Despite closing the gap to his teammate Thierry Neuville in the World Rally Championship standings, Ott Tänak has revealed his primary focus isn’t on chasing down his rival for the drivers’ title. Instead, the Estonian is prioritizing Hyundai’s fight in the manufacturers’ championship, even as Neuville stands on the brink of securing his first WRC crown.
After Rally Chile, Tänak managed to reduce Neuville’s championship lead to 29 points, thanks to his performance in both the rally and the power stage. Neuville, who has led the standings since his triumph in the Monte Carlo Rally, now heads to the upcoming Central European Rally knowing that outscoring Tänak by just two points could clinch him the 2024 drivers’ title.
Tänak, the only full-season world champion in this year’s field, admitted that while he wants to keep pushing for points, his focus has shifted towards helping Hyundai in their battle against Toyota for the manufacturers’ title.
“We need to fight at the moment, especially in the manufacturers’ [championship],” Tänak explained. “It’s so open, and obviously Toyota is pushing very hard, so there’s no way we could back off in any way.”
While Tänak hasn’t ruled out a late charge for the drivers’ title, he conceded that the championship is firmly in Neuville’s hands. “It’s more important for me to maximize the points for the manufacturers. As for the drivers’, it’s all up to Thierry—it’s his to lose at the moment,” Tänak added.
Sébastien Ogier, a former rival, has also admitted that Neuville’s position at the top is likely unassailable after back-to-back difficult rallies for him. Neuville, meanwhile, remains focused on securing both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles for himself and Hyundai.
“We made a good move in the drivers’ championship by not losing many points to our closest rival,” Neuville commented. “However, it was a bad result in the manufacturers’ championship. None of us were able to beat Toyota, so hopefully, we’ll be stronger on the tarmac.”
With just a few rallies left, Neuville is on the cusp of his first WRC title, but both he and Tänak know that securing both championships will require smart strategy and a strong finish to the season.
