After six stages, the top four drivers are separated by just 7.1 seconds. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville leads the rally, followed by Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier (+3.3 seconds), Neuville’s teammate Ott Tänak (+6.3), and Toyota’s Elfyn Evans (+7.1).
Neuville, who currently leads the World Rally Championship standings, has the opportunity to secure his first world title during this tarmac event in Central Europe. On Friday’s morning loop, he benefitted from being the first car on the road.
“At the moment, I would say it feels pretty much normal. It’s all about staying focussed, doing the job, like always. We have to bring this day to an end,” Neuville told RallyJournal.com when he reached the remote service.
“It’s the most challenging, I would say, in terms of condition and even stage profile. So we need to do a good job today,” he added.
Although the rally is still in its early stages, Neuville has been nearly flawless so far.
“We had a good run and I felt more or less confident and comfortable, so we kept going. We need to try to find a good rhythm where we are safe and at the same time fast. But there will be plenty of surprises this afternoon,” the Belgian star emphasised.
Toyota driver Ogier went wide at a couple of junctions during Friday morning’s stages, but he remained close to Neuville. The Frenchman intends to keep the pressure on during the two afternoon stages.
“It’s still only the beginning of the race. So the plan is to stay as close as we can or maybe even take some time back if we can. You just need to drive fast and avoid mistakes,” Ogier explained.
“The conditions have been like expected, tricky in places. But I still feel it’s a positive start for us,” he added.
