The Finnish driver, who is chasing his third world championship title, leads the rally by 16.7 seconds ahead of Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux. Rovanperä’s team-mate, eight-time champion Sébastien Ogier, is just half a second behind his compatriot Fourmaux.
Rovanperä did not produce heroics on Saturday morning in Paraguay, even though he set one fastest time on the loop of four stages. The situation is nevertheless at least promising.
“I’d say it feels better than yesterday. We made changes to the car, which improved the balance. Still, we’re missing speed in some places,” Rovanperä said.
“The first two stages in the morning were quite okay, also in terms of driving. But there is always room for improvement. The last two felt much worse. I could have been better on those stages.”
Many drivers have made mistakes in Paraguay’s new WRC round, and there have also been plenty of punctures, but Rovanperä has managed to avoid problems.
“Only on the opening stage of the morning did we run wide a few times. But that’s the nature of this rally – sometimes you have to hit the banks. I’m sure everyone had their moments. For me, there hasn’t been anything dramatic so far,” Rovanperä summarised.
Ogier suffered a puncture on Friday morning, after which the French star has already slashed nearly half of Rovanperä’s lead. For the afternoon loop, Rovanperä expects more difficulties.
“Seb is catching us all the time. The afternoon will certainly be tough as well. Like yesterday, there will be tyre wear. That could be a tricky issue,” Rovanperä reflected.
Three more special stages are scheduled on Saturday in Rally Paraguay. The rally concludes on Sunday.
