Relive the third day of the Canary Islands Rally with live text commentary

Sébastien Ogier He starts Saturday in the lead in the Canary Islands, will he be able to maintain the 8,9 second advantage he currently has over Oliver Solberg, his teammate? Toyota will also want to continue to dominate the event since at the moment, the five GR Yaris Rally1 cars occupy the top five places in the overall standings.

This Saturday, six special stages are on the program, divided into two loops of three stages. Follow them in their entirety with us, via live text commentary!

Saturday's program
9:20 – SS9: Maspalomas 1 (13.47 km) - Elfyn Evans
10:30 – SS10: Arucas – Teror 1 (13.74 km) - Elfyn Evans
11:50 – SS11: Moya – Gáldar 1 (28.90 km) - Oliver solberg
15:55 – SS12: Maspalomas 2 (13.47 km) - Elfyn Evans
17:00 AM – ES13: Arucas – Teror 2 (13.74 km) - Oliver Solberg and Sébastien Ogier
18:20 – SS14: Moya – Gáldar 2 (28.90 km) – Oliver solberg

WRC 2026 – Canary Islands Rally
Relive Saturday's events with live text updates

19h10 - Thank you for following us for this Saturday at Rally From the Canary Islands! Join us tomorrow from 8:30 am to experience the conclusion of this exciting battle for victory!

Canary Islands Rally – SS14: Ogier finishes the day in the lead, Solberg less than four seconds behind

19h10 - And the provisional overall standings:

19h09 - The provisional classification of SS14:

19:09 – SS14: With the fastest time in WRC2, Léo Rossel is now within two tenths of Cachón, in the fight for second place in the WRC2 category!

19:02 – SS14: Yohan Rossel gains time on Alejandro Cachón at the end of the special stage, the Lancia driver will start Sunday in the lead in WRC2.

18:57 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Sébastien Ogier: "I'm looking forward to tomorrow, with new special stages I can't wait to discover. If you don't like this kind of fighting, you're better off staying home!"

18:57 – SS14: Sébastien Ogier finishes, conceding 1,4 seconds to Solberg. The gap between the two men at the end of the day is 3,8 seconds; the battle promises to be magnificent this Sunday!

18:55 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Oliver Solberg: "I made a few mistakes, it wasn't perfect, I hope the end of the special stage wasn't so bad."

18:55 – SS14: Oliver Solberg finishes, and he gains 5,6 seconds on Elfyn Evans! Can he make up time on Sébastien Ogier? Just a few more moments to find out…

18:54 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "It was important to do better than yesterday, that was the goal. I'm not entirely satisfied with my day, but it's a good step forward, at least."

18:53 – SS14: Elfyn Evans finishes in turn, 1,4 seconds ahead of Pajari.

18:52 – SS14: 💬 Sami Pajari: "I'm happy with this stage, especially because I had a damaged hard tire, and I had to run with a soft tire on the rear. It was more drifting than rallying at the end of the stage! But if I'm faster than Taka, that's great."

18:51 – SS14: Sami Pajari finishes one second ahead of the Japanese rider, and his overall lead now stands at 10,4 seconds. Pajari made a strong recovery this afternoon after losing time in the morning.

18:49 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "It's not bad, better than yesterday anyway. I still need to improve in these conditions, I think. I was a bit too hard on the tires; I still need to improve on that. Honestly, it's not very enjoyable; I was thinking a lot while driving. It's not easy, but it's time to learn and improve."

18:49 – SS14: Takamoto Katsuta takes the lead in the special stage, with a 10,1-second advantage over Fourmaux.

18:48 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Dani Sordo: "It's great to be back in WRC, but I had even more fun yesterday because I was leading the Hyundai "It's good to be back, but it's normal that I'm a little slow today; I'm not retired, but it's been a while since I was home. We'll see tomorrow if we can improve or not."

