Elfyn Evans' Rally Finland challenge took a major hit on Saturday when he rolled his GR Yaris Rally1 off the road on SS14 at Leustu, dropping from second overall to fifth after losing about two minutes.
Evans had started the day second overall and was still in touch with Sébastien Ogier after three Saturday morning stages, cutting the gap from 16.3s to 11.6s. The Toyota team-mates and WRC rivals were trading pace at the front, with Evans closing in and the rally still wide open before the incident on SS14.
How the standings changed
The roll reshuffled the front-running order immediately. Ogier moved into a stronger position and went on to lead Rally Finland by 22.7s over Sami Pajari after the incident, while Evans fell back to fifth overall. Adrien Fourmaux also gained from the chaos, moving up to fourth after Mãrtiņš Sesks crashed out on the same stage.
For Evans, the damage was not only in the time loss but also in the delay after the car became stuck. He said a corner was a little tighter than expected, with a ditch on the outside, and admitted he had it marked but was “just a bit too brave.” He added that the crew “got stuck for a long time,” which made the setback worse.
Ogier keeps control at the front
Ogier, meanwhile, kept his margin under control in a section of the rally where the leaders were pushing hard. He said, “We are on the edge all the time,” and explained that his plan was to let the battle happen while keeping a little margin. For now, that approach was working.
The result leaves Toyota with a dramatic shift in its internal fight at Rally Finland. Evans had been making ground, but his roll turned a close duel into damage limitation. With Ogier now ahead and Pajari in the chase, the fight at the front has a very different shape heading into the next stages.
Drama also in WRC2
There was separate movement in WRC2, where Roope Korhonen rolled out of second on SS13. That left Robert Virves leading Teemu Suninen by 34.2s, adding another layer of attrition to an already eventful Rally Finland.
