WRC Rally Finland: Ott Tanak leads for Toyota after street stage
Toyota's Ott Tanak holds a slender Rally Finland lead after setting the quickest time on the opening superspecial stage on the streets of Jyvaskyla
The Estonian won the Harju test by just 0.7 seconds, continuing his strong vein of form after winning a recent non-championship round in Estonia.
World Rally Championship title rivals Thierry Neuville and Sebastien Ogier were second and third fastest respectively, with Neuville edging the defending champion by just 0.1s.
Andreas Mikkelsen ensured four cars start Friday within a second of each other, as he cleared the stage 0.9s behind overnight leader Tanak in his Hyundai.
Last year's Rally Finland winner Esapekka Lappi lies fifth overall, losing time when he ran slightly wide on the exit of a chicane.
After setting the pace on the morning's shakedown stage, Citroen's Mads Ostberg and Craig Breen set the exact same time through Harju to share sixth overall overnight. The C3 WRC is running revised front suspension geometry this weekend, which Ostberg in particular feels "really suits me well".
Jari-Matti Latvala holds eighth after a steady run through the centre of Jyvaskyla, 2.3s off team-mate Tanak's pace.
M-Sport's Elfyn Evans and Hyundai's Hayden Paddon share ninth having set an identical time on the stage, just 0.5s behind Latvala and 0.2s ahead of Teemu Suninen in 11th.
Kalle Rovanpera was the fastest of the WRC2 runners in his works Skoda Fabia R5, shading Hyundai driver Jari Huttunen by 1.8s.
Positions after SS1
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ott Tanak, M.Jarveoja | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota | 2h18m49.5s |
| 2 | Mads Ostberg, T.Eriksen | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroen | 36.1s |
| 3 | Jari-Matti Latvala, M.Anttila | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota | 42.4s |
| 4 | Hayden Paddon, S.Marshall | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai | 1m31.1s |
| 5 | Teemu Suninen, M.Markkula | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford | 1m49.1s |
| 6 | Sebastien Ogier, J.Ingrassia | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford | 2m11.3s |
| 7 | Elfyn Evans, D.Barritt | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford | 2m23.3s |
| 8 | Craig Breen, S.Martin | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroen | 3m03.8s |
| 9 | Thierry Neuville, N.Gilsoul | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai | 3m43.7s |
| 10 | Andreas Mikkelsen, A.Jager | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai | 8m12.1s |
M-Sport Ford agrees for Ogier to switch to old VW damper supplier
WRC Finland: Tanak holds narrow lead over Ostberg, Neuville 10th
Why WRC's Safari tour is more than just a rally
OPINION: A source of national pride in Kenya, the Safari Rally is also a sporting, cultural and economic phenomenon. And as last weekend's World Rally Championship round reminded us, it's a key driver in establishing Africa’s place in world motorsport
How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
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