Neuville was forced to retire from the lead after damaging the rear suspension of his Hyundai. It marks the second consecutive year the Belgian has retired in Sardinia — last year, it happened on the day’s final stage.
The disappointment is massive for Neuville, who was already trailing Toyota’s Elfyn Evans by 40 points in the championship standings.
The rally lead returned to Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux. However, his advantage over teammate Ott Tänak is just 1.2 seconds. Sébastien Ogier holds third place for Toyota, only 4.6 seconds off the lead. Another Toyota driver, Sami Pajari, is fourth — 12.8 seconds behind Fourmaux.
“I feel really sorry for Thierry and the team. That was an absolutely crazy stage. We’ll have to discuss the strategy for the final stage with Ott,” Fourmaux said.
“I don’t know what happened to me. I somehow lost control of the car right at the start of the stage. It was a struggle after that,” Tänak admitted.
Toyota also experienced drama when Takamoto Katsuta rolled his car in a slow corner. Katsuta managed to continue with a battered vehicle but lost about a minute in the process.
At the stage finish, Katsuta was concerned about his radiator and took several bottles of water with him. The Japanese driver did not offer any comments about his situation.
As a result of the dramatic stage, Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä climbed to fifth place in the overall standings. Behind him is teammate Elfyn Evans, although the gap between them has stretched to 27.4 seconds.
Rovanperä went fastest on SS5, hinting that he may have found some confidence and pace.
“In the afternoon, the car setup is a bit better now that we have some idea of which direction to go. The road conditions are also more consistent. I’m doing my best all the time,” Rovanperä said.
Rally Sardinia continues with one more stage on Friday. The rally concludes on Sunday.
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | 53:36.7 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +1.2 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +4.6 |
| 4. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +12.8 |
| 5. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +25.5 |
| 6. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +52.9 |
| 7. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1:09.2 |
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
