Tänak rediscovers in 2025 “what a rally car should be”

Despite apparent stability, there is change in the WRC as the 2025 season opens this week with the Monte-Carlo Rally. The contenders for the title will discover Rally1s that they know well but now without a hybrid system and lighter, making them more agile. A return to something more “basic” which delights Ott Tänak, convinced that he can make his driving style shine even more.

The tests carried out by the three manufacturers ahead of the opening of the championship were also dedicated to the collection of data concerning the tires, since Hankook succeeds Pirelli as sole manufacturer this year.

“It was a huge job to adapt the car to the change in regulations”explains Ott Tänak. “The car concept has become much simpler again, because before there were all kinds of strategies and you had to play with the hybrid in terms of how and when to use it on each stage, taking it into account for our notes. We returned to a fairly basic car, as was the case a few years ago.

“It's a lot simpler. I think it's a little easier to operate the car, and also a lot easier to drive it. I like it driving-wise, it feels like it should. being a rally car It's lighter, which is very good because the weight is important and that makes it more playful, that's positive. We lost a millimeter on the turbo flange, and that's never the case. positive for a pilot to have less power, but overall the concept isn't too bad.”

No adaptation time

For his second season at Hyundai since his return, alongside reigning world champion Thierry Neuville and French driver Adrien Fourmaux, Ott Tänak feels better than a year ago. Despite the unknowns that inevitably surround the start of the season, and while the evolution of the Hyundai i20 N will not make its appearance before next month at the Swedish Rally, the 2019 world champion is optimistic thanks to his certainties.

“We feel much more comfortable than last year going into the season”confirms the Estonian. “We already know the car and the team, and we are much better prepared than a year ago. I feel very good in the car and above all, at the end of last year on asphalt, I had a lot more trust.”

“The Monte-Carlo is a rally that I liked more in the past. With the hybrid, it was demanding, I changed teams several times, so every year I found myself in a new car, with a new team, and it was a challenge to start the season This year, coming back with the same car and having learned lessons from the past helps us a lot.