18:47 – SS14: Dani Sordo concedes 5,2 seconds at the finish, but remains in the lead. Neuville in the general classification, with a two-second lead.

18:47 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: « "It's a great stage to drive, honestly, but I think I pushed too hard at the start, I kind of burned out my tires! I had to manage the pace afterwards; it was hot, and over 29 kilometers, you expect to have to manage your speed."

18:46 p.m. – SS14: 💬 Thierry Neuville: « There's not much we can do except keep trying. As long as the motivation is there, we'll keep going!

18:45 – SS14: Adrien Fourmaux finishes with a 1,4 second lead over Neuville.

18:44 – SS14: 💬 Jon Armstrong: "I slowed down once I knew Armstrong had gone out; he was lucky when I see where he went out!"

18:43 – SS14: Thierry Neuville sets the fastest time, 12,8 seconds ahead of McErlean.

18:42 – SS14: Josh McErlean finished with a 1:52.7 lead, logically, following Armstrong's withdrawal.

18:41 – SS14: 19:26.9 for Armstrong, first to arrive.

18:39 – SS14: Number 95 was able to take advantage of the help of some fans to get back on the road and resume the special stage.

18:38 p.m. – SS14: 💥 Jon Armstrong goes off! The Irishman went into a ditch while avoiding the guardrail on the left side of the road.

18:37 – SS14: Elfyn Evans opted for a soft tire on the rear left for the longest stage of the day! We'll see if the Welshman's choice proves wise or not…

18:30 – SS14: While the Hyundais are also in the special stage, the Fords reach the summit, and the road is still completely dry.

18:24 – SS14: Josh McErlean is also in the special stage, with a crowd still as large as ever at the roundabout at the start of the special stage, where Takamoto Katsuta had made a mistake earlier in the day… and had done two laps instead of one!

18:21 – SS14: 🟢 Jon Armstrong is off, having opened all day.

18h21 - The sun has made an appearance on the special stage, so there could be some surprises compared to this morning's times.

18h15 - Just a few more minutes before the 28,9 km that will conclude this Saturday.

17h41 - See you at 18:21 for the first start in SS14, the sixth and last of the day, and once again the longest of the rally.

17h41 - And the general ranking:

17h41 - The provisional classification of SS13:

17:39 – SS13: Léo Rossel takes the provisional best time in WRC2, to come within 5,1 seconds of Alejandro Cachón, who is 25,7 seconds behind Yohan Rossel, still in the lead.

17:32 – SS13: 💬 Sébastien Ogier: "It's very close, that's for sure! It was much nicer than this morning, that's for sure. Didn't Oliver mention what tires he had? The same as everyone else, black and round, Hankook!"

17:31 – SS13: Sébastien Ogier crosses the finish line… and he sets the same time as Solberg!

17:30 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Oliver Solberg: "The feeling wasn't perfect. We kept pushing anyway, but I had some hesitations; it's the first time I've done this stage in the dry with this car."

17:29 – SS13: Oliver Solberg narrowly takes the best time, two tenths ahead of Evans.

17:28 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "Nothing really special about this stage, it's fine."

17:27 – SS13: Elfyn Evans finished the stage 2,3 seconds ahead, on four hard tires. It's hard to say whether the gamble on soft tires paid off or not!

17:26 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Sami Pajari: "I hope it worked! The feeling wasn't bad, I slipped a bit in some places, so it's hard to know if the tire choice is effective or not, but it's okay."

17:25 – SS13: Sami Pajari finishes and gains time on Katsuta, finishing 3,3 seconds ahead of the Japanese rider, the gap increases to 9,4 seconds overall.

17:24 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "I didn't have a great feeling, but oh well. It was a bold tire choice for this stage, but it wasn't that good."

17:23 – SS13: Takamoto Katsuta has reached the end of the special stage, crossing the finish line 2,1 seconds faster than Fourmaux. The Japanese driver was struggling with a piece of protective foam in his cockpit.

