However, the fastest man on the sixth special stage was his team-mate Ott Tänak. The Estonian was not entirely satisfied with his run but still left Thierry Neuville two seconds behind and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta 2.8 seconds adrift.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä lost 4.5 seconds to Fourmaux’s benchmark and once again gave slightly concerning comments at the stage finish.
“It doesn’t feel very good right now. It feels like I can’t really do much more. I know I should be a bit more aggressive in the junctions, but I just can’t get it to work right now,” Rovanperä admitted.
Toyota’s Sami Pajari lost as much as 7.3 seconds to Tänak’s pace and at the same time dropped two places down to fifth. Katsuta, among others, had mentioned that the grip was now very consistent. In that light, Pajari’s finish-line interview was a little puzzling.
“It’s not easy. The grip varies. As soon as I try to push a bit harder, the car just starts sliding,” Pajari wondered.
Pajari now faces a tight situation. Toyota’s Elfyn Evans (+1.1) and Sébastien Ogier are already breathing down his neck.
The next stage is no less than 30 kilometres long, and Pajari needs to get everything right there. Otherwise, his position could drop significantly and the fight for a podium place might turn into something else entirely.
In the overall standings, Fourmaux now leads the rally by 5.5 seconds over Rovanperä. Tänak climbed to third after his strong run and is now 18.1 seconds off the lead.
Thierry Neuville is fourth (+23.2), with Pajari in fifth. Pajari is now 24 seconds adrift of the leader.
Two more special stages will be run on Friday in Rally Paraguay. The event finishes on Sunday.
Rally Paraguay standings after SS6/19:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | 58.28.6 |
| 2. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +5.5 |
| 3. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +18.1 |
| 4. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +23.2 |
| 5. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +24.0 |
| 6. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +25.1 |
| 7. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +30.4 |
| 8. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +1.00.3 |
| 9. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +1.07.6 |
Rally Paraguay itinerary (CET):
Thursday 28 August
14:01 Shakedown: Trinidad (4.92 km)
Friday 29 August
13:03 SS1: Cambyretá 1 (18.70 km)
14:01 SS2: Nueva Alborada 1 (19.25 km)
15:00 SS3: Yerbatera 1 (30.00 km)
16:01 SS4: Autódromo 1 (2.50 km)
17:11 Service (40 min)
18:34 SS5: Cambyretá 2 (18.70 km)
19:32 SS6: Nueva Alborada 2 (19.25 km)
20:31 SS7: Yerbatera 2 (30.00 km)
21:44 SS8: Autódromo 2 (2.50 km)
Saturday 30 August
12:35 SS9: Carmen del Paraná 1 (18.67 km)
13:38 SS10: Artigas 1 (22.73 km)
15:16 SS11: Cantera 1 (13.74 km)
16:35 SS12: Autódromo 3 (2.50 km)
17:35 Service (40 min)
19:05 SS13: Carmen del Paraná 2 (18.67 km)
20:08 SS14: Artigas 2 (22.73 km)
21:46 SS15: Cantera 2 (13.74 km)
Sunday 31 August
13:29 SS16: Bella Vista 1 (21.25 km)
15:05 SS17: Misión Jesuítica Trinidad 1 (18.50 km)
16:02 SS18: Bella Vista 2 (21.25 km)
18:15 SS19: Misión Jesuítica Trinidad 2 (18.50 km) *Power Stage
