Lando Norris will start Sunday’s US Grand Prix on pole position, after Mercedes’ George Russell crashed at the end of the final qualifying session to end Max Verstappen’s run at pole position.
The McLaren driver laid it all on the line early in Q3 to set a time of 1:32.330, 0.031s ahead of Verstappen on a weekend where the team haven’t been as imperious as previous weekends.
Russell’s crash at the fast Turn 19 a minute before the end of the session likely saved Norris’ pole, as both Verstappen and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz looked likely to overhaul the Brit
Behind the front row it is Sainz who starts third ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, with the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri fifth.
Provided there’s no chassis damage to Russell’s car he’ll start sixth ahead of the impressive Pierre Gasly in the Alpine, while Fernando Alonso put his Aston Martin eighth.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen will start ninth ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who lost his best time in Q3 to a track limits offence and couldn’t complete his final lap due to the yellow flags for the stricken Russell.
The first qualifying session saw one of the biggest shocks of the season so far as Lewis Hamilton was a surprise exit to qualify 19th quickest.
The seven-time World Champion lost almost half a second to a mistake at Turn 12 and crossed the line with a minute to spare, and not enough time to recharge his battery start another lap.
A dejected Hamilton joined the less surprising quartet of the Williams duo of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto, with the Saubers of Valterri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu sandwiching the Brit.
The second qualifying session was somewhat more routine, with only the minor surprise of Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas missing out on the top ten after mistakes on his final flying lap to start 12th.
The German had looked nailed on for the top ten before that, and was absolutely gutted on the team radio on his inlap.
Teammate Kevin Magnussen did squeeze through in tenth to outqualify Hulkenberg for the first time in 8 races, while Yuki Tsunoda was 11th despite a tow from teammate Liam Lawson, starting last after a host of engine penalties. The Kiwi proved his own point with third fastest in Q1, with Esteban Ocon 13th and Lance Stroll 14th.
The first full day of action in the stages on the Czech roads and with the added dimension and challenge of no mid-day service.
After the two first stages on Thursday the top three positions were held by Seb from the two Hyundai teammates Thierry and Andreas.
The first stage then, SS3 Klatovy 2 – 11.78 km and Seb was fastest from Takamoto and Elfyn. The Japanese driver moved up one position into third overall, pushing Ott down to fourth. It was close at the top with just 5.3 seconds covering the top five!
Next up was SS4 Strašín 1 – 26.69 km and Elfyn was fastest from Thierry and Ott. The Welshman’s pace took him up two positions and into third overall, now just eight tenths of a second from the leader. In fact, the gap between the top five had reduced to 4.4 seconds.
Onto SS5 Šumavské Hoštice 1 – 16.85 km and Ott took this one from Thierry and Seb and it was all change again at the top of the leaderboard, with Thierry now into the lead, from Seb and Ott. Elfyn and Takamoto we now in fourth and fifth. There was drama with Andreas sadly as his Hyundai understeered wide on a left-hander and hit a fence on the exit of a corner. He was out for the rest of the day.
The penultimate morning stage then of the day, SS6 Klatovy 3 – 11.78 km which unusually was a third run through this stage was won by Takamoto from Thierry and Seb. Thierry was starting to build a small gap over Seb in their battle over the lead.
After the remote service next up was SS7 Strašín 2 – 26.69 km and Thierry was fastest from Elfyn and Ott. The Belgian had increased his lead over Seb who was fourth fastest and 3.6 behind the championship leaders.
The final stage then, SS8 Šumavské Hoštice 2 – 16.85 km and Seb was fastest from Thierry and Ott. There was the added element of some rain falling in the stage and the Belgian and French crews had the best of the conditions.
Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.
Classification after Day One
1
T. Neuville
M. Wydaeghe
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
1:04:40.0
2
S. Ogier
V. Landais
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+6.4
3
O. Tänak
M. Järveoja
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid
+7.8
4
E. Evans
S. Martin
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+15.1
5
T. Katsuta
A. Johnston
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+38.6
6
S. Pajari
E. Mälkönen
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid
+1:28.2
7
A. Fourmaux
A. Coria
Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
+1:33.4
8
G. Munster
L. Louka
Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid
+2:27.4
9
N. Gryazin
K. Aleksandrov
Citroën C3
+3:53.3
10
O. Solberg
E. Edmondson
Škoda Fabia RS
+3:56.4
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“I think everyone could see my smile at the end of the last stage today! I was happy to have had a good day and finish where we are. The Czech stages had the most tricky and challenging conditions of the weekend with the weather and the fog we had in the morning, so I am very pleased with how the day went. I felt comfortable in the car, the speed and confidence was there, and it was an interesting battle on the stages. We want to take these positives into tomorrow, where we will face a completely different type of profile, so there might be a job to do to adapt the car to these conditions. We are in the fight, it’s super close so we have to keep our rhythm and continuing driving well.”
