Kris Meeke scored his best result since returning to the World Rally Championship at Rallye Deutschland finishing second in his Toyota Yaris.

He was just 20.8 seconds off his Toyota team mate Ott Tänak at the finish of a gruelling series of tests which was Tänak’s third consecutive win on the same event and huge stride towards a maiden FIA World Rally Championship title. He survived a late scare to claim his fourth victory in five rounds, leading Toyota to its first clean sweep of the podium since 1993 and the first in the WRC since this rally four years ago.

Brake problems on his Toyota Yaris in the penultimate speed test forced Tänak to drive cautiously through the closing stage but he had enough in hand to head Kris Meeke with Jari-Matti Latvala clinching third.

The Estonian extended his championship lead to 33 points with four rounds remaining. His Toyota Gazoo Racing squad closed to within eight points of leaders Hyundai Shell Mobis in the manufacturers’ standings. The four-day encounter was fought out on bumpy vineyard tracks in the Mosel, gruelling multi-surface tank training roads and smooth country lanes in the Saarland countryside.

Tänak gained control after a thrilling duel with title rival Thierry Neuville came to a premature end when the Belgian stopped to change a puncture on his Hyundai i20.

Meeke and Latvala eased through the final stages, content to hold their positions and guarantee a stellar result for the Japanese manufacturer.