Andreas Mikkelsen sets the pace in Australia

Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) showed that he will be a force to be reckoned with this weekend in Australia for the final of the 2017 season of WRC. Hyundai's new Norwegian recruit won the first three stages of the Antipodes event and already has a significant lead at the top of the standings.

The former Volkswagen Motorsport resident precedes the two Citroën C3s of Kris Meeke and Craig Breen of 16″6 and 17″7 after the first kilometers against the clock.

Meeke, however, suffered a scare in SS3 by going off the road, but with an outcome ultimately favorable to the Briton. His Irish teammate, for his part, took advantage of his excellent time in SS3 to overtake Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) to the general before mid-day service.

Ogier slowed down, Lappi left behind

Thierry Neuville has indeed fallen off the provisional podium and is in fourth position, 20″7 behind Mikkelsen. The Belgian leads a peloton grouped in 1″3 and composed of Ott Tänak (Ford), who lost the rear diffuser of his Fiesta on SS1, Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota), upset by intercom problems finally repaired, and Hayden Paddon (Hyundai).

Sébastien Ogier (Ford) placed eighth at 28″8 after losing time due to gear selection issues. The Frenchman was forced to switch to manual mode, but the electrical problem was resolved to compete in SS3.

Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën), victim of a puncture in SS1 but second in SS3, and Elfyn Evans (Ford) complete the top 10.

Slowed down by the loss of his power steering then by a spin in SS2, Esapekka Lappi (Toyota) lost contact with his rivals in the general standings. The Finn leaned under his Yaris after the finish of SS2, with oil leaking from his car but was able to continue into SS3, while still losing a lot of time. The winner of the Rally from Finland is already over 3'15" overall.

@EsapekkaLappi examining the problem SS2 #RallyAustralia #WRC pic.twitter.com/1U6CfitzUE

— WRC (@OfficialWRC) November 16, 2017

In WRC-2, Kalle Rovenpera, the only entry in his Ford Fiesta R5, climbed to 11th position. The Rally Australia continues from 2:37 a.m. with the start of the second pass in the three stages already contested, before the Destination NSW super-special, which will be taken twice.

Rally Australia standings