Tänak had been delivering his best performance of the season. The Estonian Hyundai star was setting stage-winning times and steadily increasing his lead over Sébastien Ogier in the gravel event.
However, on the final stage of the day, the power steering failed in Tänak’s car, forcing him to wrestle it to the finish. The resulting time loss dropped him from the lead to third overall behind Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä.
But the mechanical issue was not Tänak’s biggest concern that day. During the rally, he received distressing news that his close friend Oleg Gross had reportedly died in a tragic helicopter crash in Eura, Finland.
“Today there was a very unfortunate helicopter crash with Estonians in Finland, and for a short time, some very stupid journalist put in the news that one of my very good friends had died there. Obviously, it was a shock after that,” Tänak explained upon arriving at the evening service.
“So I mean, after this, a little power steering issue is not a big problem, to be honest.”
The Estonian news report turned out to be false. Tänak’s long-time supporter Gross is alive – the person who lost their life in the crash was another Estonian man with the same first name, Oleg.
Amarante strikes again
Tänak’s power steering failed on the Amarante stage – not for the first time. The Estonian has lost a potential win on the very same stage before.
“I’ve lost one victory here exactly the same way, more or less in the same section, in 2021 with Hyundai. And unfortunately, it happened again.”
“It’s a rally which I really enjoy, and I would really love to win it, but probably not this time.”
Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier leads the rally by 27.6 seconds over teammate Kalle Rovanperä heading into Sunday’s six remaining stages. Tänak, in third, is still just 8.5 seconds behind Rovanperä.
The Estonian needs points for the championship, so a strong final-day push is to be expected.
“I’d like to get a bit of rest, and obviously I understand we need to push it.”
