Sebastien Ogier's fury erupted on the Rally Sardinia stages. The Toyota driver suffered a right-front tyre puncture on SS3, Friday morning, and had to surrender the lead he held before the stage. Instead of a fast finish, Ogier found himself 26 seconds adrift of Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), who set the fastest time on the stage.
Ogier's frustration boiled over as he launched a scathing attack on WRC tyre supplier Hankook. "No comment," he snapped initially, before adding, "It's a shame that the world championship has to deal with things like this." His words clearly hinted at anger over the incident.
Consequently, Ogier plummeted to eighth overall, 23.6 seconds behind Adrien Fourmaux, who now leads the rally. Hyundai currently holds a one-two, with Fourmaux and Neuville at the top. Meanwhile, Toyota's Sami Pajari sits third, locked in a tight battle with his teammates Elfyn Evans and Oliver Solberg for the world championship. Solberg is fourth behind Pajari, with Evans fifth.
"It's loose. In a way I felt like I wasn't moving forwards," reported Pajari, who started the stage second on the road. The unstable conditions posed a challenge for all drivers.
Over at Hyundai, Dani Sordo also suffered misfortune. He picked up a puncture and had to stop to change the tyre, losing a total of four minutes to the leader. The Spanish veteran was thus thrown out of podium contention for the time being.
Rally Sardinia still has four more special stages on Friday, before concluding on Sunday. The competition is set to intensify, especially with the incidents that befell Ogier and Sordo. Standings after SS3/17:
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