Rally Finland 2019

18h

Toyota drivers Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala took the scratch in the 7,8km Äänekoski race with half a second ahead of Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) and Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai). The six-time champion could nevertheless receive a penalty for a stolen start (which seems to be the case given the images).

Hyundai drivers Thierry Neuville and Craig Breen followed 9 tenths behind, just ahead of Ott Tänak (Toyota). Esapekka Lappi (Citroën) is only 8th, 1 seconds behind M-Sport drivers Gus Greensmith and Teemu Suninen.

Jari-Matti Latvala retains the lead of the Rally Finland before the closing super special of the first stage with 2 seconds ahead of Kris Meeke who took 2nd place from Esapekka Lappi by half a second, a valuable attack for the position on the road this Saturday. Ott Tänak remains 4th, 6 tenths behind the leading Citroën, while the gap between the Hyundais of Craig Breen and Andreas Mikkelsen has been reduced to 6 tenths. Sébastien Ogier is currently in 7th place, one second behind the Norwegian, 16 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville. Teemu Suninen and Gus Greensmith still complete the Top 10.

18h

Breen equalizes the time of his teammate Neuville with 9 tenths behind Latvala. The Irishman maintains the advantage over Mikkelsen even if the Norwegian is back to 6 tenths of the Top 5. “I didn't have a very good SS. We need to get back to the pace we had this morning. It's crazy to see the level of the WRC entrants. »

18h

Greensmith sets the 8th time, 4″1 behind the benchmark and for once ahead of his teammate Suninen by 3 tenths. The Briton remains 10th. “It’s getting better but I can’t take too many risks. We progress step by step. »

18h

Latvala equalizes the provisional scratch of his teammate Meeke. The Finn maintains a 2s lead over his teammate at the top of the standings. “It’s really tight. I came out a little wide in a few places. It's hard to take the right trajectory, but the time remains good. Tomorrow's stage will be very important. We have to stay focused for the super special. »

17h

Lappi failed 1″4 behind Meeke, which did not please the Citroën driver who was caught by the Northern Irishman by half a second. The Finn keeps the advantage over Tänak by 6 tenths. “The conditions are very good; I was just too slow at the start, but it was a good day. It will be a great fight tomorrow. »

17h

Mikkelsen ranks half a second behind Meeke in the special. The Hyundai driver tries to catch Breen for 5th place.

17h

And it is the best provisional time for Meeke which improves Ogier's time by 5 tenths. The Toyota driver now has a lead of 1″1 over his teammate Tänak. “It’s a long rally and Ott did an incredible job being first on the road. »

17h

Suninen finished 4s behind the provisional reference. The Finn remains stuck in 9th position.

17h

Neuville sets the 2nd fastest time, 6 tenths behind Ogier, with a tenth lead over Tänak. The Hyundai driver is still 8th. “We try even if it’s complicated. We have to be satisfied with that even if we stayed on the attack all day. The rally is still long. »

17h

The images show that Ogier stole the start. He strongly risks receiving a time penalty which would be very detrimental given the small differences in the ranking.

17h

Ogier improves Tänak's time by half a second, but the Citroën driver risks a penalty for stealing the start! “I can be satisfied with my day. My position should be better than today, although those behind me will have an advantage. »

17h

Tänak signs the first reference in 3'34″1, 4s better than Latvala's scratch on the first pass. “It was always the same conditions. I really pushed hard and it's frustrating not to be able to do more. We can't complain, we'll see what happens in the 2nd stage, but it's certain that my position is not ideal. »

17h

Tänak started in the time trial. The Estonian finds himself in 4th place.

17h

It's almost time for the last real time of the day with the 7,8km from Äänekoski. Latvala was the fastest there in the first pass in 3'38″1. Not sure that the gaps will grow significantly on such a short and fast course.

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