Tänak finished second at his home event and collected a total of 24 points. Toyota’s Elfyn Evans had to settle for just 11 points, allowing Tänak to leapfrog the Welshman by a single point and move into the lead.
Check out the latest WRC standings here!
The last time Tänak led the WRC standings was nearly two and a half years ago. Specifically, he last held the top spot after Rally Sweden in 2023, but then lost it immediately in the following round in Mexico.
Being at the top of the standings means Tänak will now open the road – acting as the “road sweeper” – at next week’s Rally Finland.
“I mean, generally it’s positive. It means that we are up there and we have the most points. So we need to take it as a positive,” Tänak said.
On the high-speed gravel roads of Central Finland, starting first on the road is not as big of a disadvantage as it is in slower gravel rallies. Still, making up even small time gaps can be extremely difficult.
“Finland is something I normally enjoy a lot, so hopefully we get a bit better feeling in Finland and we can still drive for a good result,” Tänak said in anticipation.
Earlier this week, Tänak completed a test day in Finland at Hyundai’s private test area, focusing on fine-tuning his car’s setup. He also shared one specific wish ahead of the rally.
“I’m not too confident in the rain with the car, so probably kind of damp weather would be nice. In 2019, we won the rally opening the road. So let’s try it once again,” Tänak said.
Rally Finland begins on Thursday, July 31.
