"Poland hasn't been around [in the WRC] for long. There's quite a lot to discover. The roads seem cool, but they're quite tricky. We had to make a new map. Most of the roads are pretty fresh. A few isolated stretches you remember from the old days. But the rally is a challenge," Tänak told ERR ahead of this weekend's Rally Poland.

The Estonian was fast in testing, but how does it compare to Rally Estonia? "The test doesn't really show how a rally is. The rally is a bit more technical, but just as fast. It's a bit of a challenge. Estonia is definitely has a lot wider and easier roads. Here the speed is the same, but the roads are twice as narrow," he said.

According to the overall standings in this year's WRC drivers' championship, Tänak will start Rally Poland on Friday in second position.

"It's definitely not good. One position better than Thierry's, but today's test showed very well how much the faster the road gets," said Tänak. "Going into the second lap it was over a second per kilometer faster. The hard surface comes out pretty quickly from underneath. It's definitely going to be challenging tomorrow."

How important a role could tactics play? "I don't think they're quite in place before the rally. At the moment it looks like the weather will be good for Saturday as well. There could be some surprises, which will make it even more interesting," Tänak said.

In the past, the Estonian has finished second and third in Poland but is yet to record a victory there. With the new points system introduced this season, does first place still matter? "In terms of the series, the points are obviously important. Winning is more of an emotional thing," said Tänak.

"It's important to be the best on Saturday night and Sunday overall, both on the day and in terms of the points. We'll see how it goes. Friday feels rather challenging at the moment and it will be a race for a starting position for Saturday."

On major question will be how to cope with defending WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä, who only found out on Tuesday that he would be taking the place of teammate Sebastien Ogier. The Finn has never previously competed in Poland.

"[His] preparation has obviously been limited. Luckily for him, he has been driving this car from the start and the set-up shouldn't be too difficult," said Tänak.

In previous years, the behavior of some spectators has been cause for concern at rallies in Poland. However, Tänak hopes the crowd will not cause any problems this time round. "Certainly, the whole setup is more aggressive, but they really like the sport. It turns up their emotions, but hopefully they can keep things under control," he said.

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