The home hero doesn't have the feeling he craves aboard Hyundai's upgraded i20 N Rally1
Photography by Hyundai
Words by Luke Barry & Colin Clark
Ott Tänak doesn’t feel he has the tools to win this weekend’s Rally Estonia.
The latest version of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 (which debuted in Sweden) benefits from revised suspension, transmission and chassis tweaks, with the faster, softer-surface events – like Estonia – the ones where the team really expects to see gains.
However Tänak, who won the most recent WRC event in Greece, is pessimistic.
“Feeling wise in the car is obviously not great,” Tänak told DirtFish. “I think this kind of smooth, fast [rally] is where I just don’t get much connection in the car.
“In the fast gravel you need the car to be very precise and obviously good balance and good connection for the precision,” he added. “But yeah, it’s all this which I’m not getting.”
Asked if we should see the best of the upgraded car in Estonia, Tänak simply said: “Not from my side, that’s for sure not. I don’t know how they should come, but for me it’s not working out.”
Tänak had confidence on the slower gravel events, but not here in Estonia
Hyundai team-mate Adrien Fourmaux has little experience of the older-spec i20, but told DirtFish “from what I understand, the rear was really light [before] in this kind of rallies”.
He added: “And actually this morning we did complain a bit more about the rear being a bit strong. So it’s just we need to find also the balance on it. For sure we are testing, it was positive, but we have maybe to fine-tune a little bit because we are still discovering a bit the car.
“So maybe that’s why sometimes at the beginning we are a bit searching the car and then when we find it, it’s fine.”
Tänak, though, is concerned that Kalle Rovanperä – who’s won the last three WRC editions of Rally Estonia – in particular will be too quick to match.
“I guess with Toyotas and especially with Kalle, I guess I don’t see there [being] much chance,” he said. “But with the others we try to fight.
“In the rough gravel, obviously we were always on the pace and I knew I can win. It was just some rallies easier to do, some other rallies harder. But here, before the rally, I can say there is no feeling in the car.”
World championship leader Elfyn Evans has 12 points in hand over Tänak prior to round eight, and therefore knows how big a threat he is.
Is Tänak simply playing mind games?
“I don’t know,” said a sceptical Evans. “Maybe it’s his opinion, but we’ll soon find out won’t we?”
Click here for exclusive analysis from David Evans and Colin Clark.
Words:Luke Barry
Tags: Ott Tanak, Rally Estonia, Rally Estonia 2025, WRC, WRC 2025
Publish Date July 17, 2025 DirtFish 
https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2025/07/8zEHoKXq-2025ESTONIA_VT_058-780x520.jpg July 17, 2025
Up Next
