WRC Australia: Sebastien Ogier leads from Kris Meeke
Sebastien Ogier topped all three Friday morning stages on Rally Australia as he inched out a lead over Citroen duo Kris Meeke and Mikko Hirvonen

Meeke continued to impress in the event set to decide his World Rally Championship future and was runaway points leader Ogier's closest rival for most of the loop.
Hirvonen raised his game through the morning as well, and was only half a second down on Ogier's flying Volkswagen on the 24-kilometre Newry stage.
With Meeke having a scare with a big rock on the same stage, Hirvonen closed to within 0.2 seconds of his temporary team-mate, while Ogier is nine seconds clear of the Citroens up front.
M-Sport Ford's lead driver Thierry Neuville admitted to feeling "lost" on his Rally Australia debut.
He still holds fourth at present, 25.6s off the lead but ahead of team-mate Mads Ostberg.
Jari-Matti Latvala's rally is so far proving as tough as he predicted.
A spin on the Tuckers Nob stage that opened the morning means the VW driver is back in eighth behind team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen and M-Sport's Evgeny Novikov.
Leading positions after SS5: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Sebastien Ogier VW 29m50.9s 2. Kris Meeke Citroen +8.8s 3. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen +9.0s 4. Thierry Neuville M-Sport Ford +25.6s 5. Mads Ostberg M-Sport Ford +27.7s 6. Andreas Mikkelsen VW +37.0s 7. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford +40.0s 8. Jari-Matti Latvala VW +44.9s 9. Yazeed Al-Rajhi Yazeed Ford +2m14.4s* 10. Nathan Quinn Italia Mini +2m15.7s * WRC 2

Rally Australia: Latvala fears for chances after poor qualifying
WRC Australia: Sebastien Ogier extends lead over Citroens

Latest news
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause
How Rovanpera overcame rallying royalty in Portugal to extend his WRC lead
Although the Rally Portugal entry list featured World Rally Championship royalty in Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier, victory was secured by rallying's rising star in Kalle Rovanpera. Here's the story of his 2022 hat-trick, as his key rivals faltered among the gravel and asphalt ahead of them
The former WRC star playing the unsung hero role for Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanpera’s 2022 World Rally Championship displays have been spectacular, with the Toyota driver benefitting from a secret weapon in his crew to win two of the opening three rallies. But while the former challenger to Sebastien Loeb won’t take credit for his fellow Finn's performances, a key bond has been formed which could prove key to Rovanpera’s title charge
How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021
It's fair to say 2021 was a year to forget for Pierre-Louis Loubet. A maiden full World Rally Championship season offered hope but soon turned into a nightmare that ended in hospital, after being hit by a car in a road traffic accident. Now handed a lifeline by M-Sport, the Frenchman is desperate to rebuild his career
Why WRC mechanics deserve more respect
The drivers get the glare of attention, but it’s the mechanics who are key to the operation of any World Rally Championship car. Autosport donned a set of overalls and joined M-Sport on a Belgian national rally event to get an inside look into the trials and tribulations of a rally mechanic
The African McRae aiming to become a WRC pioneer
Taking his first step into the Junior World Rally Championship category, McRae Kimathi - named after 1995 world champion Colin - found himself in the unfamiliar climes of Sweden's snow and ice. Having impressed, Kimathi hopes to blaze a trail to the top level of WRC and help other African drivers to step onto the ladder
How Rovanpera grabbed the Rally Sweden spotlight after the Loeb vs Ogier show
After a blockbuster opening act to the new era of the World Rally Championship with the battle of the Sebastiens at Monte Carlo, Rally Sweden would be the first chance to assess the next superstar of rallying. While teething issues with the new hybrid power thwarted some of the cast, Kalle Rovanpera’s display gave him headline billing