Thierry Neuville, who finished third in the Central European tarmac rally, holds a firm grip on his first WRC title, with a 25-point lead over his teammate Ott Tänak. The Estonian star Tänak ultimately claimed victory in Central Europe.
Check out the latest WRC standings here!
Tänak could have closed the gap on Neuville even further if he had attacked the Power Stage at full throttle. However, Tänak drove conservatively on the final stage, choosing to avoid risks and ultimately missing out on additional points.
If Tänak had gone all-out, he could have earned up to eight more points, factoring in both Power Stage and Super Sunday points. In that case, his gap to Neuville would be significantly smaller.
In this context, it was a bit surprising that Tänak held back on his final push. However, the manufacturers’ championship, in which Hyundai is still competing against Toyota, weighed on the decision.
Hyundai has now released behind-the-scenes footage from the Central European Rally. In the video, Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul is seen giving Tänak advice during the Sunday morning briefing before the final stages.
Abiteboul stops short of giving a direct team order, but his message is clear between the lines.
“Ott, on your side you can have a big contribution to the team championship, so let’s see what you can do. If the risk is worth taking for the target,” Abiteboul emphasises.
He then softens his message slightly.
“If the risk is under control, there’s no limit on how hard you can push.”
Tänak’s performance on the Power Stage showed that the team principal’s message had been understood.
Watch Hyundai’s behind-the-scenes video from the Central European Rally below.
