The Ott Tänak-M-Sport association takes on Sardinia

Mid-season is approaching and Ott Tänak maintains all its chances for the championship. Positioned 2nd, 17 points behind Kalle Rovanperä, he appears to be the Finn's main rival. Having reached the finish in all races contested so far, the Estonian has had 2 podiums, including a victory.

Despite results that are not dramatic, his comments at the end of the ES are still negative. It concerns his car which is not what he would like it to be, his sensations which are never good, the lack of development... Malcolm Wilson recognized that the first place acquired in Sweden was mainly the work of the Baltic duo, but subsequent rankings have shown that the Puma Hybrid is not as bad a mount as depicted in the rider's comments.

The latter, however, gave a layer to Portugal. “ I can't be happy, there's a lot to do, he decided. This mainly concerns performance. There are several things that come together that ultimately affect behavior. Before Sardinia, the time will be short and I have no idea what we will be able to improve. We have to try and I think we will make progress. The problem is whether this will be enough. »

Ott has a very particular way of working. He just never seems satisfied, even when he wins a stage or finishes on the podium. This is undoubtedly his way of maintaining pressure on the technical team of M-Sport, but in the end it also gives the image of someone complaining all the time. After 5 races, his results are clear. “ In Portugal, he concludes, I felt the same impression as I had in Croatia. The level of competition is high and we are about a year behind where we should be. It seems that they (M-Sport, editor’s note.) lost a year. So we have a lot to do in a very short time. » 

Millener calms things down with Tänak

By being questioned in this way, how can M-Sport react? In Portugal, Richard Millener delivered his analysis. “ We have about fifteen people trying to understand what Ott is feeling in the car, explains the team manager. In Portugal, he apparently experienced the same problems as in Mexico during the second visits. What was clear was that he was not happy with the suspensions. This is an area where we can intervene and we work like crazy in each of our sessions, but replicating in testing what we will face in the race is always difficult. »

Concerning Portugal specifically, Millener considers that the progress of the rally played a major role in motivating its pilot. “ After two punctures, Ott found himself in no man's landhe says. So he is complicated to know which set up to use. If he had been in the fight, I am convinced that his mind would have been mainly focused on the battle and not on the settings, even if that remains important. »

And regarding the Estonian's harsh speech, Millener calms things down. The Ott you see in the race is not necessarily the same as the one you see outside of ithe says. He’s definitely a competitor and he pushes the team. All he cares about is winning and it's not easy to have a conversation with him during an event. »

Even if he refuses to contradict the words of his No. 1, the Englishman has a different analysis of this first part of the season. “ Ott is always 2^e of the championship and if you look closely the three Rally1s are close, he defends himself. The cars encounter mechanical problems and the drivers search for the best settings. I don't think any team gained the upper hand. The competition is very tight and as soon as you have a drop in speed, you lose positions. If, on the other hand, you manage to bring everything together in a race, there is a good result at the end. »

It is not certain that such a conclusion will please Ott Tänak who will again ask a lot of his mount this week on the roads of Sardinia in order to maintain his title chances.

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