Why a head vs heart call will shape WRC 2020

Loquacious? Garrulous? Neither adjective is installed next to the words 'Ott' and 'Tanak' on a regular basis. But harbourside on a warm Sardinian Saturday evening, the Estonian was positively chatty.

Tanak talked freely about how things had turned around at Toyota and how things were really starting to fall into place. I even recall a mention of the words 'dream team'.

That whole 'Tanak back to M-Sport' story that had been brewing since Malcolm Wilson declared his intention to bring Tanak 'home' for 2020 looked to be getting wider of the mark with every Italian kilometre that passed beneath Tanak's dominant Yaris WRC.

Then that steering thing happened on the powerstage and things got a bit shouty at Toyota.

And then Dani Sordo won. And then Andreas Mikkelsen finished on the podium.

And then all those driver market pontifications went up in smoke.

Rarely has one rally had such an impact on who might - or might not - go where next year.

Let's be honest - and realistic - Toyota boss Tommi Makinen hasn't suddenly flown to Andorra to wave a two-plus-one deal beneath Sordo's nose in the same way his Hyundai counterpart Andrea Adamo hasn't nailed Mikkelsen down for a full year's worth of i20 action. What Sardinia did was provide opportunities.

Let's talk Mikkelsen first.

Benched in favour of Sebastien Loeb for the first time this year in Corsica, Mikkelsen came back with a strong second place in Argentina. Much was made of that result in South America. The break had done him good, he'd rediscovered his fighting spirit, etc, etc.

Then he was shocking in Chile. That rally was his worst outing in a very bad season. He looked lost in the i20 and, what's worse, he didn't look like he had much of an idea of how to find himself.

Benched again for Portugal, he then hit back with another podium in Italy.

If Mikkelsen beats Neuville on more than half of Finland's stages - which he should - and blows Breen into the weeds, then we can talk about turning corners. If he does neither, the end of the road could be in sight

Ahead of the start of Sardinia, I was sure the eminently likeable and thoroughly decent Mikkelsen would be out of a job before the end of the year. How could Adamo keep him with the likes of Hayden Paddon, Craig Breen and Mads Ostberg all sitting on their hands?

I'm still not 100% sure Mikkelsen will see out the year (will he do Germany or does the team try to get Loeb off the beach to join Sordo and Thierry Neuville, for example?), but he's at least taken back some control over his destiny.

Mikkelsen's drive in Sardinia demonstrated the sort of fight I wasn't sure he still had in him. The way he hunted Elfyn Evans down on Sunday was superb. He put everything on the line and pushed a car harder than he has since he beat Sebastien Ogier in a straight fight on the final day of Rally Australia 2016.

Remember that? Ogier was pretty much unbeatable in a Volkswagen Polo R WRC, but team-mate Mikkelsen took him to the cleaners on their last day of driving for VW.

Mikkelsen's back was to the wall and his career was on the line as he and Jari-Matti Latvala locked horns for the final 2017 seat at Toyota. It didn't pay off in the short-term - Toyota picked Latvala and Mikkelsen started 2017 in a WRC2 Skoda - but a drive like that contributed to most of the works teams fighting over Mikkelsen in the early months of that year before he landed at Hyundai long term.

Now, it's up to Mikkelsen. He found speed and took confidence from the car when he put it on the door handles last time out. No doubt, Sardinia was good. But Finland will provide a wider view. If he beats Neuville on more than half of the stages (which he really should, given his superior place on the road) and blows Breen into the weeds then we can talk about turning corners. If neither of those things happen, the end of the road could be in sight.

Crikey, Andreas took up a lot of words...

What of Sordo's chances?

They have to be fairly good. Who knows exactly what Adamo's thinking is, but Loeb is keen for more of the same next season - six or seven rallies at the most - and Sordo's shown himself to be leaner and keener than ever on his part-programme.

A Loeb-Sordo car share for 2020 would seem almost as likely as Neuville remaining where he is. And Neuville will, by the way, remain where he is. He's in the middle of a three-year deal with Hyundai and he's got the team he wanted right where he wants it: in the palm of his hand.

So, to Tanak. Will he move?

To be frank, I've got absolutely no idea. Earlier this year, I was sure he was off to M-Sport. Saturday night in Sardinia and I was equally sure he was ready to commit to more Toyota. Now? I suspect even he doesn't know for sure.

Toyota has everything he needs: the biggest budget, some of the best facilities, arguably the most powerful man in the automotive industry - Akio Toyoda - on speed dial and a very, very fast rally car. But it's not home.

M-Sport's home for Tanak. And it always will be. The Estonian's appreciation and admiration for Wilson and his team is as consistent as it is complete.

You only have to watch Tanak's movie to see the strength of relationship between them. They've been to the edge on more than one occasion (three, to be precise) and each time Tanak's fallen off the cliff, only for Wilson to reach out and offer him a hand back up.

Tanak has already talked of his desire to tie up his future as soon as possible, but Sardinia can only have set that back. Had he won there and won in Finland, I think the deal would have been done to stay where he is. And stay for a couple more years. But now? Anybody's guess.

And Tanak's the big mover in the market.

With Kalle Rovanpera heading for the third Yaris WRC next season, if Tanak remains at Toyota, either Kris Meeke or Latvala will be on the market. With 50% more points than his team-mate as well as more consistency and more speed (more stages wins and more time in the lead of rallies), Meeke should get the nod over Latvala.

Breen's presence in Finland piles on the pressure. He has an opportunity to show the world what it's been missing and if Breen bags a result, he'll be knocking on more than one door

Much as I like Jari-Matti and much as it pains me to say it, this could be the end of the road for one of the most genuine, sincere and decent fellas I've met in my time in motorsport.

It's not done yet. A Finland and Germany win for Meeke or Latvala would put them in a strong position, but Meeke is a step ahead - 50 points from the next two rounds would almost certainly bank a 2020 deal for him.

Like Latvala, another Finn chasing a big Rally Finland is 2017 winner Esapekka Lappi. The Citroen driver has looked utterly lost in the C3 WRC for much of the season. He's struggling to get the best out of the car and, no doubt, finding the cultural switch from Toyota's Finnish operation to the full French force that is Ogier back in Versailles tough.

Ahead of the season, Lappi spoke of the chance to learn from Ogier, but right now it looks like the defending champion is talking a different language.

Ogier's innate natural ability allied to vast experience has allowed him to find a way to unlock some of the Citroen's potential. The way he has clung to the coattails of Tanak has been the story of the season's first half. Time after time, he finds a way to win ugly, just to keep his name near the top of the table. That's how championships are won.

In the middle of all of that, there's been precious little time or opportunity to lend a hand to the flailing Finn in the sister car.

Lappi needs to remember his victory at home in 2017. You don't stand on top of the podium in Paviljonki without knowing how to drive a car as quickly as the best of the best.

He can do it, but he needs to get that key in the lock and turn it as quickly as possible. Citroen's patience won't last forever.

Breen's presence at the next round in Finland piles pressure onto Lappi and the like. The Irishman has an opportunity to show the world what it's been missing and if Breen bags a result, there's more than one door he'll be knocking on.

Despite missing out on that Hyundai seat, I still believe Paddon can do a job for a manufacturer. The Kiwi had sensational pace in 2016 and showed sublime consistency last season. Surely that counts for something with somebody?

The same goes for Ostberg. He stepped into the Citroen and did a solid job last year and is more than capable of doing the same again.

Sardinia made waves in the service park. As the seas grow bigger through Finland and Germany, which driver will find which port in that storm?