Q&A with 2019 World Rally Champion Ott Tänak

October 28, 2019 0 Comments

Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja are the 2019 FIA World Rally Champions.

Second place (behind Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul) and maximum Power Stage bonus points was enough to give the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT Yaris WRC crew the title on Rally Spain – with one round of the series in Australia remaining.

This is what the new WRC drivers’ champion had to say after the event.

Ott, World Champion for 2019: it is a dream that has come true for you here in Spain. Six wins so far this season. You have had a couple of hours to process the news in your head. How does it feel now? We know the pressure has been on you. “I believe not just the pressure but huge pressure. Since Thursday, every second person is asking about the pressure and how your head is and how the championship is. It is not easy to manage because of this. I would say that in my life, I have had many difficult problems, so for sure, it helps to cope with these kind of situations. Still, this pressure was something new. At the beginning, I did not know how I would perform and how I would manage the pressure like this. It was quite a new and interesting situation. I had no other choice other than to relax and try to get the feeling without taking any risks. We could do it. It was an interesting weekend. Now the relief is great.”

When you look back at your career, your first event in FIA WRC was 10 years ago, in 2009. You have seen a lot in that time. It was been a rollercoaster. A lot of people have played a big part in it. Markko Martin was in the service park today. What did he say and how did he react? “He was not so happy with me. We spoke last night and his advice was to take all the points and not to push and he obviously was not happy with the Power Stage. I think we have a meeting with him after. I have seen in life that nothing comes easy for me. Before the Power Stage, I had two options. Basically, to drive and hope that Thierry would not take too many points or I may have enough. I knew this was not going to happen. I said he will push and take the maximum points. So the choice for me was to push myself and make the difference.”

Did you feel when you got to the stage end that this was going to be a fast time? “No. The feelings were quite mixed. At the beginning of the stage, in the first few kilometres, I was not completely relaxed. I wanted to relax as quick as I could. Then the feeling was okay but we have seen all weekend that the Hyundais have been very fast. But I managed to push a little bit more. I knew it was going to be difficult. I knew that this could decide the championship before Australia. In the end, it was a job well done.”

You don’t often show emotion. Did you allow yourself any emotion, were there any tears? “I will say there were, yes, when I saw my wife crying, and my sister. You get some emotions. It’s a big relief. With a pressure like this, when it drops, it can release a lot of emotions.”

Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja wear Stilo WRC DES Zero 8860 helmets.