17:22 – SS13: 💬 Dani Sordo: « "It's a great stage, and it's even better now because there's a lot of grip in the middle section; you can really push hard in every corner. Towards the end of the stage, the surface is very polished, you start to lose grip and slide, it's hard to maintain the pace."

17:22 – SS13: Note that Katsuta and Pajari have chosen soft tires for the rear of their Toyotas!

17:21 – SS13: Dani Sordo finishes, 1,8 seconds behind Fourmaux.

17:20 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: "The feeling isn't too bad, I had a clean stage, I tried to maintain the pace and keep the car on the track. There's grip in some places and much less in others, so you have to adapt your lines. It's a very enjoyable stage."

17:19 – SS13: Adrien Fourmaux finishes and takes the best time, 2,7 seconds ahead of his teammate.

17:18 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Thierry Neuville: "It's almost as slippery as this morning! The asphalt is very polished, and there was no grip on the descent; I lost the front wheel a few times. I'm trying to adapt to the available grip, to avoid sliding too much. It's nice when you have different conditions; it gives a different challenge, even though we already had plenty of challenges!"

17:17 – SS13: Thierry Neuville finishes, with a 5,9 second lead.

17:16 p.m. – SS13: 💬 Josh McErlean: "It's very dusty, especially at the end of the stage. The grip is definitely much better than this morning, so you have to find a good rhythm."

17:15 – SS13: Fastest time for Josh McErlean, half a second ahead of his teammate who made a tiny mistake at the end of the run.

17:13 – SS13: Armstrong finishes the special stage in 8:00.8, and it's clear that the conditions have improved; he was 29 seconds faster than this morning!

17:11 – SS13: As this morning, the Rally1 crews have chosen four hard tires and two soft ones, which remain in the trunk for now, since the road is perfectly dry.

17:10 – SS13: It was during this special stage this morning that Elfyn Evans managed to put his foot down; the Welshman would undoubtedly have preferred to find a few drops of rain, as he struggles to keep pace with Ogier and Solberg in the dry.

17:08 – SS13: Josh McErlean is also in the special stage, which is once again a mix of fast sections and more winding areas, especially on the descent at the end of the special stage.

17:07 – SS13: It's drier than this morning on the special stage, but the clouds are still threatening in the distance…

17h05 - ES13: 🟢 Jon Armstrong is off, the first to start this special stage.

17h01 - Back for SS13 of this Canary Islands Rally, the second pass through Arucas – Teror.

16h36 - See you at 17:05pm for the first start in SS13!

16h26 - And the provisional standings:

16h25 - The provisional standings for SS12, won by Elfyn Evans:

16:22 – SS12: A very good performance from Alejandro Cachón in WRC2, the Spaniard finished ahead of Léo Rossel by 3,6 seconds and Yohan Rossel by 4,3 seconds.

16:16 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Sébastien Ogier: "It's a special stage that everyone knows, and it's really fun to drive. You just have to press a button, and you follow the race, it's super easy!" We applaud the touch of sarcasm at the end of the interview!

16:15 – SS12: Third fastest time at the finish for Sébastien Ogier, seven tenths behind Evans, and therefore only one tenth behind Solberg!

16:14 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Oliver Solberg: "I didn't do a perfect job; I lost half a second in a hairpin. I might have overheated my tires a bit before the start of the stage; the preparation wasn't great."

16:13 – SS12: Oliver Solberg finishes, he loses six tenths to Evans, who comes back to within 12,3 seconds overall.

16:12 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "It was a bit like this morning, I don't feel like I carried enough speed in certain places, it wasn't perfect. The notes are pretty good, you just have to execute correctly."

16:11 – SS12: Elfyn Evans takes the lead in the special stage, with a 1,3 second advantage over Pajari.

16:10 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Sami Pajari: "It was a pretty good special stage. I don't know what else to say, the feeling was a bit better than this morning, which is already something. I'll try to continue in the same vein."

