WRC Finland 2026: Sami Pajari Wins SS3

Sami Pajari set the fastest time on SS3 Saarikas at WRC Finland 2026, beating his Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT team-mate Sebastien Ogier by 1.6 seconds.

The result lifted Pajari to third overall, four seconds behind the rally leader. Ogier remained at the top of the standings with a 1.8-second advantage over Adrien Fourmaux after maintaining strong pace across Friday’s opening two special stages.

“I couldn’t have done any more. I really tried to drive a good stage,” Pajari said. “Hopefully it’s enough because I didn’t have anything more to give. It was clearly much better than the first one.”

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

Ogier admitted he still gave away some time through the narrow opening section of Saarikas after being slightly too cautious. Thierry Neuville also continued to match the leading pace and held fourth overall, only 4.1 seconds from the lead.

Esapekka Lappi maintained his encouraging start to his home rally in fifth, 5.9 seconds behind Ogier. He admitted to hesitating from the opening corner but said extensive video preparation helped him tackle a stage he had never previously driven.

Oliver Solberg remained short of his strongest pace in seventh overall, while Takamoto Katsuta occupied eighth. Jon Armstrong’s rally ended early after he went off the road on Saarikas and was forced to retire.

WRC Finland 2026 continues on Friday with seven more special stages, with the fight at the front remaining extremely tight as Pajari begins to increase his pace.