Tanak: Strong points haul 'essential' in Paraguay as WRC title race heats up

A good points haul from Rally Paraguay is “essential” for Hyundai’s Ott Tanak with the World Rally Championship title race all to play for.

The WRC title race is brewing to be one of the closest and hardest fought in recent memory as 13 points separates the top four drivers with five rounds of the season remaining.

Tanak has his eyes set on winning a second world title to add to his 2019. The Estonian had led the championship standings by a solitary point before the summer break, but has slipped to fourth behind Toyota trio Elfyn Evans, Kalle Rovanpera and Sebastien Ogier in the standings after leaving Rally Finland with only one point.

This year Tanak has delivered arguably his strongest and most consistent showing behind the wheel of a i20 N Rally1 car. Tanak has proved to be the fastest driver of the season to date with 44 stages wins, eight more than nearest rival Kalle Rovanpera, while racking up a healthy average 18.1 points per round.

Hyundai

The Tanak/Hyundai collaboration has been particularly effective on rough gravel rallies, having taken his only 2025 win to date in Greece, while coming close to victories in Sardinia and Portugal.

The championship resumes this week, following a summer break, with a trip to South America as Paraguay becomes the 38th nation to host to a round of the WRC since the championship’s inaugural season in 1973.

Brand new gravel stages and conditions will provide a level playing field for the WRC drivers and teams, although Tanak believes the event will be crucial for his title bid.

“It’s always exciting to go to brand-new events, but it’s difficult to predict how the weekend will play out,” said Tanak.

“It’s a great challenge for all of us in the team, and if we can pull off a good result, it’s always rewarding.

“We go to Rally del Paraguay with a blank sheet of paper, so the recce is the first time we can really try to understand what the rally will be like. It’s a lot of work with all the new notes, car setup and preparation.

“Everyone in the team will always throw themselves into whatever is needed, particularly when it’s a level playing field for everyone.

“Good points are essential for us in Paraguay, and we will push for that result.”

The 19-stage rally, comprising 333.18 competitive kilometres, is due to begin on Friday.

Watch WRC on DAZN

Follow all the action of the FIA World Rally Championship LIVE this weekend from Paraguay 29th -31st August. Three days not to be missed! The 2025 World Rally Championship is available through DAZN on its own dedicated app channel,  Rally TV. It is available either as a dedicated Rally TV subscription, or as part of your existing DAZN subscription for a small add-on fee.

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Rally TV also broadcasts every rally from the FIA European Rally Championship.

Watch every WRC and ERC rally this year on DAZN's 24-hour dedicated Rally TV channel. For more information on prices, subscriptions and more, click here.