2024 FIA World Rally Championship Round 12, Central European Rally 17-20 October 2024 Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid Photographer: Dufour Fabien Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Ott Tänak
“Altogether a positive day. It was very demanding, especially in the forest stages, but I actually enjoyed them a lot. The trickier the conditions, the better the car was behaving, but on the more circuit-like roads I was losing a couple of sections. Overall, it felt good. It’s critical we keep a good rhythm tomorrow and stay inside the boundaries. We need to push hard – it’s very tight between he four of us at the front. Tomorrow’s roads have lots of junctions but are pretty fast at the same time; during the recce, they looked pretty clean with a lot of anti-cuts, so I believe they will be more consistent than the stages we had today. It’s about going fast, and we will try to make the most out of it.”
Andreas Mikkelsen
“I’m disappointed we couldn’t finish today. We had very tricky conditions this morning. On SS5, it was difficult through the whole stage, but I still tried to keep a good pace. On a left-hand corner, there was less grip than I expected, and we understeered, running wide into the fence. Sadly, the damage to the car was too much to continue, but we hope to be back out tomorrow.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Sébastien Ogier
“I think today has been a positive first full day for us. We know the conditions here can be difficult when you don’t start right at the front, but the organisers have done a good job with the anti-cut devices to help this and give us a good battle so far between the top cars. This morning there were two little overshoots which cost us some seconds, and in SS5 we expected to lose time because there was more dirt and a lot of leaves on the road. This afternoon, we lost a few seconds towards the end of SS7 which was frustrating, but in the last one we took more risk and managed to stay close to the lead tonight. So, we’re in the fight for the win and we’ll try our best tomorrow.”
Elfyn Evans
“It’s been an OK day for us overall. It was a little bit up and down: some stages were really good, and others were a little bit average. This morning the grip was very changeable, it was quite damp in the two longer stages, and there were sections that did get a bit dirtier with passing cars. After remote service this afternoon, the following stage went quite well but in the last stage we seemed to drop quite a lot of time, especially in the dirty sections, so I’m a bit frustrated with that. Tomorrow, we expect the stages to be a bit cleaner and the profile changes a bit as well, so we’ll focus on adapting to that.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“Overall, it went pretty well today. The conditions were difficult in some stages, but the car was working well, and I had good confidence. I just followed what I had planned before the rally: when the conditions were more consistent, I could push, and when they were not I just backed off a bit. Of course, that meant that I sacrificed some time, but I would say it was quite a clever drive. Now I have to try and keep this position until the end of the rally. Tomorrow will hopefully be cleaner but I’m sure it will still be tricky. I just need to stay focused and do my best.”
Sami Pajari
“I think I have been able to enjoy today more than I was expecting. To be without hybrid since the first stage this morning was a bit of a pity, not so much in terms of result because I am not focused on that this weekend, but it could have been nice to compare my times more to the other drivers to know where I’m at. Still, the feeling in the car has been quite nice, it’s been a clean day and I’m looking forward to tomorrow, when our road position should be better, and the stages should also be cleaner. I’ll just try to have a good flow and enjoy the stages.”
Oliver Solberg
“It was quite a tricky day today. The grip was changing a lot and when it’s like this, it’s really not so easy to take the confidence from the car.
“I made some set-up changes, trying to get the best grip from the car in these conditions – but at the same time, when it’s dry you need it to be a bit more racey. It’s hard to take the confidence in the driving when it’s like this.
“We will go again tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to the roads in Germany and Austria and to see so many people out enjoying a fantastic atmosphere is something special. The car’s been great with no technical issues, I just need to dial my driving into these conditions a bit more.
“Like always with the Škoda, I’m having a lot, a lot of fun with the car and me and Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] enjoyed the day.”
Saturday
Tomorrow’s action sees the crews tackle 123km’s over six stages. Thierry is in the driving seat for this season’s championship, but let’s see what the positions are at the end of Saturday.
Formula One returns this weekend after a month-long autumn hiatus at the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, Texas.
