Sordo surprised to be third

The local fans' favourite snatched the place from Mikko Hirvonen just before the lunchtime service break.

"I'm a bit surprised," Sordo told autosport.com. "I hoped I would do it, but didn't think I would be here so early.

"I still haven't got much experience of the car, especially on this surface. I'm not taking risks."

Sordo's advantage over Hirvonen is just 2.3 seconds with two and a half days remaining, but Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson has already warned Hirvonen not to get drawn into a battle with the young Spaniard.

As Sordo is not registered for manufacturers' points, Wilson has told Hirvonen that he does not have to push to the maximum to beat the Citroen.

Hirvonen has some concerns about his tyre selection for the rally. The Finn is harder on his tyres than most of his rivals, and is worried that he does not have enough hard compound tyres for the rest of the weekend.

The weather in Spain is warmer than expected, and many drivers had included some soft compounds in their tyre selection as they had anticipated rain.