Tänak putting Rally Estonia disappointment behind him ahead of Finland race
Ott Tänak says he aims to strike the right balance in the M-Sport Ford Puma ahead of this weekend's Rally Finland, round nine of the 2023 WRC championship.
Coming off a disappointing eighth in his home rally the Sunday before last, the Estonian said: "In general, Rally Finland is much more demanding than the Estonian race. I have enjoyed driving in Finland and we have had some good races here."
"The Estonian stage was tough, and unfortunately we did not manage to amass the points we had hoped for, but nevertheless we were able to demonstrate some good speed," he added, via an M-Sport press release.
"The focus is to find the best possible feeling in Thursday's test run and then we will work hard for the best possible result, after that," he added.
M-sport team boss Richard Millener says he has put the disappointment of Rally Estonia behind him.
"Everyone was very disappointed after the rally in Estonia, Ott and [co-driver] Martin [Järveoja] clearly had the speed to fight for a win before a home crowd. We have left the negative aspects behind us, while we will take the positives with us to Finland - Ott has won there three times before," Millener said.
"He has been able to test for one day and I know that when he arrives in Finland, he will be fully focused on that task at hand," Millener added.
Tänak lies in fourth place in the drivers' table with five more races to go, including Finland.
He is 66 points behind championship leader and reigning WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä – who will be looking for a win in the Toyota in front of a home crowd this weekend.
As is standard for WRC events, the Thursday sees an initial shakedown run in the morning followed by the first stage proper the same evening, while the rest of the rally stages run Friday through to Sunday, August 6.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Helena Lindeberg
Source: ERR Sport