Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who is chasing his first World Rally Championship title, made significant mistakes on the final stage of the loop and lost his lead.
Neuville dropped to fourth, while Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier reclaimed the rally lead. Neuville’s teammate Ott Tänak moved up to second place. The morning conditions caught Tänak off guard, just like many others.
“The conditions were a big surprise. I guess also for the Toyota guys; they even had some hard tyres. So we actually expected very nice, consistent conditions with some high grip. But in the end, they were all quite damp and humid. So, yeah, the grip was very opposite for us,” Tänak admitted.
Tänak had an opportunity to make a strong move in the fight for victory, but the Estonian wasn’t able to fully capitalise on it.
“We definitely gave away too much in the middle one. So, we were a bit too safe. Also, the notes were a bit up and down, so, yeah, we definitely shouldn’t have given that much away. But the last stage again was fine. Let’s see what the afternoon brings.,” Tänak said.
Tänak is now in a position where he’s ahead of his teammate, which gives him the chance to keep the championship fight alive.
“We expected something from this morning, and, you know, nothing matched the expectations. But let’s see this afternoon. Hopefully, the conditions will be a bit more consistent, but we still need to try our best,” Tänak outlined.
In the afternoon loop, the morning stages will be repeated, meaning a total of three special stages. The conditional WRC points will be awarded in the evening, and the rally will conclude as usual on Sunday.
