Tänak targets redemption as WRC resumes in Sardinia
If you're in search of a laid-back Mediterranean escape, Sardinia won’t be the place to find it this week. The FIA World Rally Championship resumes at Rally Italia Sardegna - and it’s bringing the full heat of the island with it.
Photographer Credit: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool, Grégoire Munster (NDL) and Louis Louka (BEL) perform during World Rally Championship Sardinia in Alghero, Italy on June 2, 2024
Based around the coastal city of Olbia, the sixth round of the 2025 season is a true mid-year stress test.
Sardinia’s narrow gravel tracks twist through hills and hug the coastline, littered with rocks and ruts that punish even the smallest mistake. Tyre wear is high, temperatures soar, and mechanical reliability is pushed to the limit. Nothing comes easy here - and it rarely goes to plan.
One man hoping to rewrite the script is Ott Tänak. The Hyundai Motorsport driver arrives on Italian soil aiming to recapture the magic of his 2024 victory and finally climb onto the top step for the first time this season. He came agonisingly close at the previous round in Portugal, only for a late power steering issue to hand Toyota GAZOO Racing star Sébastien Ogier the win.
The pair have unfinished business in Sardinia. Last year’s showdown went down to the wire, with Tänak snatching victory by two-tenths of a second in a thrilling Wolf Power Stage finish - the joint-closest in WRC history.
“Sardinia is another super punishing event,” Tänak said. “At first, it can look smooth and sandy, but the roads normally develop quickly. We can suddenly find solid rocks sticking out from the ground, which will make life hard for both the car and tyres. Hopefully, we have done our homework and we are going to be on the pace from the start!”
Tänak sits fourth in the drivers’ standings heading into the rally, with Hyundai team-mates Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux holding fifth and seventh. All three benefit from strong road positions on Friday — a crucial edge on Sardinia’s dust-coated surface.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans isn’t so lucky. The Welshman paid the price for his early-season consistency in Portugal, where sweeping the loose surface cost him valuable time. With the same fate awaiting him this week, Evans is likely targeting damage limitation as he defends a 30-point cushion over team-mate and two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä.
Ogier, fresh off his Portugal win, trails Rovanperä by just two points and will be another serious threat, while Takamoto Katsuta and young talent Sami Pajari also join the Toyota GAZOO Racing line-up in non-scoring roles for the manufacturers’ championship.
M-Sport Ford, meanwhile, bring strength in numbers. Josh McErlean and Grégoire Munster are joined by Mārtiņš Sesks and Jourdan Serderidis in a four-strong Puma Rally1 assault. The team is still chasing its first podium of 2025, but Sardinia has a habit of rewarding those who play the long game.
Rally Italia Sardegna begins with shakedown on Thursday (5 June) afternoon and features 16 competitive stages, covering more than 320 kilometres ahead of Sunday’s finish.
Photographer Credit: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool, Grégoire Munster (NDL) and Louis Louka (BEL) perform during World Rally Championship Sardinia in Alghero, Italy on June 2, 2024
Based around the coastal city of Olbia, the sixth round of the 2025 season is a true mid-year stress test.
Sardinia’s narrow gravel tracks twist through hills and hug the coastline, littered with rocks and ruts that punish even the smallest mistake. Tyre wear is high, temperatures soar, and mechanical reliability is pushed to the limit. Nothing comes easy here - and it rarely goes to plan.
One man hoping to rewrite the script is Ott Tänak. The Hyundai Motorsport driver arrives on Italian soil aiming to recapture the magic of his 2024 victory and finally climb onto the top step for the first time this season. He came agonisingly close at the previous round in Portugal, only for a late power steering issue to hand Toyota GAZOO Racing star Sébastien Ogier the win.
The pair have unfinished business in Sardinia. Last year’s showdown went down to the wire, with Tänak snatching victory by two-tenths of a second in a thrilling Wolf Power Stage finish - the joint-closest in WRC history.
“Sardinia is another super punishing event,” Tänak said. “At first, it can look smooth and sandy, but the roads normally develop quickly. We can suddenly find solid rocks sticking out from the ground, which will make life hard for both the car and tyres. Hopefully, we have done our homework and we are going to be on the pace from the start!”
Tänak sits fourth in the drivers’ standings heading into the rally, with Hyundai team-mates Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux holding fifth and seventh. All three benefit from strong road positions on Friday — a crucial edge on Sardinia’s dust-coated surface.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans isn’t so lucky. The Welshman paid the price for his early-season consistency in Portugal, where sweeping the loose surface cost him valuable time. With the same fate awaiting him this week, Evans is likely targeting damage limitation as he defends a 30-point cushion over team-mate and two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä.
Ogier, fresh off his Portugal win, trails Rovanperä by just two points and will be another serious threat, while Takamoto Katsuta and young talent Sami Pajari also join the Toyota GAZOO Racing line-up in non-scoring roles for the manufacturers’ championship.
M-Sport Ford, meanwhile, bring strength in numbers. Josh McErlean and Grégoire Munster are joined by Mārtiņš Sesks and Jourdan Serderidis in a four-strong Puma Rally1 assault. The team is still chasing its first podium of 2025, but Sardinia has a habit of rewarding those who play the long game.
Rally Italia Sardegna begins with shakedown on Thursday (5 June) afternoon and features 16 competitive stages, covering more than 320 kilometres ahead of Sunday’s finish.
