The 2019 world champion kicked off the 21-stage event by winning the opening 3.3km Tartu Vald test but is sitting last in the overall standings after being hit with a five-minute penalty following an enforced engine change after shakedown.
Facing an uphill struggle to score championship points, Tanak highlighted what could have been by winning the spectator stage by 0.6s from Toyota’s Elfyn Evans and Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi, who clocked identical times.
“I would say that the more I have to go through the day, the more it hurts," said Tanak at the stage end.
“It's getting more and more painful. Our chances for the championship were quite tight considering our performances this year and we were working hard for the next two rallies.
“This was a proper kick in the balls.”
By virtue of Tanak’s penalty, Evans and Lappi will head into Saturday with a shared 0.1s lead over championship leader and Toyota driver Kalle Rovanpera, who opted for a measured start to the rally.
"I didn't stress too much about this one, it's a tricky stage so we just did a clean run-through with no push,” said Rovanpera.
Source: Autosport