16:09 – SS12: Sami Pajari finishes three tenths ahead of Katsuta, extending his overall lead to more than six seconds over the Japanese driver.

16:08 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "It will be difficult on the next two stages, like this morning, so I don't know what to expect. It's a superb stage; if you're off by one or two centimeters, it's over. It gives you quite an adrenaline rush!"

16:07 – SS12: Best time at the finish for Takamoto Katsuta, 4,2 seconds ahead of Fourmaux.

16:06 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Dani Sordo: “We worked a bit on the car; I had a bit too much oversteer this morning. I tried to attack as always, and the car's balance was better. The goal isn't to fight amongst ourselves, it's to be able to take on the Toyotas, but they're far ahead.”

16:05 – SS12: Dani Sordo finished 5,1 seconds behind, with the three Hyundais ahead of the two Fords. M-Sport.

16:04 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: "I tried something with the settings on my car, I changed the balance of my car a little.""And that allowed me to better preserve my tires in dry conditions."

16:03 – SS12: Adrien Fourmaux takes the best time, 2,9 seconds ahead of Neuville.

16:02 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Thierry Neuville: "It's pretty much the same as this morning in terms of feel, although I have a bit more confidence in braking. I'm still four seconds slower than last year, which isn't great."

16:01 – SS12: Best time at the finish for Thierry Neuville, 3,9 seconds ahead of the fastest Ford Puma.

16am – ES12: 💬 Josh McErlean: "There are still some surprising sections with understeer, but overall it's better. There were a few drops at the start of the stage, but we managed to get through it."

16:00 AM – ES12: McErlean finishes, 2,2 seconds slower than his teammate.

15:58 p.m. – SS12: 💬 Jon Armstrong: "I honestly don't know what happened. We switched headphones between the two loops, and it was pure torture with all sorts of strange sounds! I could more or less hear what Shane was saying, but it wasn't easy."

15:57 – SS12: End of special stage for Armstrong, in 6:52.4, the Irishman went almost two seconds faster than this morning despite his radio problems.

15:55 – SS12: Jon Armstrong seems to be experiencing some radio communication problems with his co-pilot, Shane Byrne, who is giving him some directions by waving his hand.

15:53 – SS12: Josh McErlean is now in the lead, the Irishman is battling his teammate for ninth place overall, he has a twenty-second lead over Armstrong.

15:51 – SS12: 🟢 Jon Armstrong is off, tackling the very fast Maspalomas stage!

15h50 - We're back for the afternoon loop, and the sun is back in the Canary Islands too!

12h43 - We'll meet again around 15:55pm to follow SS12, which will start the afternoon loop!

12h41 - And the provisional overall standings:

12h40 - The provisional standings for SS11 after the first runs in WRC2:

12:37 – SS11: With the tenth fastest time overall in the special stage, Yohan Rossel continues to increase his lead in WRC2, Éric Camilli achieved the second fastest time in the special stage and he takes fourth place in the category overall ahead of Roberto Daprà.

12:28 – SS11: 💬 Sébastien Ogier: "It was very slippery at the end of the special stage; we were unlucky there."

12:27 – SS11: Sébastien Ogier finishes, and he concedes a tenth to Solberg! 5,3 seconds gap in the general classification.

12:26 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Oliver Solberg: "It was very dirty in some places, I went off a bit wide, I touched the rail but nothing serious."

12:25 – SS11: Eight seconds gained at the finish by Solberg, the Swede now has a 12,9 second lead over Evans in the overall standings, while the rain makes a more significant appearance at the end of the special stage.

12:24 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "Overall, the morning wasn't so bad. The feeling was a bit better than yesterday, but it could be even better; we'll see this afternoon."

12:23 – SS11: Elfyn Evans finishes with a 9,3 second lead over Katsuta, but he is expected to lose a lot of time to Solberg and Ogier, who are about to arrive.

