Although Ogier was the third car on the road, he was still able to set the fastest time on the opening special stage of the rally. Ogier beat Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville by 0.8 seconds.
“The road is getting faster all the time. Still, that was a good run from me. I was on the limit of grip several times. I’ve led many times before, so I’m used to this. You just have to drive cleanly and maintain speed through the corners,” Ogier summed up.
“I’m surprised. It didn’t feel that good. Still, it’s a good start. I know we still have a lot more to give,” Neuville reflected.
Toyota’s Sami Pajari impressed by being third fastest on the stage. The gap to his team-mate Ogier’s benchmark was just one second.
“It went pretty well. It’s not easy to find the perfect rhythm. Sometimes the grip was good, sometimes not. I tried to drive cleanly. It’s clear that the starting position helps,” Pajari summed up.
Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time ahead of team-mate Ott Tänak. M-Sport Ford’s Josh McErlean and Martins Sesks took the next positions.
Elfyn Evans, who was the first car on the road, lost 10.3 seconds to Ogier’s stage-best time. Kalle Rovanperä, running between Evans and Ogier, was 11.3 seconds off the lead. Rovanperä was the slowest of the top drivers and lies 11th after the opening stage.
“There was a lot of loose gravel. Everything went fine. No problems. It didn’t feel too bad here. The stages are quite different from each other,” Evans said.
“It didn’t go very well. A steady run, but lacking a bit of commitment,” Rovanperä said.
There are still five more special stages to run in Rally Sardinia. The event concludes on Sunday.
Rally Sardinia standings after SS1/16:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 7:50.0 |
| 2. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +0.8 |
| 2. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1.0 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +4.0 |
| 5. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +5.1 |
| 4. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +5.4 |
| 7. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +9.7 |
| 8. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +10.3 |
| 9. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +11.1 |
| 10. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +11.2 |
| 11. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +11.3 |
Rally Sardinia itinerary:
Thursday 5.6.
14.01 Shakedown: Olbia Cabu Abbas (2,19 km)
Friday 6.6.
10.01 SS1: Arzachena 1 (13,97 km)
11.16 SS2: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 1 (18,43 km)
12.31 SS3: Sa Conchedda 1 (27,95 km)
15.05 Service (40 min)
16.31 SS4: Arzachena 2 (13,97 km)
17.46 SS5: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 2 (18,43 km)
19.01 SS6: Sa Conchedda 2 (27,95 km)
Saturday 7.6.
10.05 SS7: Coiluna - Loelle 1 (21,18 km)
11.16 SS8: Lerno - Su Filigosu 1 (24,34 km)
12.31 SS9: Tula - Erula 1 (15,28 km)
14.20 Service (40 min)
16.05 SS10: Coiluna - Loelle 2 (21,18 km)
17.16 SS11: Lerno - Su Filigosu 2 (24,34 km)
18.31 SS12: Tula - Erula 2 (15,28 km)
Sunday 8.6.
08.25 SS13: San Giacomo - Plebi 1 (25,19 km)
09.35 SS14: Porto San Paolo 1 (13,70 km)
11.50 SS15: San Giacomo - Plebi 2 (25,19 km)
13.30 Service (15 min)
14.15 SS16: Porto San Paolo 2 (13,70 km) *Power Stage
