Endless punctures are causing a veritable culling of the favorites at the Rally Paraguay—Sami Pajari and Hayden Paddon come out on top
Sami Pajari (Toyota; 1st) took the lead at the end of a turbulent first day at the Paraguay Rally. On the extremely demanding gravel stages made of red clay, the field of Rally1 cars faced a grueling battle in which numerous favorites were set back significantly by crashes and tire punctures or were forced to retire early.
Pajari was the only top driver to avoid tire damage in the afternoon; he consistently capitalized on his competitors’ problems and heads into Saturday in the lead. (WRC Paraguay Results)
The morning alone turned into a disaster for several top drivers. Takamoto Katsuta rolled his Toyota on the very first special stage and had to end his day immediately.
Shortly thereafter, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) also suffered a setback: The 2024 world champion sustained a rear-left tire blowout, which subsequently led to suspension damage. An attempt to repair the car failed, and Neuville had to retire early.
Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) also had a rough morning. After a flat tire on the opening stage, he hit an embankment on the second special stage, damaging his front-left suspension, and struggled to make it to the finish line, in the process hindering Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai; 4th), who was closing in behind him.
“ It’s not every day that you overtake a 9-time World Champion on a stage” WRC uenoRallyDelParaguay pic.twitter.com/dkOklcvE91
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) August 28, 2026
The rally finally came to an end for Ogier on the third special stage. The nine-time world champion sharply criticized the tires’ durability: “Honestly, I’m a little at a loss for words. This definitely doesn’t meet the standard of a world championship. It’s just a lottery every time and far from acceptable.”
Paddon takes the lead for a time
Oliver Solberg (Toyota; 8th), who started off strong, set the fastest times on the first two stages but lost more than four minutes on the third special stage due to an engine misfire, a spin into the ditch, and a subsequent tire puncture.
Hayden Paddon (Hyundai; 2nd): The New Zealander was the only Rally1 driver to get through the morning without any major incidents; he won the third special stage and took a surprising lead into the midday service.
“I never expected to be leading the rally, but obviously a lot of circumstances played into our favor,” Paddon said, sounding surprised.
On the afternoon loop, the wave of tire damage continued unabated. Paddon briefly lost the lead to Elfyn Evans (Toyota; 3rd) on the sixth special stage after a delamination.
A tough one to take on the opening stage WRC uenoRallyDelParaguay pic.twitter.com/yznvrcd3jv
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) August 28, 2026
But even Evans couldn’t enjoy the lead for long: On the 33.88-kilometer seventh special stage, his right rear tire completely fell apart, forcing him to limp to the finish on the bare rim and lose a lot of time.
Pajari seized the opportunity, set the fastest time on the seventh special stage, and took the overall lead. Although Fourmaux secured a total of four stage wins on Friday, he was also set back by two tire failures in the afternoon. Josh McErlean (M-Sport Ford; 5th) lost his promising second-place position due to a tire change during a live special stage.
Concerns about even tougher days ahead
At the stage finish, Pajari expressed relief at taking the provisional lead but remained cautious: “After all the crazy stuff, we’re in a pretty good position in the standings, but it’s only Friday. I think the coming days will be the most challenging,” emphasized the Finn.
Paddon also views the rest of the weekend with respect: “The scary thing is that this was probably the easiest day of the rally.”
Heavy rain is also forecast for Saturday across the nine upcoming special stages totaling 137.34 kilometers, which could turn the course into a slippery mess.