12:22 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Sami Pajari: "The conditions were a bit trickier on the last two stages, and it's difficult to build confidence. I didn't feel too bad, but there was some time lost."

12:21 – SS11: Sami Pajari concedes seven tenths to his teammate, he maintains a 5,8 second lead in the general classification, luckily for him that Katsuta made a mistake on the roundabout!

12:20 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "I couldn't see the exit from the roundabout! So I missed the exit, which is a shame."

12:19 – SS11: Takamoto Katsuta finishes with a 2,6 second lead despite his small mistake at the start of the special stage.

12:18 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Dani Sordo: "Nine seconds? Wow! Adrien's awake and he's attacking hard, it seems! It was complicated at times with the dampness on the road. But nine seconds, I wasn't expecting that, but that's how it is."

12:17 – SS11: Dani Sordo finishes between his two teammates, nine seconds behind Fourmaux, but two seconds ahead of Neuville. Ogier leads the race after 11,7 kilometers.

12:16 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: “I tried to stay pretty clean throughout the stage. We can be positive, but it’s always difficult to know what’s going on in this rally. The car felt rather sluggish, but you always have to change the settings between each stage, making compromises each time.”

12:15 – SS11: Adrien Fourmaux finishes with an 11,7 second lead over Neuville, the Northerner had a great special stage, it remains to be seen whether the Toyotas have a clear advantage once again.

12:14 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Thierry Neuville: "I'm doing what I can, honestly. We saw from the first stage of the morning that I was three seconds slower than last year, so something isn't working."

12:13 – SS11: Thierry Neuville finished three seconds ahead.

12:12 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Josh McErlean: "It was wetter than we expected, especially under the trees. Sometimes you have to be less efficient and take corners without using the handbrake, but sometimes it's mandatory."

12:12 – SS11: Josh McErlea concedes 9,1 seconds to his teammate, the gap between the Ford M-Sports is now only twenty seconds.

12:10 p.m. – SS11: 💬 Jon Armstrong: “We have the course openers who give us ideas on which tires to choose, but they come by about an hour beforehand. On such a long stage, soft tires can lose grip, especially if it's not raining too much like it is right now.”

12:09 – SS11: End of the special stage for Jon Armstrong! The Irishman finishes in 17:49.3.

12:05 – SS11: Katsuta made a small mistake right at the start of the special stage. The Japanese driver actually completed two laps of the roundabout, where only one is required!

12:03 – SS11: Jon Armstrong could very well get away with it, the conditions seem to be deteriorating behind him!

12:01 – SS11: Conditions are slightly better than on the previous stage, but this time the drivers don't have the advantage of soft tires, as the stage is too long to risk using them. Armstrong, McErlean, Neuville, Sordo, and Fourmaux are competing in the stage.

11:56 – SS11: Armstrong passes at seven kilometers, the road is a little more slippery, the windshield wipers are also out!

11:53 – SS11: The start of the stage is quite dry, as is often the case on these Canary Islands stages. It begins with a climb into the mountains before finishing on the other side, downhill. If this final section is wet, it could prove quite tricky.

11:51 p.m. – SS11: 🟢 Jon Armstrong is off, he's the first to set off.

11h50 - As with SS10, rain made an appearance on SS11, which could change things considerably! At nearly 29 kilometers, it will be the longest stage of the rally.

11h19 - The first car is expected at 11:51 in SS11.

11h10 - And the point in the general classification:

11h09 - The provisional classification of SS10:

11:02 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Sébastien Ogier: "I was being cautious, I have no idea what my time was! It's definitely possible to go faster."

11:02 – SS10: Sébastien Ogier finishes 4,4 seconds behind Evans. He now has a 5,4-second lead over Solberg and 10,3 seconds over Evans in the overall standings.

11am – ES10: 💬 Oliver Solberg: "It was horrible! Really hard to read the road, and it was more slippery than I expected. I was way too cautious, it was really bad."

