Heading into his home rally, the Hyundai driver was one of the top favourites for the win. But Solberg – making his debut in a Toyota Rally1 car – had other plans.
Solberg was dazzling, charging to his first WRC victory with a clear margin. Tänak trailed the young Swede by 25 seconds.
“Even if I made that mistake on Saturday morning or not, he was still going to win this rally. He was able to control it, and he was able to enjoy it. I mean, to have everything click like this immediately in the first rally – it’s a great achievement,” Tänak praised.
Expectations have long been high for Solberg to make a breakthrough at the top of the sport – and this time, he delivered in style. His performance left a strong impression on Tänak.
“Definitely, that kid is ready for Rally1 now. He has already been good for some time in Rally2 – he has no real competitors there. And now in Rally1, he proved that he’s ready,” Tänak stated.
Solberg previously drove alongside Tänak at Hyundai in the top class during the 2021–22 seasons. The 2022 campaign was a tough one for Solberg, and Hyundai ultimately dropped him at the end of the year.
According to Tänak, 2022 was a difficult season for all Hyundai drivers due to several issues with the car. For the less experienced Solberg, the challenges were even greater than for veterans like Tänak and Thierry Neuville.
“For him, it was all about learning at the same time. If you throw him into the water like that, of course it’s difficult to swim,” Tänak explained.
“But still, it was an experience for him. He came back and proved that in Rally2 he can beat everyone everywhere. Now he got his chance in Rally1, and he proved that he can beat everyone there too.”
Tänak will have to wait a little while for his rematch against Solberg. At next week’s Rally Finland, Solberg will return to the Toyota Rally2 car and compete in the WRC2 category.
“I would definitely like to fight him many more times. I can say that we were not at our best level (in Estonia), where we should be. Let’s just say it’s not going to be like that – that in every rally he enters, he’s going to beat us. We’ll at least try to turn it around,” Tänak said.