Despite having only hosted its first race in 2012, COTA marks a dose of traditionalism as “good old circuit” with its fast, sweeping corners and huge elevation changes in a championship that is increasingly looking to race through America’s most famous cities, with city races through Miami and Las Vegas already on the calendar and a further race at Chicago mooted,
After dominance under the lights at Singapore, Lando Norris comes into the weekend 52 points behind leader Max Verstappen, with the Red Bull driver still maintaining a healthy advantage despite having not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in June.
The Dutchman has won each of the last three races around COTA, so a visit to the Lone Star State may prove a welcome one as he bids to leave the McLaren driver needing snookers.
Further opportunity to eat into that lead presents itself this weekend for Norris as this weekend is one of F1’s six Sprint weekends, with the Brit needing to take an average of just under 9 points per weekend out of Verstappen in order to nick the Championship.
Red Bull are bringing a “significant” upgrade this weekend to try to rectify their win drought, the team having finally listened to concerns that second driver Sergio Perez raised about the car almost 18 months ago, as it tries to return to the front.
The Milton Keynes team have not been without controversy, as following talks with the FIA they have “agreed to make changes” to their car after the governing body was alerted to a device that could have allowed Red Bull drivers to change the ride height between qualifying and the race, which is not allowed as per Parc Ferme rules.
The team say that this has never been used and is inaccessible once the car is fully assembled, while the FIA stated there is no evidence of it having actually been used.
Meanwhile, Verstappen is still refusing to fully answer question in the FIA press conferences after Singapore’s Sweargate, instead holding his own unofficial press conferences.
While McLaren are the hunters in the Drivers’ Championship, they are very much the hunted in the Constructors’ Championship.
With Oscar Piastri pretty much matching teammate Norris since the start of the European season, McLaren have overturned what was a 115-point deficit after the Miami Grand Prix in May after six rounds, to an advantage of 41 points after 18 rounds.
In those 12 rounds, Perez has scored only 41 points with Verstappen and Norris having scored almost five times that total in the same period.
Indeed, Red Bull are closer to third placed Ferrari than to McLaren as it is now in the position of having to decide whether to abandon the Constructors’ Championship to focus solely on Verstappen’s title charge.
For that, even then they need the new upgrade to prove transformative and for Perez to return to form.
We really are coming to the end of the end of the season and with just two rounds left, what happens during this weekend’s rally will likely decide the driver’s championship.
Following the last round in Chile the championship standings look like this.
2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 11
1
T. Neuville
207
2
O. Tänak
178
3
S. Ogier
166
4
E. Evans
161
5
A. Fourmaux
140
6
K. Rovanpera
114
7
T. Katsuta
80
8
D. Sordo
44
9
S. Pajari
41
10
E. Lappi
33
11
A. Mikkelsen
29
2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 11
1
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
482
2
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team
465
3
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
245
Let’s take a look at the stages and hear from the drivers.
This round features 302km’s over eighteen stages in the following countries Czechia, Germany and Austria.
Competition begins on Thursday with the 2.55km SS1 Velká Chuchle and the 11.78km SS2 Klatovy 1.
Friday’s stages are set to cover 110.64km of Czech roads and includes the longest test of the weekend: SS4/7 Strašín (26.69km).
123.46km of competitive running on Saturday forms the longest day of the event, featuring the innovative new SS10/13 Beyond Borders (24.33km) – crossing the lines between Germany and Austria.
Four stages make up the final day of action in Europe: SS15/17 Knaus Tabbert Am Hochwald (12.17km) and SS16/18 Passauer Land (14.87km).
Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“Last year we had a great victory at the very first Central European Rally. We know we usually perform well on tarmac, and winning in Germany was super cool for the whole team. Despite difficult conditions, we performed well. Because of the stage changes we need to do some video work, so we will be studying those as much as possible to get a good feel of the new areas. We will test at a small pre-event rally in Austria to have enough time to get back into a rhythm and also work on the car setup. The main goal is to manage our championship so we can take many points as possible. Of course, we would like to get that title in our pocket, but our first focus will be having a consistent run.”
2023 FIA World Rally Championship Round 12, Central European Rally 25-29 October 2023 Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid Photographer: Dufour Fabien Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Ott Tänak
“I personally enjoy the type of roads at Central European Rally the most of all tarmac rallies. Large sections of the roads will be new again this year, which should make it interesting. Last year road position was very important on the first day; because of the wet weather, the road was getting dirty quickly from every car that came through. The weather will certainly play a critical role this year as well. Austria and Germany are very similar to each other with roads in between fields and many junctions, but the Czech roads are usually in the forest with broken tarmac and many cuts. We will only find out during the recce what the roads look like this year. The manufacturers’ championship is in an interesting place, and we are going there with the target of scoring maximum points and putting pressure on our competitors.”
