Al Attiyah and Sainz having fun

« These are really Finnish tracks », jokes Carlos Sainz during an impromptu gathering with his little stablemates in front of the Kazakh customs tent. The Madrilenian apparently really attacked, but he was only ahead of Al Attiyah by three seconds, at the end of the 114 km of the second special. The fastest of all in the first time trial of the day, Al Attiyah admits with a small smile that he did not force himself in the second?

In the general classification, Al Attiyah is still the leader, almost 4 minutes ahead of Sainz. Miller is third, ten minutes behind, followed very closely by De Villiers who is coming back well, after his slight problems with the old woman. Despite minor brake problems, Christian Lavieile confirms his fifth place. “ Our brakes are not made for these fast tracks, and I have to lift a little when they start to heat up », Specifies the ex-biker.

Note the good performance of Philippe Gache, seventh time in the second special. “ In the first, we found ourselves behind trucks, and there was nothing to do in their dust. But in the next one, the terrain was more open, the wind had picked up, and we were finally able to exploit the possibilities of our new car. »

Tomorrow Tuesday will take place the longest special of the rally, 581 km in the Kazakh steppe, with its multitude of tracks. The work of teammates will be essential.