Ott Tänak

Estonian rally driver and 2019 World Rally Champion

via Wikipedia: Ott Tänak · see source

Ott Tänak (born 15 October 1987) is an Estonian rally driver who most recently competed for Hyundai World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship. Tänak was paired with co-driver Martin Järveoja, a partnership that has existed since the 2017 season and lasted until 2025 after Tänak announced his retirement. He is the 2019 World Rally Champion, having sealed his maiden World Rally Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT in a dominant season that saw him take six victories.

Quick Facts

Nationality

Estonian

Wrc world championship

2019

Teams

Toyota Gazoo Racing, M-Sport Ford

Driving style

Aggressive
high-speed
risk-taking

Surfaces

Gravel and tarmac

Wrc debut era

Mid-2010s

Lore & Background

Tänak made his World Rally Championship debut on the 2009 Rally de Portugal, finishing 20th overall. In 2011, he drove in seven rallies with a Ford Fiesta S2000 and scored his first WRC points in the 2011 Rally Mexico. He made his debut in a WRC-spec Ford Fiesta at the 2011 Wales Rally GB. In 2012, he was the number one driver for M-Sport Ford World Rally Team and drove the full 2012 season, scoring his first podium in Italy. After a year away from the WRC in 2013, he joined the DMACK World Rally Team in 2014. He returned to M-Sport in 2015 and again in 2017, winning his first WRC event at the 2017 Rally Italia Sardegna. He signed a two-year deal with Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT before the 2018 season.

Reader's Guide

Tänak has won twenty-two world rallies, putting the Estonian eighth on the all-time list. He and co-driver Järveoja achieved their maiden world rally win at the 2017 Rally Italia Sardegna driving for M-Sport Ford. Tänak's maiden drivers' world title followed in 2019, making him the first Estonian to win the drivers' championship, the first non-Frenchman to win since Petter Solberg in 2003, and the first Toyota driver to win since Didier Auriol in 1994. He finished as the championship runner-up in 2022, and has finished third in the standings on four occasions.