Andreas Mikkelsen
“I remember Central European Rally very well from last year, it’s the rally where we ended up clinching the WRC2 title. Overall, I would say it is a difficult rally because there’s so much gravel and mud being pulled out from the road. The conditions are very demanding; there’s a lot of cutting going on and very easy to make a mistake. I’m really looking forward to the rally because I will have a pretty different approach compared to Monte Carlo and Croatia. At that time, the car was still quite new for me so there were still things to get used to. I will have that new approach in Central European Rally, go there and give a good result to help the team maintain its lead in the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Elfyn Evans
“After a great team performance in Chile, it was nice to be back on the podium and now we want to get the most out of these last two asphalt rounds to end the season. We know that both Central Europe and Japan can be quite difficult rallies in terms of the weather and such events are a challenge as a driver to try and get right, especially with the added dimension of working with our route note crews. Our driving time on this surface is quite limited during the year, but at least the conditions we expect are not so different to Croatia. The car was working well there, so we’ve had a good base to work from while trying to find some improvements that can put us in a good place for the event.”
Sébastien Ogier
“Although I didn’t manage to score the result I was personally hoping for in Chile, I’m pleased we managed to make a perfect weekend as a team and come back much closer in the manufacturers’ championship, which was always my main target for this season. So we are really motivated now to push for the last two events on asphalt. In Central Europe, it’s nice to have another home rally for me, close to where I live now in Germany, and with a lot of fans watching the stages. From last year, we know that the conditions can be really challenging with very narrow roads, some quite dirty sections and very low grip. So we’ve been working to have a car that can give us maximum confidence for these tricky stages.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“I’m looking forward to being back in the car and driving on a totally different surface for the last two rallies of the year. I really like driving on asphalt, and I hope to find a good feeling and perform well. Central European Rally is a big challenge for everybody with a lot of surface changes and dirt on the road. Last year, the Friday on Czech roads was especially difficult with rain and a lot of cuts. With that experience it should be easier to return this year but there will still be many new stages, so we need to focus on making good pacenotes and communicating well with our route note crew. I will try to be patient, be there to score points for the team and if everything goes well, it will be easier for me to push at Rally Japan.”
Sami Pajari
“This will be my first time with the Rally1 car on asphalt and I’m sure it will be a big challenge. I did the rally in WRC2 last year and it was really tricky in places, with some more enjoyable parts as well. The stages are a bit different in each of the three countries, and at this time of year the weather can be quite unpredictable. But at the moment for myself it’s all about facing these challenges and learning from them. I think we did quite a solid job in Finland and Chile and I’m sure it will be a similar story on this rally too: when we’re feeling good, we can do some nice times, and if there’s more risk or tricky conditions, step back a little bit to gain the experience and not rush too much.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Adrien Fourmaux
“Central European Rally takes us back to Tarmac rallying for the first time in nearly six months! It’s nice to be driving on Tarmac again, and we had a good day’s testing last week. We know at this time of year the weather can be very wet and make the rally very complicated, with a lot of mud getting brought up from the cuts on the road.
“Last year Alex and I finished first in the RC2 class, which was a really good result. We want to do our best this year on this event to get back on the podium, so we’re going to do our best. We’re really pleased to be back in Europe but also back on Tarmac!”
Grégoire Munster
“Central Europe was the first Tarmac event I did in a Rally1 car, and the roads and weather conditions in this part of Europe suit me very well. So, I’m looking forward to this event! We had a really good pre-event test last week near the border of the Czech Republic and Austria, and it went very well in tricky conditions – so we are well prepared for the event!
“I like that we cross three countries during this event, it makes the roads very diverse and this way we can see so many fans from different areas of Europe, which is really nice.”
Jourdan Serderidis
“After a good result on Acropolis rally, I wanted to conclude the 2024 season with M-Sport and my teammates Adrien, Alex, Greg and Louis with a super nice challenge, and this Tarmac event in Central Europe definitely represents that! I hope to achieve a similar result to our Acropolis finish and have as much fun as we did there.”
WRC2 Category
Oliver Solberg
“I’m not going to lie to you,” said the 23-year-old. “That was a difficult one, probably one of the toughest of my career. We had really done everything we could, we were leading, but still it wasn’t enough to win it on the day. We might still win, depending what our rivals do in CER and Japan, but I think we deserved to do it in our own way.