11:00 – SS10: Oliver Solberg concedes 2,5 seconds to Elfyn Evans, who closes to within 4,9 seconds overall.

10:58 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "I was a bit cautious on the last few corners before the finish, but the start of the stage wasn't bad at all."

10:58 – SS10: Evans had a very good special stage, finishing 6,2 seconds ahead of Katsuta!

10:56 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Sami Pajari: "Taka was perhaps able to really push in those conditions. For us, it was very tricky. Maybe I should have just attacked more, but that's how it is."

10:56 – SS10: Sami Pajari loses a lot of time to his Japanese teammate, the Finn concedes 6,1 seconds, his advantage over Katsuta has been halved.

10:54 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "It's difficult to enjoy, it's very delicate!"

10:54 – SS10: Best time at the finish for Takamoto Katsuta, 3,9 seconds ahead of Adrien Fourmaux.

10:53 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Dani Sordo: "The middle section was good, but I think I lost a lot of time at the end of the stage. It wasn't that bad, but very slippery. I had fun, but it was tricky at the end of the stage."

10:52 – SS10: Dani Sordo is positioned between his two teammates, 4,4 seconds behind Fourmaux.

10:50 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: “The conditions have changed compared to those encountered by the course openers; it’s wet earlier and later in the stage, and I had some close calls at those times. There are constant changes in grip; it’s really tricky. I was able to do this rally in the rain in 2020, and I can tell you that it really becomes a different rally.”

10:50 – SS10: Adrien Fourmaux finished 5,1 seconds ahead and should confirm his sixth place overall.

10:49 – SS10: 💬 Thierry Neuville: "The conditions are difficult, the grip level changes a lot. I had good information from my course openers, so I was able to manage it fairly well; it wasn't a bad stage."

10:48 – SS10: Best time for Thierry Neuville, 2,1 seconds faster than McErlean.

10:47 – SS10: 💬 Josh McErlean: "It's very difficult to understand the grip; everything changes every time, and some areas are wetter than others. We have crossed tires, so at one point we have understeer, and at the next corner we have oversteer; it's not easy."

10:46 – SS10: Josh McErlean finishes with a 4,3 second lead.

10:45 p.m. – SS10: 💬 Jon Armstrong: "It's difficult to find the grip; you have to be able to really feel the changes in traction. I think I could have gone faster, but I had a very good pace in certain places."

10:44 – SS10: 8:29.0 for Armstrong at the finish.

10:42 – SS10: Armstrong enters the last three kilometers, the road is really wet, he'll have to be very careful!

10:39 – SS10: Unsurprisingly, Armstrong chose to put both his soft tires on, one on the front right and one on the rear left!

10:35 – SS10: The special stage will also have some fast sections like SS9, but mostly lots of hairpin bends, plus the added difficulties presented by the weather – it's currently raining!

10:35 p.m. – SS10: 🟢 Jon Armstrong sets off, the tenth special stage of the rally is underway!

10h32 - Note that SS9 was stopped after Philip Allen had passed through.

10h28 - Only a few moments left before the start of SS10, 13,74 kilometers between Arucas and Teror!

9h54 - We'll be back at 10:30 for SS10, with a change in the weather. It's starting to rain a few drops towards the end of the course, and the tarmac could be quite wet! Will the drivers opt for their soft tires?

9h54 - And the provisional point in the general classification:

9h54 - The provisional classification of SS9:

9:53 – SS9: The first WRC2 drivers finish, Alejandro Cachón takes back eight tenths from Yohan Rossel, while Léo finished with the same time as the Spaniard.

9:46 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Sébastien Ogier: "I wasn't committed enough in the fast corners, I had some minor issues in the hairpins too, but overall it wasn't too bad."

9:46 – SS9: Sébastien Ogier finishes, conceding 1,3 seconds to Evans. Solberg closes to within 7,3 seconds overall.

