Now, that is how a rally can turn on its head in a single blink. Thierry Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe saw their rally end abruptly when their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 went off near the beginning of SS11, bringing a sudden halt to a tight fight at the top.
Before disaster struck on the 24.14km Lerno – Sa Conchedda – Monti di Alà test, the Hyundai driver had been sitting just 2.7sec behind Oliver Solberg after the Swede grabbed the lead during Saturday's opening loop. Unable to continue, the retirement not only dashed their immediate podium hopes but completely redrew the shape of the three-way title battle.
With the Hyundai driver out of the picture, Solberg suddenly found himself sitting 36.6sec clear at the head of the field, having posted the third-fastest time through the stage. Behind him, Sébastien Ogier climbed to second overall thanks to claiming his first stage win of the rally, beating Adrien Fourmaux by 1.7sec. Fourmaux himself moved up into the final podium position, slotting into third at 55.7sec behind Solberg while also becoming Hyundai’s leading representative.
Thankfully for championship leader Elfyn Evans, the chaos played directly into his hands. Both Evans and Sami Pajari were promoted one position each to fifth and fourth respectively. Evans had arrived at the afternoon loop holding a provisional four-point championship advantage over Solberg, but his jump into fifth increased that virtual margin to six points. Pajari also gained valuable ground by climbing to fourth.
As the dust settles on the classification, Evans sits 2min 12.6sec behind rally leader Solberg, with Pajari sitting 1min 20.1sec adrift in fourth. Fourmaux holds firm in third, leaving Hyundai's hopes resting on his shoulders.
That said, the championship picture remains far from settled. Two stages still remain on Saturday before Sunday's decisive final leg, where a further 10 bonus points are available across Super Sunday and the Wolf Power Stage.
