Kalle Rovanperä has started strong at the Rally Finland, leading a provisional podium completely occupied by Toyota. Friday was full of challenges, with difficult track conditions and several incidents that affected multiple competitors.
Friday at the Rally Finland presented a series of complicated stages due to adverse weather conditions. The first stages saw Toyota cars dominating, with Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, and Sébastien Ogier showing superior performance. Rovanperä, despite facing oversteer issues, managed to stay ahead with a minimal lead.
The morning became even more complicated when Ott Tänak and his co-driver Martin Järveoja had an accident, flipping their Hyundai and forcing Tänak to retire from the event. Although Tänak was uninjured, Järveoja was taken to the hospital for a check-up. This was not the only incident of the day; Takamoto Katsuta also suffered damage to his Toyota after hitting a tree, significantly affecting his position in the race.
Elfyn Evans took advantage of the wet conditions, managing to set competitive times and briefly surpassing Rovanperä before falling back to second place. Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville, who started well on Thursday, had handling issues with his Hyundai and lost valuable time after going off the road at a corner.
The afternoon continued with more surprises. Sami Pajari, in his debut in a Rally1, had a tough day, spinning twice and damaging the rear wing of his Toyota. However, he showed flashes of talent by winning his first stage in the WRC, despite the initial problems.
On Saturday, the teams will have to face six stages, including the return of the Ouninpohja stage.
| # | Team | Vehicle | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rovanperä/Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | |
| 2 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +8.0 |
| 3 | Ogier/Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +8.6 |
| 4 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid | +25.5 |
| 5 | Fourmaux/Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +48.5 |
| 6 | Pajari/Mälkönen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +1:31.0 |
| 7 | Munster/Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +1:52.7 |
| 8 | Solberg/Edmondson | Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +3:22.0 |
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