Dramatic finale for Sébastien Ogier – thrilling finish for Kalle Rovanperä

Ogier made a small driving error on the rally-ending Power Stage, losing close to ten seconds. However, he managed to hold onto his lead and beat Ott Tänak by 7.9 seconds.

The final stage drama echoed last year’s Rally Sardinia, where Toyota driver Ogier suffered a puncture on the final test and lost the victory to Tänak by just 0.2 seconds. This time, the outcome was much happier for the Frenchman.

Ogier also made history by becoming the most successful driver in the history of Rally Sardinia. He now holds five victories on the Mediterranean island – one more than his compatriot Sébastien Loeb.

Hyundai driver Tänak started Sunday chasing Ogier, but the veteran Toyota driver essentially secured the rally win on the opening stage of the morning with a commanding fastest time. From there, Ogier was able to manage his lead until the dramatic moments of the Power Stage.

Ogier earned 28 points in Sardinia. In addition to the rally win, he finished third in the Super Sunday classification. Without his mistake, he could have collected a few more valuable points for Toyota.

Ogier has now climbed to second in the championship standings, becoming the closest challenger to teammate Elfyn Evans. That’s an impressive feat, considering Ogier has contested two fewer events than the other top drivers. His season so far includes three wins and one second place from four rallies.

Kalle Rovanperä finished third in the Sardinian gravel rally, more than a minute behind Ogier. Rovanperä drove a consistent race but couldn’t quite match the pace of Ogier and Tänak.

Crucially for Rovanperä, he closed the gap to Elfyn Evans in the championship standings. Series leader Evans finished fourth in Sardinia.

Rovanperä capped off his rally with a brilliant drive on the Power Stage, where he set the fastest time by 8.1 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville. With that effort, Rovanperä claimed first place in the Super Sunday standings, ahead of Tänak and Ogier, and earned 25 points from the event overall.

All five of Toyota’s Rally1 drivers finished in the top seven: Takamoto Katsuta was fifth, and Sami Pajari seventh. The only drivers to split the Toyotas were Tänak and sixth-placed Oliver Solberg, although Solberg competes with a Toyota Rally2 car.

For Hyundai, the rally ended in disappointment once again. Tänak’s second place was small consolation, as the team had aimed solely for victory in Sardinia.

Among Hyundai’s stars, Thierry Neuville was forced to retire on Friday after damaging his car against a stone wall. The reigning champion tried to salvage as many points as possible on Sunday but managed to collect only five.

Neuville’s teammate Adrien Fourmaux rolled his car on Saturday and retired. Although the Frenchman rejoined on Sunday, he left Sardinia empty-handed.

The WRC season continues with the Acropolis Rally in Greece at the end of June.

Rally Sardinia final results:

Super Sunday results:

Rally Sardinia itinerary (CET):

Thursday 5.6.

14.01 Shakedown: Olbia Cabu Abbas (2,19 km)

Friday 6.6.

10.01 SS1: Arzachena 1 (13,97 km)
11.16 SS2: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 1 (18,43 km)
12.31 SS3: Sa Conchedda 1 (27,95 km)
15.05 Service (40 min)
16.31 SS4: Arzachena 2 (13,97 km)
17.46 SS5: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 2 (18,43 km)
19.01 SS6: Sa Conchedda 2 (27,95 km)

Saturday 7.6.

10.05 SS7: Coiluna - Loelle 1 (21,18 km)
11.16 SS8: Lerno - Su Filigosu 1 (24,34 km)
12.31 SS9: Tula - Erula 1 (15,28 km)
14.20 Service (40 min)
16.05 SS10: Coiluna - Loelle 2 (21,18 km)
17.16 SS11: Lerno - Su Filigosu 2 (24,34 km)
18.31 SS12: Tula - Erula 2 (15,28 km)

Sunday 8.6.

08.25 SS13: San Giacomo - Plebi 1 (25,19 km)
09.35 SS14: Porto San Paolo 1 (13,70 km)
11.50 SS15: San Giacomo - Plebi 2 (25,19 km)
13.30 Service (15 min)
14.15 SS16: Porto San Paolo 2 (13,70 km) *Power Stage