Sébastien Ogier and his returning co-driver Julien Ingrassia set the pace on Finland’s fast gravel stages on Friday morning
Sébastien Ogier and his new-old co-driver Julien Ingrassia delivered a flawless performance and led Rally Finland, the tenth round of the 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC), after an eventful loop on Friday morning.
The Toyota duo of Ogier and Ingrassia, who last competed together five years ago, quickly found their rhythm again, winning three of the four fast gravel stages and heading into the midday service with a 5.3-second lead over Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux.
“I think there was a lot of risk involved for me,” Ogier said after the final stage of the loop. “I pushed really hard, and there were a few close calls. To be honest, we gave it our all on every stage.”
Sébastien Ogier Takes the Lead Early
The winner of Rally Estonia, Sami Pajari (Toyota), finished the loop in third place, 8.0 seconds behind the leader, while his teammate Oliver Solberg fought his way up to fourth place following incidents involving Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi (both Hyundai) as well as M-Sport Ford driver Jon Armstrong. (see results)
Ogier immediately took the lead on the 18.16-kilometer opening stage, “Laukaa.” Although the Frenchman admitted he didn’t get off to a perfect start on the stage, he was 2.9 seconds faster than Fourmaux and Lappi, who tied for the second-fastest time.
That was enough to catapult Ogier to the top of the rally with a 1.7-second lead—a position he would hold for the rest of the loop. Pajari was the only other driver to set a stage win, claiming victory on the third special stage.
Collision with a rock sets Thierry Neuville back
Pajari moved up to second place overall on the fourth special stage, but fell 2.7 seconds behind the strong-driving Fourmaux after the final stage of the loop.
“It was a fantastic morning, but I would have liked even more,” said Fourmaux. “Sometimes I’m in the ruts, sometimes the line is extremely tricky. It definitely wasn’t easy this morning, but I’m satisfied.”
Neuville was right in the thick of the battle for the lead in fourth place overall before he hit a rock hidden in the underbrush on the fifth stage (“Hoho”). The impact severely damaged the front left suspension of his i20 N Rally1 and cost him more than 1:30 minutes. There were fears that the 2024 world champion might not make it back to the service park, but he managed to bring the car back.
Home race goes well for Lappi after rollover
The same could not be said for his teammate Lappi. The Finn had gotten off to a fast start and was in fifth place overall before making a fateful mistake on the fourth stage.
Over and out for Lappi today ❌WRC | SectoRallyFinland pic.twitter.com/DwrhJF0iWV
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) July 31, 2026
Lappi lost control of the rear of the car and veered into a ditch, causing his i20 N Rally1 to roll over. It is considered unlikely that the damage to the car can be repaired during the ongoing rally.
As a result, Toyota driver Solberg moved up to fourth place, 11.8 seconds behind the leader. The Monte Carlo winner was still struggling to find the right feel during his first outing in a Rally1 car on Finnish roads.
A Difficult Morning for Evans and Katsuta
World Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota) finished the morning in fifth place overall, 14.1 seconds behind Ogier, after briefly ending up in the bushes on the final stage.
Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) had a difficult loop, dealing with persistent understeer and oversteer, and arrived at the service park in sixth place, 27.4 seconds behind the leader.
M-Sport Ford drivers Mārtins Sesks and Josh McErlean rounded out the field of remaining Rally1 cars in seventh and eighth place, respectively. Teammate Armstrong was less fortunate: his day came to an end after he ended up in a ditch on the third stage in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. Spectators tried to recover the stranded car, but the Northern Irishman was unable to continue the stage.
