Rovanperä set the fastest time on all three of the morning’s opening stages and now leads the season’s first fully tarmac rally by 17.8 seconds over his teammate Sebastien Ogier.
A significant change has taken place in Rovanperä’s driving in the Canary Islands compared to the season’s first three rounds. This time, the car seems to suit the Finn’s hands perfectly, and his driving has looked smooth and effortless.
The morning loop in the Canary Islands went just like Rovanperä’s famous quote suggests – when he wants to go fastest, he does.
“This morning was exactly that. It got off to a surprisingly good start,” Rovanperä summed up.
Rovanperä’s body language was also completely different from earlier this season. The Finn appeared relaxed and content. Things started going in the right direction already during Thursday’s shakedown, when he didn’t have to change anything in the car. Even then, he was the fastest of the entire field.
“That’s obviously very positive. The car has felt really good,” Rovanperä said.
“Now that we’ve moved onto those faster stages, there’s still work to do, of course – but I’m sure that’s the case for everyone,” he continued.
Rovanperä admitted frankly that he hadn’t expected such a strong morning.
“The gaps were surprisingly big. The driving has felt quite good. I just need to try to maintain the same pace and improve, because the others will definitely improve too. Especially in the final fast loop of the afternoon, we’ll probably need to try some new settings on the car,” Rovanperä anticipated.
Earlier in the season, the new tyre supplier Hankook, introduced to the WRC for this year, caused Rovanperä some headaches. But now, the feeling with the tyres has improved.
“They’ve felt pretty good. The operating window is just quite small, and it’s hard to keep them in it. It’s really difficult to determine where the limit is,” Rovanperä explained.
Three more special stages will be run on Friday in the Rally Islas Canarias. Rovanperä has a clear plan.
“We’ll just keep the same rhythm in our driving. If you start trying too hard, it’s not any faster. You always have to drive cleanly.”
