WRC - Tänak Sparks Title Drama as Neuville Faces Friday Frustration in Japan

The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) finale at FORUM8 Rally Japan has delivered high drama, with Hyundai Motorsport’s Ott Tänak emerging as the overnight leader. Meanwhile, teammate and championship leader Thierry Neuville endured a disastrous day, casting doubt on his title aspirations.

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Tänak Takes the Lead

Tänak, with a no-holds-barred approach, capitalized on the day’s asphalt stages to keep his championship hopes alive. The Estonian powered his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID to a 20.9-second advantage over Toyota’s Elfyn Evans after a commanding afternoon performance. His efforts also proved crucial for Hyundai’s manufacturers’ title fight, especially after Andreas Mikkelsen crashed out on SS5.

“The stages were quite okay,” said Tänak. “I am looking forward to the challenge ahead tomorrow.”

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Neuville’s Troubles

Neuville’s day took a turn for the worse on SS3 when his car suffered a turbo pressure issue, leaving the Belgian with severely reduced power. Forced to limp through the remaining stages without a midday service, Neuville dropped over seven minutes and now sits 15th overall.

With six championship points required to secure his maiden world title, Neuville faces a steep challenge heading into Saturday and Sunday. “It’s tough to find positives,” he admitted. “When the car worked, the feeling was good – that’s the only positive.”

Friday’s Key Moments

Elfyn Evans briefly led at the halfway point but conceded the advantage to Tänak in the afternoon stages.
Adrien Fourmaux moved into third after fitting auxiliary lights, helping him overcome visibility issues that hindered Takamoto Katsuta.
Sébastien Ogier, after a wheel change delay, closed the day in fifth, while Nikolay Gryazin led the WRC2 category in seventh overall.

Saturday Preview

Saturday’s penultimate leg includes three stages, each run twice, culminating in the Toyota Stadium super special. With Neuville’s title hopes in jeopardy and Tänak pushing to keep Hyundai on top, the championship fight promises even more twists.