World Rally Championship Leader Ott Tanak Faces Major Penalty After Clash with Official
In a shocking turn of events at Rally Finland, Ott Tanak, the current World Rally Championship leader, has been slapped with a five-minute penalty and a suspended 35-point deduction following a heated incident with a scrutineer. The altercation took place at the conclusion of stage seven on Friday, a stage already marred by Tanak’s off-road excursion and subsequent collision with a tree, causing significant damage to his Hyundai i20 N’s cooling system.
Tanak’s rush to leave the stop control area to prevent his car from overheating led to a dramatic confrontation with a scrutineer. The stewards’ report confirmed that Tanak departed from the stop control without authorization, inadvertently hitting and injuring the official with the front of his car. Despite suffering minor injuries, the scrutineer was left shaken by the incident.
During a hearing attended by Ott Tanak, his co-driver Martin Jarveoja, and Hyundai team manager Pablo Marcos, Tanak explained the circumstances that led to the clash. Tanak clarified that following the accident on stage seven, the car was experiencing cooling issues, prompting the team to advise them to keep moving to prevent overheating. The driver’s attempt to communicate this urgency to the scrutineer using hand gestures resulted in the unfortunate collision.
Expressing remorse for the incident, Tanak apologized to the stewards and expressed his unawareness of the scrutineer’s injuries at the time. He even offered a personal apology to the injured official had he known the extent of the situation. However, despite his explanations and apologies, Tanak has faced severe consequences for his actions.
As a result of the penalty, Ott Tanak plummeted from 10th place to 28th place in the Rally Finland standings, now trailing a staggering 6 minutes and 7.2 seconds behind the leader, Kalle Rovanpera. This unexpected turn of events has shaken up the rally world, raising questions about sportsmanship and conduct under pressure at the highest level of competition.
