Toyota and Hyundai were tied in points based on Saturday evening’s standings, but on Sunday, Hyundai stars Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak were unstoppable. The duo collected the maximum points available on the final day of the competition: Neuville was the fastest in both the Super Sunday and the Power Stage, while Tänak finished second in both results.
Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier led the rally at the end of Saturday, but he only managed to secure four points on Sunday. Additionally, Ogier suffered a puncture on the Power Stage, allowing Tänak to take the overall rally victory.
Toyota accumulated just 13 points on Sunday compared to Hyundai’s 22 points. Hence, Hyundai amassed nine points more over the weekend and strengthened its position at the top of the manufacturers’ championship standings.
Tänak, who won the rally by a slim margin of 0.2 seconds, collected a total of 25 points over the weekend, three more than the second-placed Ogier. In the drivers’ championship battle, the Estonian leaped to second place, tying in points with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans. Evans finished fourth in Sardinia.
Neuville, who retired on Saturday, ultimately took 12 points from the Mediterranean island on Sunday. The Belgian continues to lead the championship, but Tänak and Evans have closed the gap to 18 points.
Ogier, who won the two previous rallies, took fourth place in the championship standings. The Frenchman is 12 points behind Tänak and Evans.
