Ogier leads Rally Italia Sardegna, distancing himself from Tänak

Sébastien Ogier is on his way to achieving his third consecutive victory in the World Rally Championship after pulling away from Ott Tänak in the second stage of Rally Italia Sardegna. Ogier will start Sunday with a 17.1-second lead over Tänak, his rival from Hyundai.

The day was full of changes. Initially, Tänak benefited when overnight leader Ogier decided to carry only one spare tire for the morning tests, which resulted in a disadvantage when one tire deflated. Despite exchanging positions several times, Ogier was 3.5 seconds behind Tänak when they reached the tire change point at midday.

In the afternoon stages around Monte Lerno, Ogier took the lead. With Tänak slowing his pace, Ogier regained the lead and set the fastest times in three consecutive stages with his Toyota GR Yaris.

Ogier is aiming for a victory on Sunday that would confirm his dominance in Rally Italia Sardegna, following his wins in Croatia and Portugal. “It has been a positive day, and an even better afternoon,” commented Ogier.

Thierry Neuville, who arrived in Sardinia with a 24-point lead in the championship, had a bad day. After moving from fifth to third place, a braking error in SS8 took him out of the competition.

Takamoto Katsuta, who had briefly reached the podium, had to retire due to a transmission problem in his Toyota in SS9. Dani Sordo took advantage of the situation to move into third place, though nearly two minutes behind Tänak. Elfyn Evans is in fourth, followed by Grégoire Munster and Sami Pajari.

The final day on Sunday will take place northwest of Alghero and will include two loops of two tests, ending with the Wolf Power Stage, which offers additional points and spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea.