Ogier leads Toyota lockout on opening morning at Rally Islas Canarias

Sebastien Ogier surged into the lead of Rally Islas Canarias on Friday morning, capturing fastest times on the day's opening two stages. The Toyota driver established a 5.9-second cushion over Sami Pajari, with Elfyn Evans, Oliver Solberg, and Takamoto Katsuta completing a clean sweep of the top five for the manufacturer. While the performance was strong, Ogier noted ongoing issues with understeer and tire performance aboard his GR Yaris Rally1.

The morning schedule faced disruption when the Tejeda - San Mateo stage was cancelled, forcing crews to bypass the test. This early session proved challenging for the Hyundai contingent, as Dani Sordo led their efforts in sixth place, nearly 20 seconds off the pace. Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux struggled to match the Toyota drivers' confidence, with Neuville citing a lack of front-end grip as his primary obstacle through the longer stages.

Elsewhere, Yohan Rossel established a commanding lead in the WRC2 category. Driving his Lancia, Rossel outperformed his brother Léo by over 10 seconds on the second stage to create a comfortable gap at the top of the class standings. Meanwhile, M-Sport Ford’s Jon Armstrong suffered a setback after missing a junction, dropping him out of the overall top ten.