Fourmaux had already suffered a puncture in the morning and gone off twice, but the penultimate stage of the day proved decisive. He went off the road right at the start of the stage and was forced to retire. TV footage showed the car on its roof in the road.
Toyota’s Sami Pajari suffered a puncture on the stage. The Finn initially tried to complete the test without stopping but was ultimately forced to change the tyre near the finish, losing significant time.
“There were rocks on the racing line. I tried to get to the finish, but the noise got too loud, so I had to change it. I didn’t want to destroy the car,” Pajari explained.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans also picked up a puncture and lost two minutes. He opted to change the tyre immediately, resulting in a smaller time loss than Pajari – and moved ahead of him to take fourth place overall.
“There was a rock on the tarmac section. I tried to avoid it, but I couldn’t. That’s how it goes,” said Evans.
At the front, Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier maintained his lead, although Hyundai’s Ott Tänak cut the gap slightly on the penultimate Saturday stage. Ogier now holds a 10.7-second advantage.
“That was a good stage for me. I had to avoid Fourmaux and lost some time there,” Ogier noted.
“We’ve got all these great systems, but I didn’t get any warning and there wasn’t even a marshal at the spot. It was a pretty scary moment coming out of a fast corner with Pajari’s car in the road. I had no choice but to go straight into the rocks,” Tänak said.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä remains in third, 44.9 seconds off the lead.
“Really rough. I tried to keep up a good pace but avoided the worst places. There are a lot of big rocks on the road. Luckily, I made it through,” said Rovanperä.
One more stage remains today in Sardinia before the final day on Sunday.
Rally Sardinia standings after SS11/16:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 2:20:42.3 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +10.7 |
| 3. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +44.9 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +4:18.2 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +4:29.9 |
| 6. | Nikolay Gryazin | Skoda | +5:30.5 |
| 7. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +5:57.3 |
| 8. | Emil Lindholm | Skoda | +5:58.0 |
| 9. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +6:00.2 |
| 9. | Lauri Joona | Skoda | +7:09.3 |
Rally Sardinia itinerary (CET):
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
