Rovanperä set the fastest time on the Saarikas special stage, with a 3.1-second lead over his teammate Elfyn Evans. In the overall standings, Rovanperä extended his lead to 7.8 seconds ahead of the Welshman.
“Really difficult, without the rain it is getting a bit easier in places but it is a big mess for us also. I am not taking any risks, in this condition you can not make any mistakes also, so I just tried to keep a good pace. We have more (pace) if we need to, but we don´t need to,” Rovanperä commented.
“There were a lot of muddy cuts, and sometimes it feels like you’re just a passenger. It’s tough. It’s not easy to push, but I think it´s the same for anyone,” Evans said.
Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier completes the top three, trailing Rovanperä by 12 seconds. The French champion is not willing to take any more risks.
“The conditions are difficult. In many places, there’s very little grip. This is a good rhythm for us. I don’t feel like pushing any harder,” Ogier said.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville continues in fourth place, almost half a minute behind the leader. M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux is in fifth place, ahead of Sami Pajari, who is making his Rally1 debut.
M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster is in seventh place. Oliver Solberg, leading the WRC2 class, is in eighth place.
There are three more special stages to be driven on Friday in the Rally Finland. The competition concludes on Sunday.
Rally Finland standings after SS7/30:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 45:56.1 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +7.8 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +12.0 |
| 4. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +28.5 |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +46.0 |
| 6. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:23.7 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +1:31.9 |
| 8. | Oliver Solberg | Skoda | +2:37.7 |
Rally Finland itinerary:
Thursday 1 August 09:01 Shakedown: Ruuhimäki (4.12 km) 18:05 SS1: Harju 1 (3.48 km) Friday 2 August 07:13 SS2: Laukaa 1 (17.96 km) 08:20 SS3: Saarikas 1 (15.93 km) 09:35 SS4: Myhinpää 1 (15.51 km) 11:05 SS5: Ruuhimäki 1 (7.76 km) 14:10 SS6: Laukaa 2 (17.96 km) 15:17 SS7: Saarikas 2 (15.93 km) 16:32 SS8: Myhinpää 2 (15.51 km) 18:05 SS9: Ruuhimäki 2 (7.76 km) 19:05 SS10: Harju 2 (3.48 km) Saturday 3 August 08:05 SS11: Västilä 1 (18.94 km) 09:05 SS12: Päijälä 1 (20.19 km) 10:05 SS13: Ouninpohja 1 (32.98 km) 14:35 SS14: Västilä 2 (18.94 km) 15:35 SS15: Päijälä 2 (20.19 km) 16:35 SS16: Ouninpohja 2 (32.98 km) Sunday 4 August 07:55 SS17: Sahloinen-Moksi 1 (14.27 km) 09:05 SS18: Laajavuori 1 (4.35 km) 10:17 SS19: Sahloinen-Moksi 2 (14.27 km) 12:15 SS20: Laajavuori 2 (8.77 km)
