We’ve heard what Ott Tänak thinks. But what does Toyota Gazoo Racing think? Will the Estonian be back in a factory Toyota competing in the World Rally Championship next season?
TGR’s technical director Tom Fowler’s immediate response to working with the 2019 world champion again is both forthright and amusing.
He offered: “The best thing about Ott Tänak is that he doesn’t tell you any bulls***, and the worst thing about Ott Tänak is that he doesn’t tell you any bulls***.”
But does he see him competing again next season?
“I think the first question will be: does Tänak want to compete?” added Fowler. “I guess that will depend on how good job he does on developing the car… he needs to get his skates on!”
Tänak is playing an active role in developing Toyota's new car for the 2027 regulations
The wider question is whether or not there would be space for Tänak in a squad already crowded with five top-line competitors and a plethora of Challenge Program drivers coming through the ranks.
Fowler: “That’s another good point is the space. I mean, does he want to come back to full-time competition? I don’t know. Then we would have to have a slot [for him] into our driver lineup, which is getting more difficult because more of the junior-end drivers have stepped up their game quite a lot already this season.”
Want to know more on how the Tänak-Toyota test deal happened and how well it’s working? Read our exclusive insider analysis on Club DirtFish.
