Kalle Rovanperä, Ogier's teammate at Toyota GAZOO Racing, had led most of this four-day gravel race. With a 45.8-second lead before the penultimate stage, it seemed that Rovanperä would end Finland's seven-year wait for a local winner. However, hitting a rock caused his GR Yaris Rally1 to go off the track and roll over, abruptly ending his rally.
In the same stage, Elfyn Evans, another Toyota driver, also had issues as he went off the track while trying to recover points after a broken driveshaft on Saturday.
Ogier, participating in Finland for the first time since 2021, took advantage of the situation and achieved his 61st WRC victory, surpassing Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville by 40.1 seconds. Adrien Fourmaux, from M-Sport Ford, completed the podium, 34.0 seconds behind Neuville.
"It's hard to smile right now," admitted Ogier. "Winning in Finland is always nice, but not this way. Very sorry for Kalle and Jonne, they were unlucky with the rock. We were unlucky in Sardinia and lost on the last stage, but we are lucky here. That's motorsport."
Ogier's victory has shaken up the drivers' championship standings. Despite missing three rallies this year, Ogier has moved up to second place. Neuville, who came to Finland with an eight-point lead, now leads by 27 points. Hyundai has also extended its lead over Toyota in the manufacturers' championship to 20 points.
The biggest winner in the title race was Neuville. After a difficult start, the Belgian finished second and extended his championship lead. His team, Hyundai Motorsport, also benefited from the crashes of Ott Tänak and Esapekka Lappi, who both crashed on Friday.
Adrien Fourmaux achieved his fourth podium of the season, while Sami Pajari, in his Rally1 debut, finished in fifth place. Pajari had a tough start with two spins and rear wing damage on Friday but managed his first WRC stage win on Saturday.
In the WRC2 category, Oliver Solberg took the win and finished fifth overall, followed by Jari-Matti Latvala, Lauri Joona, Mikko Heikkilä, Nikolay Gryazin, and Georg Linnamäe.
The next WRC event will be the legendary EKO Acropolis Rally in Greece, held from September 5 to 8.
| # | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ogier S. | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 2:25:41.9 |
| 2. | Neuville T. | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | +40.1 |
| 3. | Fourmaux A. | M-Sport Ford WRT | +1:14.1 |
| 4. | Pajari S. | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | +1:54.5 |
| 5. | Solberg O. | Toksport WRT | +8:15.5 |
| 6. | Latvala J. | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | +8:54.5 |
| 7. | Joona L. | Joona L. | +9:29.4 |
| 8. | Heikkila M. | Heikkila M. | +9:32.0 |
| 9. | Gryazin N. | DG Sport Competition | +9:51.2 |
| 10. | Linnamae G. | Linnamae G. | +10:07.0 |
New Rules for Hybrid Units in WRC
Revised hybrid units could increase costs for teams in current season
Sami Pajari replaces Takamoto Katsuta in Chile and Central European rallies
Pajari will take on the challenge of driving the GR YARIS Rally1 in two key WRC rounds, tackling gravel and asphalt terrain.
Neuville wins in Greece and increases his lead
Ogier accident leaves Neuville with more advantage after a 1-2-3 Hyundai 1-2-3 at Rally Acropolis.
Thierry Neuville renews his contract with Hyundai
The Belgian driver, current championship leader, will continue with Hyundai, a team with which he has achieved important victories since 2014.
2024-10-31
12:00
2024-11-21
12:00
