Thierry Neuville, leading in the World Rally Championship standings, managed to stay ahead of Toyota's Elfyn Evans after a day filled with intense competition at the Rally of Croatia, maintaining the lead before the final day.
Both drivers displayed similar performances throughout the day's eight stages, with slight variations in leadership and a maximum difference between them of only five seconds, having started the day on equal terms. Neuville's strategic choice of tires, amid unpredictable weather, allowed him to end the day 4.9 seconds ahead of Evans, with 18 points for Neuville and 15 for Evans, points that will be formalized at the end of the rally.
In third place was Toyota's Sebastien Ogier, who stayed 11.6 seconds behind, accumulating 13 points. Ott Tanak of Hyundai and Adrien Fourmaux of M-Sport ranked fourth and fifth overall, respectively.
The uncertainty of the weather significantly influenced the decisions on tires during Saturday afternoon. Toyota opted for a combination of soft and wet tires anticipating rain, while Hyundai and M-Sport chose a more conservative mix of hard, soft, and wet compounds.
Toyota's strategy seemed appropriate when light rain intensified during stage 13, favoring Evans, who momentarily took the lead by two seconds. However, Neuville minimized his losses and managed to recover and extend his lead in the subsequent stages, ending the day with a stage 16 victory that put him 4.9 seconds ahead of Evans.
The competition in WRC2 was also close, with Nikolay Gryazin maintaining his lead over Citroën's Yohan Rossel.
The competitors will face four more stages on Sunday, which will determine the final outcome of the rally.
Rally Results
| Position | Team | Car | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | -- |
| 2 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +4.9s |
| 3 | Ogier/Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +11.6s |
| 4 | Tänak/Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +1:15.5 |
| 5 | Fourmaux/Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 | +1:35.4 |
| 6 | Katsuta/Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +2:14.2 |
| 7 | Mikkelsen/Eriksen | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +4:00.8 |
| 8 | Munster/Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 | +4:56.3 |
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