Ogier leads WRC Rally Sardinia after brutal Friday decimates the field

Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier held a slender overnight lead at Rally Sardinia after a punishing Friday leg that wreaked havoc among several leading contenders on Italy’s rough, tough FIA World Rally Championship counter.

The eight-time WRC champ (above) vaulted from third to first overall on the final stage of the day, overhauling Hyundai duo Ott Tanak and Adrien Fourmaux to end the leg 2.9s clear in his GR Yaris Rally1.

Ogier had started the rally with a win on the morning’s opening stage, but dropped as low as fourth overall by the middle of the afternoon loop, having battled low grip levels from his third position in the road order. Crucially, the Frenchman stayed out of trouble on Sardinia’s hot, dry gravel stages and was able to capitalize late on as others faltered.

Fourmaux had led at the midday service by 2.9s over Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville, but the situation reversed as action resumed. Reigning WRC champ Neuville snatched the lead on the afternoon’s opener, only to retire on the next stage after striking a bank in the 11.45-mile Telti-Calangianus-Berchidda 2 test and damaging the left-rear corner of his i20 N Rally1.

Fourmaux regained first place, but was unable to fend off Ogier’s late charge. The Hyundai driver dropped 6.7s on the final test, citing issues with his car's ability to absorb bumps, and slipped to second overnight.

Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux had led twice, but ended WRC Rally Sardinia’s opening leg in second place. Red Bull Content Pool

Tanak was third in his i20 N Rally1, 5.2s behind his teammate, having completed the closing 17.37-mile Conchedda 2 stage with a damaged shock absorber.

“It’s been a good day, for sure,” said Ogier. “I’ve done everything I could today, so I’m happy with that.”

The newly-introduced Telti-Calangianus-Berchidda stage proved decisive – and destructive. Neuville wasn’t its only victim among the headlining Rally1 entries. The M-Sport Ford trio of Martins Sesks, Josh McErlean and Gregoire Munster all retired on the morning’s first pass. Sesks rolled his Puma Rally1 at high speed, while McErlean and Munster were sidelined by suspension damage.

The second run saw even more drama. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and M-Sport Ford privateer Jourdan Serderidis both rolled at the same hairpin, but managed to continue, albeit with significant time loss.

“That stage where all the drama happened was very tricky,” noted Ogier. “It’s super narrow and extremely fast. It’s always a surprise to see that many incidents, but it can happen very easily there.”

Of those still in the running, Toyota young gun Sami Pajari continued to impress with his maturity and consistency. The Finn ended the day fourth in his GR Yaris Rally1, only 9.5s behind Tanak, despite clipping a rock and damaging a front-right tire on the morning’s third stage.

Two-time WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera was fifth in his GR Yaris after enduring loose and dusty conditions from second on the road, while his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate and championship leader Elfyn Evans – starting first and acting as a frustrated road sweeper for those behind – struggled even more and languished in sixth.

Starting first on the road, courtesy of his WRC point lead, Elfyn Evans struggled in his GR Yaris as he played “road sweeper” for the cars behind. McKlein/Getty Images

Katsuta brought his battered GR Yaris home in seventh, more than two minutes adrift of the lead, but relieved to be still running after a day of drama and attrition.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Nikolay Gryazin’s Skoda Fabia RS led Emil Lindholm’s similar machine by 7.9s at the end of the leg. But with Gryazin not including Sardinia as one of his seven points-counting events, it’s Lindholm who’s best placed to earn a maximum class points haul.

Oliver Solberg’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 completes the WRC2 end-of-leg podium, but the Swede has also elected not to go for points. That currently leaves another Skoda driver, Lauri Joona, as Lindholm’s closest chaser in the points-paying positions, albeit 38.7s behind his fellow Finn.

However, the overall WRC2 picture is distorted, given that Citroen C3 driver Yohan Rossel was caught Serderidis’s dust on the penultimate stage after the M-Sport privateer got moving again after his roll.

Rossel is expected to be given a notional time by the organizers, which is likely to place him second behind Lindholm in the points-paying places.

Skoda Fabia RS driver Nikolay Gryazin leads the WRC2 runners, but is chasing glory only, having not elected to score class points in Sardinia. Red Bull Content Pool

Saturday’s second leg features more than 75 miles of competitive action, including the return of the legendary 15.12-mile Lerno–Su Filigosu stage, home to the iconic Micky’s Jump. With conditions set to be just as rough as Friday’s opening leg, expect more attrition.  

WRC Rally Italy Sardinia, positions after Friday/Leg One, SS6

1 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h10m33.1s

2 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2.1s

3 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +7.3s

4 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +16.8s

5 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +22.8s

6 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m09.8s

7 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2m27.9s

8 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 non-points) +2m33.3s

9 Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +2m41.2s

10 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2 non-points) +3m19.8s
 

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