Pajari completed the first four stages of the day without major mistakes and currently sits fourth overall heading into the afternoon loop.
He trails the rally leader by 27.5 seconds at this point – but in Greece, anything can happen, and surprises in the leaderboard are always possible.
“A pretty good morning. Of course, the first stage went really well. I just tried to drive cleanly and stay in the ruts. I did the same on the second stage, but for some reason the time wasn’t as strong. I don’t know – maybe the line was softer and I could’ve pushed harder. On the final stage of the loop, the tyre tread started to peel off,” Pajari summed up.
The brutal nature of the Greek stages has become evident already on day one. The risk of punctures is extremely high. Pajari gave a stark assessment of the conditions.
“It’s like a minefield when you go on the stage – anything you hit can lead to some terrible things. So it’s just really rough.,” he said.
Pajari kept his risk level relatively low throughout Friday morning – and that seems to be the right strategy.
“If there are some sections in slightly better condition – like they will be for you, at least – then for sure I try to push a bit more there, and then try to be clever again in the tricky places. But I think that’s much easier said than done,” Pajari reflected.
“I think that’s also the point. Let’s say on the stage, once you find the line, you just follow it. Even if it feels like you’re going a bit steady and not really taking risks, it can actually be the right way to go,” he added.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä had a more difficult morning. The Finn is currently fifth overall and already 32.4 seconds behind the rally leader.
“I think it’s just quite similar to how it has been everywhere this year. I just don’t get the feeling.,” Rovanperä lamented.
His problems peaked on the final stage of the morning – the nearly 27-kilometre Aghii Theodori stage – where Rovanperä feared “the car would explode at any moment.”
“I saw it’s all big hits all the time. The car’s not going straight anymore. So for sure, we’ve had some big hits. But yeah, just the normal stuff. Not comfortable in the car. I don’t know what to do with it,” he said.
