The Hyundai driver was aiming for redemption in back-to-back WRC rounds, hoping to beat Toyota’s Ogier. In Portugal in May, Ogier edged Tänak by 8.7 seconds. This weekend in Sardinia, the margin was nearly identical: 7.9 seconds in the Frenchman’s favour.
“It’s quite frustrating once again to be second,” Tänak admitted.
“But in the end, that’s our level, and it’s fair play. They’ve (Toyota) been very strong – the car is strong, and together with Seb, the package is obviously very strong,” Tänak assessed.
Throughout the weekend, Tänak struggled with the setup of his Hyundai. The Estonian felt that this was one of the key factors in his inability to mount a winning challenge.
“To beat someone like Seb, you need to be strong as well. I guess we don’t have the full package yet, and it’s difficult,” Tänak acknowledged.
Going into the final day, Ogier held an 11-second lead over Tänak in the gravel rally. A fierce battle between the two champions was expected on Sunday, but the Frenchman immediately stamped his authority on the contest in the morning stages.
Ogier’s lead shrank considerably on the final stage due to a mistake, but it still wasn’t enough for Tänak to capitalise.
“We didn’t come to give everything on Sunday, that’s for sure. You can give everything only if you feel comfortable in the car and have everything under control – then you can push the limits,” Tänak said.
“But this weekend, obviously we’ve been kind of struggling in the car to find a good feeling and to find the balance. So, it’s been clearly very demanding. And obviously, we just had to bring the maximum.”
Tänak currently sits fourth in the WRC standings, 25 points behind championship leader Elfyn Evans. Toyota holds the top three positions: Evans leads, Ogier is second, and Kalle Rovanperä – who secured the final podium spot in Sardinia – is third.
