Rally Sweden – New disappointment for Ott Tänak

Clearly, the return ofOtt Tänak in Hyundai doesn't turn out exactly as he had hoped. First hampered by a car not working perfectly in Monte-Carlo, he was then surprised on the only patch of ice in the event at the very start of the race. rally (ES3). Fallen out of the leading group and not threatened, the Baltic had experienced a solitary round at the end of which he had saved a few points, but without having been able to show much in terms of top speed.

Forced to start in 3^e position on the Swedish roads, he knew that he would not have the best conditions to express himself. Lacking his bearings on powder and ice with an i20 that he was only able to test for one day, the 2019 world champion nevertheless posted interesting performances allowing him to maintain 3^e behind competitors who did not have to track and benefited from an advantage. While he was only 6”2 behind the leader, Ott made a mistake on SS4. Hitting a wall of snow head-on, he damaged his radiator and could not continue.

Left again Saturday morning in 54^e position, the Hyundai driver followed a long litany of special stages. Only returned 46^e at the end of the stage, he scored no points during the first distribution while his rivals (Neuville and Evans) were raking in. Again poorly placed on the road for the “ great sunday "(Or" golden Sunday » depending on the inspirations…), he managed to snatch the 4^e rank synonymous with 4 points then finished 4^e from the Power Stage (+2). Leaving Umeå with only 6 units, Tänak is the one who carries out the worst operation of the three contenders for the crown.

If after two races it is 5^e in the Drivers' championship with 27 points behind his teammate, Ott sees no reason to panic. “ It's only the start of the season, he explains. He there is no reason to worry. However, it is true that starting the competition in this way cannot suit me. However, this is not the first time that this has happened to us. » If the accounting part couldn't make him smile, Ott still had reasons for satisfaction. “ At the start of the race, he related, when it was really slippery, I had interesting sensations. Then, when the grip increased, we weren't able to find the right settings for the car to work in these conditions, but it's something we can improve. »

If the start of 2024 proves sluggish, we should definitely not bury Tänak right away. Before winning the title 6 years ago, he also had some down times, but he was able to finish strong. For him, however, the danger is to leave Thierry Neuville too big a lead. Cyril Abiteboul has in fact already warned at the start of the year that it would undoubtedly decide in favor of one of its two leaders at some point in the season. If he wants to be chosen, Ott Tänak must quickly correct his situation.

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