The nine-time world champion ended a shortened morning loop with a 5.9s lead over team-mate Pajari. Toyota filled the top five positions to outline its dominance on the Spanish Islandâs smooth asphalt roads.
Ogier leapt from sixth to the rally lead after winning the opening stage of the day by 0.5s from Oliver Solberg. Once the action resumed on stage four, Ogier outlined his pace on the circuit-like roads to claim the test by 4.2s from team-mate Evans, extending his lead to 5.9s as the crews headed into midday service.
âThe Toyotas are having great pace compared to the others and there is still some little room for improvement so we are playing with small details to find the sweet spot,â said Ogier.
âWe have quite a strong line-up and there are five drivers with the top car which means the competition is tough. If you relax a little bit, straight away you can be in P5, so that is why we all try our best.â
Pajari emerged as Ogierâs closest challenger but the Finn, who felt this rally would suit him better than Croatia two weeks ago, wasnât entirely happy with his display.
âThe feeling is not what I was hoping for â the driving doesnât feel so natural or flowing. Maybe the grip was simply low in the morning due to the lower temperatures, but overall it just didnât feel so great,â said Pajari.
Sami Pajari, Marko Salminen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
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Sami Pajari, Marko Salminen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Sami Pajari, Marko Salminen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
âIt comes down to very small details. And those are exactly what makes the difference, because the gaps on the stages are so small. In a rally like this, even a small lack of confidence costs time immediately, and it is very difficult to gain that back. So we need to find a solution.â
Evans declared his morning as ânot amazingâ but the Welshman did complete the loop in third overall, 0.1s behind Pajari. Evans, along with the majority of the crews, reported understeer issues during the final stage of the loop.
âThereâs more to come. Iâm not fully relaxed yet or completely happy with how things are going. My rhythm isnât great at the moment, so there are still improvements to be made,â said Evans.
Monte Carlo winner Oliver Solberg described the feeling in his GR Yaris as âhorrendousâ in the final test of the loop as the Swede slotted into fourth overall, 6.5s from the lead. Solberg admitted he had started the day more steadily to avoid a repeat of the mistake that triggered a retirement in the opening stage in Croatia.
The top five was completed by overnight leader Takamoto Katsuta, who appeared to struggle the most with understeer from the Toyota camp.
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Hyundai had predicted that this rally would be the most difficult for its i20 N to perform. Last year the Korean team was comprehensively beaten on the asphalt roads, and again all three cars were unable to live with the pace set by Toyota.
Dani Sordo, operating a slightly different set-up to his team-mates, proved to be the best of the rest in sixth overall, albeit 19.2s from the lead.
âThe morning was OK but the only thing is the Toyotas are like last year and it will be difficult to catch them," said Sordo.
"Step by step we are coming and we need to keep working. We need to be positive and be all together and push.â
Team-mates Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville clearly struggled for confidence behind the wheel and were simply unable to follow the lines being taken by the Toyota crews. Fourmaux ended the loop in seventh [+26.2s] with Neuville eighth [+27.1s].
âI didnât sleep well last night and I was expecting the worst but it wasnât as bad as I could have imagined,â said Neuville. âWe were able to drive at our speed. We are trying so many set-ups this morning and we will try more this afternoon. Honestly we are in a battle with the other Hyundai drivers now.â
M-Sport-Fordâs Josh McErlean held ninth with Jon Armstrong in 11th position as the pair fought with the balance of their Ford Pumas. Armstrong was however fortunate to return to service after a wild moment in stage four that required a trip down an escape road.
âIt was a bit surprising. I thought this corner was a six-right that would tighten into a five,â said Armstrong. âIt seems like the tyre was already loaded and it just immediately gave up. I was not expecting it and it was a bit of a scary moment.â
Lanciaâs Yohan Rossel led the WRC2 class, sitting in 10th overall with a 10.4s lead over brother Leo Rossel.
