Tänak reaches his Holy Grail: “I always wanted to be champion”

That's it, at 32 years old, Ott Tänak (Toyota) reached the Everest of his sporting career in WRC. The Estonian became the first non-French driver to win the championship since Petter Solberg in 2003, after the Rally of Catalonia (Spain) finished in second place. 

" That feels good, these were the first words of the champion when he got out of the Toyota Yaris. It's hard to describe what I feel. The level of pressure I received throughout the weekend was on another level (than before). Getting through the pitfalls was my life's goal. »

Ott Tänak, accompanied by Martin Jarveoja, will address the rally from Australia with a free mind. “I really wanted to get this title here, continues the leader. I absolutely didn't want to take the risk of losing him. 

I always wanted to be champion. My mom told me last night : “If Ott wants something, he will make it happen.” And that's what happened. »

His boss Tommi Mäkinen also struggled to find the words to describe this major performance. “I would never have imagined… It’s absolutely something big. This is one of the best places to acquire the title, here in Catalonia. There are so many fans since last Wednesday. »

The man with four coronations with Mitsubishi detected a change in the attitude of its leader at the end of winter 2019. “Very early in the season I could see thatOtt was very different compared to last season. In 2018, he wanted to win every stage. This year he just wanted to win the championship. »

His teammate Kris Meeke did not fail to welcome the rise in power of the brand new champion. “It’s still quite strong to say that they won their first rally only two years ago (in Sardinia in 2017. Editor’s note). 

He didn't need any help this year. He was the most dominant of us in terms of speed and consistency. He didn't put a wheel in the wrong place. He could have won other rallies throughout the campaign. But I think the best driver, the best co-driver and the best car won.

The former Citroën driver concludes with a warning to the Estonian's opponents. “Ott has all the ingredients to dominate the WRC in the coming years in my opinion, if he is in the right car. »

Discover the analysis of the Rally of Catalonia carried out by our special correspondent in issue 2240 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.