Tänak’s only realistic chance for a second world championship relies on winning Rally Japan’s full event, scoring strong points on Super Sunday, and performing well on the Power Stage. At the same time, his teammate Thierry Neuville must avoid a strong finish. On Friday, everything went according to Tänak’s plan. He leads the rally heading into the overnight break, with a 20.9-second advantage over Toyota’s Elfyn Evans.
Meanwhile, Neuville struggled with technical issues for most of Friday, leaving the Belgian 7 minutes and 41 seconds behind the leader.
It was a tough and long day, but Tänak was content to finish it on top.
“It feels quite long at the moment. It was really nice to catch a bit of a rhythm. It’s 13 or 14 hours sitting in the seat. I feel quite stiff in the end, but definitely, it was a solid, strong day,” Tänak reflected at the end of the day.
Tänak has found excellent speed, and his car has performed well—unlike that of his teammate.
“This morning, let’s say the car was not too difficult to drive, but we just had too much understeer. We couldn’t perform as we would have liked. This afternoon, after the first stage—which was still tricky—and then the next two stages, which were on higher-grip tarmac, we managed to improve the balance a bit,” Tänak explained.
Despite Tänak’s strong performance, Friday was challenging for Hyundai. The team would have preferred Neuville to avoid problems and Andreas Mikkelsen to contribute to the manufacturers’ championship fight. However, Mikkelsen crashed into a tree, leaving Tänak to face the Toyota drivers alone.
Although Tänak’s chances for the drivers’ championship have significantly improved, he insisted it wasn’t on his mind on Friday.
“There is nothing to think about. I can’t do anything differently than I’m doing,” Tänak stated bluntly.
“It’s been very frustrating for the team. First of all, this morning started very positively for us, with Toyota having two cars with punctures on the first stage, and everything was looking under control. Then, sometimes, you’re amazed at how quickly things change. Suddenly, you’re on the back foot, and then I had to fight with the Toyotas to try to stay ahead of them and protect the team. Let’s see what tomorrow brings. It’s still very difficult going forward,” Tänak added.
At the end of the day, the cars finally arrived at full service. While his teammate’s car requires significant repairs, Tänak’s situation is much better.
“It’s always difficult to make big changes during the rally. You never want to take any chances with the setup. But let’s see what the weather brings tomorrow. This afternoon, it’s been raining here and there, so it’s difficult to know. There are some new stages tomorrow, so we’ll find out what the conditions will be like,” Tänak previewed.
