Ogier is locked in a fierce battle for victory in the challenging gravel event with Hyundai’s Ott Tänak. The Frenchman made an immediate move in the morning, beating Tänak by 4.5 seconds on the day’s first stage.
As a result, Ogier’s overall lead stretched to 15.6 seconds.
“It was a good and clean stage from us. It was very technical and narrow, and I had some difficulties in the hairpins. But I can be happy with that,” said Ogier.
Tänak is holding a firm grip on second place in the rally, as third-placed Kalle Rovanperä is more than 50 seconds behind the Estonian.
“The stage went well for us. Every morning it feels like I am driving this car for the first time. It’s a bit challenging, but we’ll try to improve,” Tänak commented.
Rovanperä could not match his team-mate Ogier’s pace on the opening stage of the morning. The Finn eventually finished 11.4 seconds off the fastest time, but he is third in the Super Sunday standings.
“To be honest, it was quite horrible. The stage was very tricky. I don’t know what the others are doing, but you could probably drive this stage a minute faster if you got into a good rhythm. At least we were faster than Elfyn,” Rovanperä remarked, referring to his team-mate and current championship leader Elfyn Evans.
Evans is running fourth in the rally and also holds fourth place in the Super Sunday classification. Separate points will be awarded to the five fastest drivers based on the results from the rally’s final day.
Fifth-placed Sami Pajari made a small mistake on SS13. The Toyota driver spun, losing roughly a minute.
Pajari retained his position, but Nikolay Gryazin and Takamoto Katsuta have now closed in on him.
“We clipped something when we spun. It didn’t feel too bad, but we need to check the car,” Pajari said.
Three more stages remain to be run on Sunday at Rally Sardinia.
Rally Sardinia standings after SS13/16:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 2:51:49.5 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +15.6 |
| 3. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +1:06.9 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +4:57.4 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +6:40.5 |
| 6. | Nikolay Gryazin | Skoda | +6:50.0 |
| 7. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +6:57.4 |
| 8. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +7:04.0 |
| 9. | Emil Lindholm | Skoda | +8:08.1 |
| 10. | Lauri Joona | Skoda | +9:00.8 |
Super Sunday standings:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 19:10.6 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +4.5 |
| 3. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +11.4 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +24.1 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +34.5 |
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
