinhos-based event.
The route for the fifth round of the WRC was expanded with Friday’s leg gaining an additional loop of stages around Arganil. The three loops were broken up by a remote service, with the crews out on the road and away from the main service park for around 15 hours.
Saturday morning delivered another early start, while Sunday’s final day once again kept crews out of the main service.
Quick to point out how much he enjoys the competition in Portugal, the Hyundai driver was frustrated with the conditions the crews were presented with.
He told DirtFish: “We were put, basically, for 15 hours in the car and that’s it. Yesterday [Saturday], 15 hours in the car again. At least we could have a lunch [in service] which was already positive. And today [Sunday], again, the team was not even allowed to us to give us some food until this moment [at the finish].
A lack of time to sleep, eat or take a comfort break was a source of frustration for drivers
“So, I mean, in some ways, sometimes I feel that we have been treated like animals a bit, you know, just for the show.
“Friday, we know we had maximum eight minutes to have a quick snack and not even [time] to take a leak.”
Tänak questioned whether the itinerary was the best solution for the fans and talked of the crews’ ongoing desire to work with the series stakeholders.
“The FIA and promoter knows it for a long, long time,” he said. “For years, we’ve been giving our ideas, how it would make sense for us, for the fans, so on.
“I really like Portugal a lot. I like the roads, I like the people, the atmosphere. It’s incredible, but for me, the way we were treated [by the itinerary] was not nice.”
Tänak’s comments follow similar sentiment from Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä, with the Finn questioning the safety aspect of such long days and limited rest periods.
Rovanperä said: “We are always talking about road safety and stuff. And then, yeah, we are driving with four or five hours of sleep during the weekend, many nights in a row.
“We can do it, but, I don’t know if it’s clever at some point when we try to stay awake on the road sections and stuff. It starts to be at some point quite tough. I think it’s just unnecessary to be 15 hours in the car like that.”
Both the FIA and WRC Promoter have talked of the need for more variety in terms of sprint and endurance-style events. Following a recent WRC Commission meeting, the FIA admitted the rally week had been under discussion with revisions coming for 2026.
A statement read: “Following a comprehensive review of the working hours and pressures for employees working in the World Rally Championship, the WRC Promoter has generated a report that is currently being reviewed by the key stakeholders.
“Work is now underway between the FIA, WRC Promoter and the competitors to generate a set of guidelines for event organisers to better advise and inform on improving practices when creating itineraries and the schedule of the rally week. The target is to complete these guidelines in the coming months and begin implementation for events of the 2026 season, with a long-term view to make improvements and reduce the pressure on employees working within the championship.”
