Sami Pajari set the fastest time on SS12 Päijälä at WRC Finland 2026 and reduced his deficit to Elfyn Evans, tightening the battle for the top three on Saturday.
Pajari won the stage by 0.8 seconds over Sebastien Ogier. Evans finished 1.6 seconds slower than Pajari, reducing the overall gap between the two drivers to 9.4 seconds.
“It was my first time driving Päijälä in this direction. There are a lot of legendary stages around Jyväskylä, and this is definitely one of them,” Pajari said. He admitted to being slightly too cautious over a couple of jumps and running wide in one place, although neither moment had serious consequences.
Ogier continued to show strong pace and was fastest at the intermediate splits before ultimately finishing 0.8 seconds behind Pajari. Despite missing out on the stage win, the result allowed Ogier to extend his overall advantage over Evans to 13.8 seconds.
Oliver Solberg endured a more difficult stage as he attempted to close on Pajari for third overall. Solberg said he could not hear the pace notes clearly and struggled to build confidence, leaving him 24.6 seconds behind Pajari.
Takamoto Katsuta produced a stronger performance after struggling with his car on Friday. He set the fourth-fastest time and finished ahead of both Hyundai drivers, although he remains seventh overall.
With six special stages still remaining on Saturday, Ogier continues to lead WRC Finland 2026 while Evans and Pajari are now separated by less than 10 seconds in the fight for second. Pajari remains capable of increasing the pressure if he can maintain the pace he showed on Päijälä.
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | Sebastien OgierToyota | 1:16:34.2 Prancis | 0 |
2 |  | Elfyn EvansToyota | +13.8 Britania Raya | 0 |
3 |  | Sami PajariToyota | +23.2 Finlandia | 0 |
4 |  | Oliver SolbergToyota | +47.8 Swedia | 0 |
5 |  | Martins SesksFord | +1:20.2 Latvia | 0 |
6 |  | Adrien FourmauxHyundai | +1:33.9 Prancis | 0 |
7 |  | Takamoto KatsutaToyota | +2:41.3 Jepang | 0 |
8 |  | Josh McErleanFord | +2:53.8 Irlandia | 0 |
9 |  | Thierry NeuvilleHyundai | +3:10.9 Belgia | 0 |
10 |  | Robert VirvesSkoda | +4:00.2 Estonia | 0 |
11 |  | Roope KorhonenToyota | +4:09.7 Finlandia | 0 |
12 | | Jari-Matti LatvalaToyota | +4:16.4 Finlandia | 0 |
13 | | Teemu SuninenToyota | +4:36.3 Finland | 0 |
14 | | Lauri JoonaSkoda | +4:55,6 Finland | 0 |
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