WRC Finland 2026: Esapekka Lappi Crashes on SS4

Esapekka Lappi was forced out of Friday morning’s action at WRC Finland 2026 after crashing near the beginning of SS4 Sydanmaa while running firmly in the fight at the front.

The Hyundai Motorsport driver braked too late, causing his car to roll before coming to rest in a ditch. Lappi was forced to retire from Friday after the car appeared to sustain significant damage, although a restart on Saturday remains possible under the regulations.

The incident was a major blow after Lappi had opened his home rally with competitive pace. Before the crash, he was running fifth overall and sat only 5.9 seconds behind the rally leader.

Baca JugaWRC Finlandia 2026: Sami Pajari Menang SS6

At the front, Sebastien Ogier set the fastest time through Sydanmaa, but his margin over Sami Pajari was only half a second. Pajari consequently moved into second overall and reduced Ogier’s lead to 4.5 seconds.

“It’s a really fast stage, so you have to be fully committed. At the beginning I wasn’t committed enough, but the forest section went well,” Ogier said.

Pajari also underlined how narrow the margins remained at the front. “I drove a good stage. The others are driving incredibly fast. Nothing comes for free. I need to find more speed,” he said.

Adrien Fourmaux held third overall, only 4.8 seconds from the lead, followed by Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans. Less than seven seconds covered the top five after SS4, highlighting the intensity of the battle on Finland’s fast gravel roads.

WRC Finland 2026 continues on Friday with six more special stages, while Hyundai must assess Lappi’s car before determining whether he can return to competition on Saturday.