Due to the time zone difference, Thursday's events were already done and dusted before 8 a.m. Estonian time. The opening stage saw Finn Kalle Rovanperä win the stage for Toyota, with Tänak finishing just 0.1 seconds behind in the Hyundai i20. Earlier, Tänak had finished fifth in the initial shakedown run.

Tänak is once again mathematically in the title hunt, although his chances are so slim. He is fourth in the standings with 197 points, trailing Toyota drivers Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier (both 234 points), and championship leader Elfyn Evans (247 points). As a result, it would take something close to a miracle for the Estonian to claim the second title of his career by the end of the 2025 season.

Nevertheless, Tänak is still in the hunt. This is partly due to a quirk in the rules which means that Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja are racing solely for themselves. None of the points they accrue will be added to Hyundai's total, as the manufacturer's title has already been claimed by Toyota.

This unique situation allows the Estonians to make engine changes that would otherwise have incurred a penalty.

"I hope the small changes made to the car after [the Central European Rally] will help us immediately find the right feeling and allow us to fight for top positions," Tänak said via a Hyundai press release.

"Japan is one of the slowest asphalt rallies on the calendar. We've always had to deal with unpredictable weather there, which makes it a challenging event. You don't need to overdo the setup — precision and adapting to low grip are key," he added. "We're lucky to go to Japan at a time when nature is colorful. It's always warm and welcoming there, so I really enjoy driving in Japan," he said.

Besides Tänak, no other Estonians are competing in Japan. While Rally Japan has in recent years marked the end of the WRC season, this time around, it is the penultimate stage, as a final round has been added in that present-day mecca for major sporting events, Saudi Arabia.

Tänak will be hoping for a better showing than last year, when he was still in the running for the title alongside teammate Thierry Neuville. Unfortunately, a retirement on the race's final day put paid to that, as well as to Hyundai's chances of winning the manufacturer's title. The silver lining to that cloud, however, was Neuville winning his maiden drivers' title, one which he has been unable to defend this year.

An added complication for Hyundai and M-Sport Ford, the only other top-tier WRC teams, is that Japan is essentially Toyota's home rally. In addition to Elfyn Evans — who is keen for his first-ever title — double world champion Rovanperä, and eight-time WRC champion Ogier, much is expected of the fourth Toyota man, Takamoto Katsuta. The Japanese driver finished on the podium last at his home rally in 2022 but has consistently finished in the top five since then.

Shakedown and stage one results

As for the race so far, in the shakedown held late Wednesday night Estonian time, Toyota drivers were, as expected, dominant, taking the top four places. Championship leader Elfyn Evans set the fastest time of 2:13.8, followed by Rovanperä (2:15.4), Ogier (2:15.7), and Finn Sami Pajari (2:15.8). Tänak finished fifth, clocking 2:15.9 on his third run.

Seven hours later, the first official stage was held on the same route. Rovanperä set the fastest time at 2:07.5, but Tänak was just 0.1 seconds slower. "Hopefully it stays like this," he joked. "Unfortunately, it doesn't mean anything yet — we have to see what happens [on Friday]. It's a tough rally, and we have to stay focused."

As expected on a short spectator-friendly stage, the times were tight, with the top eight drivers covered by just one second. Local favorite Katsuta (+0.3) came third, followed by Ogier (+0.4), Pajari (+0.5), Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai; +0.8), Evans (+0.8), and Neuville (+1.0).

Rally schedule

The race continues overnight into Friday Estonian time, with the second stage beginning just after midnight.

Five more stages follow on Friday, the last starting at a little after 9:15 a.m. This pattern repeats on Saturday, with the seventh and final stage of the day beginning at 10:35 a.m. Estonian time. The rally's final day starts just after 1:30 a.m. Estonian time on Sunday, with the last stage starting at 7:15 a.m.

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