The reigning world champion had struggled throughout the morning loop, and nothing suggested that he would be in the fight for a podium — let alone victory.
But during service, Rovanperä and his engineers managed to fine-tune the car to better suit his driving style, and his pace in the afternoon was a different story altogether.
As a result, Rovanperä climbed to fifth in the overall standings by the end of the day. He now trails rally leader and teammate Sébastien Ogier by just 22.8 seconds – a gap that is far from insurmountable.
“It definitely felt a lot better. In the morning we realised what we could improve in the car, and we made those small changes during service. There was also more of a defined line on the stages in the afternoon, so it was much easier to drive,” Rovanperä explained.
Rovanperä has been struggling with the car all season long. Even though the changes made in Sardinia improved the setup, he still isn’t fully satisfied with how the car behaves in his hands.
“The confidence is okay, but it’s not the ideal outcome. We didn’t drive that many kilometres today, yet tyre wear is still pretty high. It’s hard to get the car to flow naturally. You have to force it a lot. On the second loop there were some lines to follow, which helped to push, but the pushing is a bit too aggressive – and that wears the tyres,” Rovanperä said with frustration.
Friday ultimately became a damage-limitation day for Rovanperä. But he gave himself no praise for the morning.
“This afternoon was a defensive success, yes. But if the morning hadn’t been so far off, this could’ve been a good day overall. The afternoon went quite well.”
Rovanperä is now firmly in the hunt for a podium finish in Sardinia. He’s not entirely convinced a win is within reach – but he’s keeping the door open.
“I don’t know if it’s realistic to catch the leaders, but now we’re on more equal footing. If we can start tomorrow morning with the same feeling we had in the afternoon, then of course anything is possible,” he considered.
Still, the improved pace in the afternoon gives him more confidence heading into Saturday.
“Of course. But the first loop tomorrow will probably be tough again — there will be a lot of loose gravel. Grip will be low, and we’ve been struggling a bit with that. Hopefully the setup changes we made will help give a better feeling straight away.”
Rally Sardinia continues on Saturday with six more special stages. Rovanperä isn’t expecting an easy ride.
“There are some more familiar sections, but also quite a few new ones. I’d say tomorrow will be just as tricky as today,” Rovanperä predicted.
