Tanak lists two main difficulties for him in Mexico

Ott Tanak says that Rally Mexico will be difficult for him for two main reasons and wishes it rained next weekend.

Rally Mexico will be Tanak's first gravel event of 2023 with the Puma Rally1, therefore M-Sport Ford decided to schedule a two-day test for the Estonian driver in Spain. After the first two rallies of the season, the 2019 WRC Champion is leading the drivers' championship with 41 points over three points from Kalle Rovanpera which means that he will start first on the road next Friday. However, it must be mentioned that Malcolm Wilson's team performed well on rough gravel rallies as Sebastien Loeb and Pierre-Louis Louber were fighting for the lead of Acropolis Rally on Friday morning in 2022.

"During testing it was my very first time on gravel in the Puma Rally1 and it was very important to discover as much as possible", Tanak said. 

"As most of the rallies are on gravel, we decided to do two test days in Spain. 

"The team is working hard to keep improving, but to really understand where we are now, we need to do a gravel rally first. 

 "The key challenge for Mexico is the altitude and temperature together. 

"Because of high altitude, the power is reduced which makes the behaviour of the car quite different. 

"The roads in Mexico are actually fun, there are stages which are very technical, and it feels like we are driving them forever in the high temperatures, but there are also faster sections with big compressions and jumps. 

"As we are leading the championship, we need to start first on the road on Rally México, it could be a good place to start if it rains, but not sure I’m that good a rain dancer to get the rain in a place where it almost never rains!".

Photo Credits: M-Sport