Sébastien Ogier takes the lead at the Sardinia Rally, Hyundai misses the strategy

Ranking Rally of Sardinia 2023 after SS4:

• Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais (Toyota) stunned the competition during the Friday morning loop at the Sardinia Rally this Friday June 2. The French recorded two fastest times but especially carried their offensive into the terrible Monte Lerno special, nearly 50 km long.
• “I like long challenges, it’s always an opportunity to make a difference, Ogier said. It wasn't easy. Some portions are quite slippery, especially the last one which is super complicated. »
• Despite engine shutdowns when passing through puddles and an error in notes recognized by Nicolas Gilsoul, Pierre-Louis Loubet (M-Sport Ford) rose to third place in the event. The Frenchman makes a good start to the rally!
• At Hyundai, we scratch our heads. The three official cars all fitted hard tires on the front axle, unlike the Toyota, in the famous ES4. Result: they all wasted a lot of time! A time leader, Esapekka Lappi fell back to 2nd place, more than 10 seconds behind Ogier. The Finn, as well as Thierry Neuville, complained of a lack of grip in the turns. An illness which caused Dani Sordo to leave the road. The Spaniard tipped into a small ravine but lost 3 minutes!

🚨Disaster has struck Dani Sordo after he rolls his Hyundai i20 WRC! 🚨

Head to https://t.co/IXbfRuzl7M for all the action! pic.twitter.com/N5zmJSZeRW

- World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) June 2, 2023

• Handicapped by his position as a sweeper linked to his 1st place in the Drivers' championship, Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) suffered (8th). The outgoing champion even had to leave the road to avoid hitting two cows in SS4! The damaged hood on the right side suggests that the Yaris hybrid still had contact with one of the two cattle.

RIP Marguerite pic.twitter.com/DwBjqA7NoO

— Burgrid⑯ (@Burgrid16) June 2, 2023

• In WRC2, Oliver Solberg (Skoda) broke a shock absorber at the end of SS3. While leading the category, the Swede had to make repairs on the connecting course and received a 4-minute penalty for late check-in in the following special. He leaves the controls to Andreas Mikkelsen (Skoda) but the Norwegian only has a 3-second margin over the Frenchman. Adrien fourmaux (M-Sport Ford).
• The 2023 Sardinia Rally will resume this Friday at 14:32 p.m., and can be followed in live text on AUTOhebdo.fr.