Ott Tänak now thinks about the world title

The duel was announced between Sébastien Ogier et Thierry Neuville on the German asphalt, and it is finally Ott Tänak who showed the most enthusiasm on the course across the Rhine. The Estonian driver took control of the race on Friday against Andreas Mikkelsen (Citroën), before controlling the race during the tough day of Saturday and the passage through Panzerplatte.

The pilot M-Sport n’a pas pris de risques ce dimanche, comme en témoigne son dixième temps dans la Power Stage. Mais l’Estonien s’offre son deuxième succès en 2017 et en carrière, le premier sur asphalte, et le premier pour l’écurie de Malcolm Wilson sur cette épreuve.

“It’s a great feeling, continues Tänak. The start of rally went perfectly. Then it was about controlling our lead. Winning our first asphalt rally turned out to be very nice. It was a good weekend and I think we made the difference on Friday.

It was a really clean run and we were brave with the tire choices which turned out to be the right ones. After that, it was necessary to control. »

It is now towards a more ambitious objective that the driver of the No. 2 Ford Fiesta is turning. Having returned to 33 points behind his teammate Sébastien Ogier in the general classification with three events remaining at the end of the season, Tänak wants to give everything at the end of the championship.

“It's a great feeling to win again and, with three rallies to go, I don't see why we shouldn't look to the drivers in front and towards the lead in the championship. If you want to fight for the championship, you have to keep winning, and that's what we plan to do. »

Discover the report and analysis of the Rally of Germany, produced by our special correspondents across the Rhine, in issue 2128 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version, and this Wednesday on newsstands.