What was behind Tanak’s Saturday Monte Carlo blitz?

Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul believes Ott Tanak’s perfect Saturday afternoon at the opening round of the new World Rally Championship season was down to the combination of a “deep look” into his approach and the correct tyre strategy.

Sebastien Ogier leads Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans by 20.3 seconds heading into Sunday’s running, with Tanak 6.7 seconds further back in fourth, surging into the reckoning for a podium in Monte Carlo by leading every stage in the afternoon loop.

The performance came off the back of a Friday that saw Tanak rip the rear bodywork off his Hyundai, recovering to ensure he remained in the hunt.

Asked what the team had done to Tanak’s car after Saturday’s morning loop, Abiteboul told Autosport that the pace was more down to a change of approach and tyre choice as drivers get used to the new Hankook compounds.

“I don’t think we have done anything to the car. He is not going to like what I’m going to say but what we have done and what he has done is a deep look within himself and his approach of rally weekends,” said Abiteboul.

“It is too early to draw any conclusions but the fact that he is now taking the time to build up set-ups, confident and understanding to know exactly when to attack and when to lose a bit and when to back off and to play the long game. This is good to see.

“We have done an assessment of last year as we always do and seen where we missed out as a team with certain mistakes and with the third car but we also know there were a few occasions where Ott probably lost some opportunities and it is positive to see a change of approach and also in the communication it is all positive.

“I think his time in the middle stage was a combination of a different approach and the right tyre call. It shows that he is a driver that wants to go big to get a big [reward].”

Fight for rally victory “still on”

Ogier’s lead puts him in a commanding position as he searches for a record-extending 10th Monte Carlo victory, but with Evans still in the hunt with Tanak and third-placed Adrian Fourmaux – on his Hyundai debut – Abiteboul has insisted the race for overall honours remains possible.

But warning a win must not jeopardise championship endeavours, he explained: “It [the fight] is still on but let’s not get the target wrong.

“The first target is to complete this rally with two cars minimum in good positions and to have the maximum points from Monte Carlo. Let’s not try to win this rally at any cost, that would be wrong at this point of the championship.”

Ogier agreed that the rally was far from sewn up, telling Autosport: “The battle is still on but I think we managed the day quite well.

“We managed to increase the lead a little bit, the gap went in a good direction. I take that as a positive day. It has been challenging conditions starting last of the Rally1 cars, the road was not in our favour but we managed to stay out of trouble.

“Three stages to go tomorrow and they are challenging ones, so let’s see. It won’t be easy up to the end.”

Team-mate Evans added: “It is all fairly open. Seb is obviously going to be difficult to beat if everything goes to plan.

“He is going to be difficult to beat, no question. But the guys around us are only a handful of seconds behind so that is nothing really in this rally.”