WRC Finland 2026: Elfyn Evans Pressures Sebastien Ogier on SS11 as Sami Pajari Stays in Hunt

Elfyn Evans opened Saturday at WRC Finland 2026 with the fastest time on SS11 Parkkola 1, cutting Sebastien Ogier’s advantage by 3.3 seconds and increasing the pressure in the fight for victory.

Ogier still leads the rally by 13 seconds, but the higher-grip conditions allowed the frontrunners to attack more aggressively than during Friday’s rain-affected running. Ogier even encouraged Evans to maintain the pressure all the way to the finish.

“There is a lot of grip now. You can push much harder. Hopefully Elfyn keeps pushing until the end. I like that,” Ogier said. Evans described the conditions as good despite feeling his own run was not perfect, while stressing that there remains a long way to go.

Baca JugaSami Pajari Menang SS13 WRC Finlandia 2026 di Västilä, Tekanan ke Sebastien Ogier Meningkat

Sami Pajari also remains firmly in contention after finishing just 0.6 seconds behind Evans on SS11. Pajari now trails Evans by 11 seconds in the fight for second and sits 24 seconds behind Ogier, keeping three Toyota drivers within reach of the lead battle.

“It was quite good, but not perfect. Maybe I left a few tenths out there. I just have to keep pushing. These are fantastic conditions to drive a rally car,” Pajari said. He was also 4.5 seconds faster than Oliver Solberg, who remains fourth overall.

Behind the leading quartet, Martins Sesks continues to hold fifth place, although Adrien Fourmaux is closing after suffering heavily in Friday’s torrential rain. Takamoto Katsuta also gained a position on Saturday’s opening stage by moving ahead of Josh McErlean into seventh overall.

Seven special stages remain on Saturday, leaving the pressure between Ogier, Evans and Pajari firmly alive as WRC Finland 2026 enters a decisive phase before the rally concludes on Sunday.