WRC Rally Poland: Neuville in comfortable lead after Tanak mistake
Thierry Neuville now has a clear path to Rally Poland victory after a mistake from his lead rival Ott Tanak on Sunday morning
Tanak had grabbed first place back from Neuville by setting the pace on the opening Orzysz stage, where the M-Sport Ford beat the Hyundai by 4.9 seconds and moved ahead overall by 1.8s.
But on the following Paprotki stage, Tanak clipped a bank and pitched himself into a spin, doing severe front end damage to his Fiesta.
He limped to the stage finish, losing nearly a minute and a half and falling behind Hayden Paddon to third overall.
But with no midday service Tanak will not be able to carry out sufficient repairs to contest the final two stages and is set to retire.
With the rain that blighted Friday having returned, most of the field began the final morning very cautiously.
Paddon in particular described his tactics as a "Sunday drive" and the new second-place man is 1m03.3s behind team-mate Neuville.
Sebastien Ogier is set to move up to third if his team-mate Tanak has to retire, while M-Sport's World Rally Car rookie Teemu Suninen will advance into the top five behind Dani Sordo.
Further back, a mistake from Andreas Mikkelsen dropped him back behind Juho Hanninen into what will become 10th, while Craig Breen has cleared the WRC2 field and will be 11th.
Follow the final Rally Poland stage as it happens with Autosport Live from 11am UK time
LEADING POSITIONS AFTER SS21:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thierry Neuville, N.Gilsoul | Hyundai Motorsport | Hyundai | 2h25m39.6s |
| 2 | Hayden Paddon, S.Marshall | Hyundai Motorsport | Hyundai | 1m03.3s |
| 3 | Ott Tanak, M.Jarveoja | M-Sport World Rally Team | Ford | 1m43.1s |
| 4 | Sebastien Ogier, J.Ingrassia | M-Sport World Rally Team | Ford | 2m08.9s |
| 5 | Dani Sordo, M.Marti | Hyundai Motorsport | Hyundai | 2m30.3s |
| 6 | Teemu Suninen, M.Markkula | M-Sport World Rally Team | Ford | 2m47.2s |
| 7 | Stephane Lefebvre, G.Moreau | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroen | 3m02.5s |
| 8 | Mads Ostberg, O.Floene | M-Sport World Rally Team | Ford | 3m28.0s |
| 9 | Elfyn Evans, D.Barritt | M-Sport World Rally Team | Ford | 4m22.9s |
| 10 | Juho Hanninen, K.Lindstrom | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC | Toyota | 4m28.5s |
Previous article
WRC Rally Poland: Neuville holds slender leads after Saturday drama
Next article
WRC Rally Poland: Neuville claims hard-fought third win of season
Rally Belgium: Sunday Afternoon Highlights
Vodafone Rally de Portugal Friday afternoon recap
Croatia Rally SS5-SS8
WRC Croatia Rally 2021 Teaser
Does Neuville have a point with his Rally1 rant?
OPINION: Thierry Neuville's diatribe against the upcoming Rally1-spec machines that will usher in the World Rally Championship's new hybrid era was remarkable in an era where drivers are usually reticent to air their views in public. But are the Belgian's concerns about speed, safety and cost entirely valid?
How the WRC's new flying Finn reached new heights in the Greek mountains
After Kalle Rovanpera’s historic feat at Rally Estonia, the Finn scaled new heights at the Rally of the Gods with a commanding victory. And this time Toyota’s young star demonstrated why the future is bright with his devastating speed and consistency at the Acropolis Rally
The WRC drivers that came of age at the Acropolis Rally
Five drivers have won first time out at the Rally Acropolis, transcending the tough dirt and gravel Greek roads to cement a place in rallying folklore. Here are three of the first-time winners' tales
Understanding Suninen’s sudden WRC exit gamble
From being considered a likely contender to drive the next-generation M-Sport Ford Puma in 2022, Teemu Suninen's abrupt exit has created plenty of questions. The Finn's bid to become his country's next World Rally Championship winner won't be furthered by being sidelined, but there may be reason behind the decision
Could Spa’s cameo offer the WRC a new avenue to exploit?
OPINION: The Ypres Rally featured a cameo from the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in its final stage, giving WRC teams the chance to experience its iconic corners in rallying machinery. It proved to be an engaging addition to the rally, and could perhaps serve as an example for other events to visit famous circuits
How Hyundai's home hero delivered overdue WRC success in Belgium
With limited recent fortune and pressure starting to mount, Hyundai needed a big result at the Ypres Rally. All the key components came together in Belgium to see home hero Thierry Neuville lead a manufacturer 1-2 and kickstart its World Rally Championship challenge
The new car that can resurrect Ford's WRC winning pedigree
M-Sport has become the first to unveil its new-for-2022 hybrid World Rally Championship challenger, the Puma Rally1. Ford has upped its support in a bid for glory, but can the new machine roll back the years and return the Blue Oval to the top of the WRC tree?
The rookie WRC driver aiming to continue Loeb and Ogier's legacies
French drivers have dominated the World Rally Championship across the past two decades; Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier have racked up the titles in commanding fashion. With Ogier calling it a day on full-time WRC competition from next year, France will pin its long-term hopes on rookie Adrien Fourmaux, who looks to have a bright future.