9:44 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Oliver Solberg: "This is my first time on this stage, and the car is so much more stable than a Rally2! I was probably a bit too cautious, it wasn't perfect, but it's okay."

9:43 – SS9: Oliver Solberg narrowly misses the scratch time, finishing one tenth of a second behind Evans!

9:42 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Elfyn Evans: "It's a very fast stage, so having past experience makes a difference. I was committed, but I'm quite disappointed with some of the speeds I was going."

9:41 – SS9: Fastest time for Evans, 2,8 seconds ahead of Katsuta. The Welshman regains third place in the overall standings.

9:40 – SS9: 💬 Sami Pajari: "It wasn't too bad. Elfyn did the special stage last year and I didn't, so it doesn't surprise me if he beats me. I have to keep pushing, but it wasn't too bad."

9:39 – SS9: Sami Pajari concedes 1,2 seconds to Katsuta, and according to intermediaries, he could lose his third place overall to Elfyn Evans!

9:38 – SS9: 💬 Takamoto Katsuta: "The next two stages will be very different, so we focused on them. This stage is really great; you really have to be confident, and I was finding it a bit difficult to be confident because I didn't know how the car was going to react."

9:37 – SS9: First Toyota to arrive, Takamoto Katsuta sets the fastest time with a 3,4 second lead.

9:36 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Dani Sordo: "Eight seconds slower? It seems like it was complicated! I'm trying to find a good rhythm, but I didn't do this stage last year; it's very fast. It seems like I'm really slow, I don't know why, and yesterday I was fast and I didn't know why!"

9:36 – SS9: Dani Sordo concedes 8,8 seconds to Fourmaux, therefore he loses sixth place in the general classification.

9:34 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Adrien Fourmaux: " If you're not fully awake, you can lose time because you really have to be giving it your all! I did well on the special stage, it was clean.

9:33 – SS9: Adrien Fourmaux takes the best time with a 1,2 second lead, and he should be able to overtake Dani Sordo in the overall standings based on the first intermediate times.

9:33 – SS9: 💬 Thierry Neuville: "We're on a very fine line between a lot of oversteer and a lot of understeer. You never know what's going to happen before the corner, it's always a surprise, and so we don't have the confidence to go fast."

9:32 – SS9: Best time for Thierry Neuville at the finish, with a 4,3 second lead.

9:30 – SS9: 💬 Josh McErlean: "It's very important to fight with my teammate, that's what the Academy is for! I think I might not be awake enough because it's a really fast stage!"

9:30 – SS9: Josh McErlean finished next, 4,7 seconds behind his teammate.

9:28 p.m. – SS9: 💬 Jon Armstrong: “I’m trying to find my rhythm. It’s a pretty fast stage, it’s new to me, so I’m looking forward to seeing the times of the others who know it a bit better. We’re heading in the right direction with our setup, it was fun and I didn’t have too many places where I struggled.”

9:28 – SS9: 6:54.0 for Jon Armstrong, who is the first to finish this special stage.

9:25 – SS9: Thierry Neuville's turn to start, the Belgian had a difficult Friday, especially in the morning, and is currently the worst placed of the Hyundai drivers in the overall standings.

9:23 – SS9: No rain is expected on this first timed section, as the sun continues to rise over the Canary Islands. However, showers could be very localized and therefore might occur on other stages today. Josh McErlean is also on the road.

9:20 p.m. – SS9: 🟢 Jon Armstrong sets off, here we go for the first special stage of the day!

9h19 - Note that the drivers know this special stage well, which served as the Power Stage last year and will be exactly the same, with its mix of fast sections and hairpins.

9h17 - We're getting ready for the first special stage of the day, the 13,47km Maspalomas stage, which will be run twice today. All the Rally1 drivers have chosen four hard tires and two soft tires for this first loop, as there's a slight chance of rain!

9h15 - 👋 Hello everyone, welcome to AUTOhebdo.fr for live text coverage of the third day of the Canary Islands Rally!