“Nothing we can do about that now, we stay positive, and we look forwards. The best way to get over the disappointment of the last round is to get straight back in the car and back on the pace – that’s what we’re going to do in CER.
“I would like to say we’re going to be pushing for another win and that’s definitely the objective, but this one is tricky. We haven’t driven on Tarmac for so long – Monte Carlo in January was the last time. And we didn’t compete in CER last year, so we don’t know so much about the conditions. Let’s see what we can do.
“We know there will be a lot of fans out there and me and Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] love to see them all – and, of course, this is kind of a home round for Škoda, so we want to show how cool and quick the Fabia RS Rally2 really is!”
William Creighton
“This is a completely new rally for me, with 90% new stages for everyone else this year too. It looked like such a tricky rally last year and I am sure it will be similar this time, even if the weather is good. The Fiesta Rally2 will work well in these conditions, we’ve had some recent experience on Tarmac in the car, and I will be aiming for a strong rally to finish our WRC2 season with M-Sport on a high.”
Summary
Although Elfyn has already conceded this season’s championship, the Welshman who is fourth in the standings remains within 46 points of championship leader Thierry. Now it would take a major upset for Thierry to lose his lead, but this is the world rally championship, and nothing is decided as yet.
The closest challengers to the Belgians are their teammates Ott and Martin who are just 29 points behind. A win for the 2019 world champions would keep them in the fight heading to Japan in November.
Also still in the fight is Seb and Vincent, 41 points from the leaders. We know that the former champion is quick on sealed surfaces. Let’s see what they can do this weekend!
Pecco Bagnaia has added to Saturday’s sprint race victory with a second win on Sunday. He was joined on the podium by championship leader, Jorge Martin, and his future 2025 teammate, Marc Marquez.
In the history of MotoGP, only 4 riders have won more than 8 races in a single season. Today, Pecco Bagnia became the 5th rider to join that list. He took a dominant win, heading into the lead on lap 1 and not looking back from there.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Italian though – he faced pressure in the late stages of the race from Jorge Martin who surged his way up through the grid and eventually ended the day in 2nd.
Rounding out the podium places was Marc Marquez, who mostly enjoyed a quiet race once he had made his way up to 3rd.
Image Credit: MotoGP on X
As the race started, we had Pedro Acosta on pole for the first time in his MotoGP career. He was quickly bested by Bagnaia who had the better line in to the first corner and was able to take the lead away from the rookie.
The first lap was full of drama, which included a scuffle between Maverick Vinales, Franco Morbidelli and Jorge Martin, in which Vinales was forced to sit up and let off the throttle to avoid an incident. Towards the end of lap 1, Enea Bastianini made a late move on Brad Binder to take 3rd – however, this move forced both riders off the ideal racing line. Martin saw the door open in front of him and makes a brilliant move up the inside of the turn 10 hairpin. This move sees him get pasta both Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini, jumping from 6th to 4th. Binder is the biggest winner in the battle, and is able to retain 3rd.
One corner later, the drama continues as Jack Miller makes a similar move with a similar outcome. He forces his KTM machine up the inside of turn 11 and overtakes Marc Marquez and Enea Bastianini to take 5th place. Even more impressive is that Miller started the race in 14th and made up 9 places in just one lap.
Again, one corner later, we have our first crash of the race as Joan Mir and Alex Marquez go down at turns 12 and 13. In a very odd crash, Maquez’s bike got caught in Mir’s rear wheel. Despite staying upright, dragging the extra Gresini machine behind him eventually sends Mir down and the pair retired from the race. After the race, Marquez was deemed to blame for the incident and was handed a long lap penalty ready for the next race in Australia.
Lap 4 saw our second crash of the race as polesitter Acosta went down at turn 14. It appears that he took too much kerb on the inside of the corner before the bike just slid out from under her on the exit of the corner.
At the same time as Acosta’s early exit from the race, Martin continued to fight his way up through the field. He had now made his way past Binder and was in to 2nd place, with only title rival Bagnaia ahead.
One lap later, Binder lost another place. This time, it was Marquez who made his way through to take 3rd place.
It was a difficult race for Vinales – after starting on the front row, he was quickly swallowed by a first lap incident and kept heading backwards from there. Whilst battling with his teammate, Aleix Espargaro, for 10th place, he crashed out on lap 12.
Just as the race seemed to be calming down, the rain began to fall. On lap 10, the white flag was flown which indicated that the riders could now head to the pits and swap their bikes if they wished. None chose to do so and the rain appeared to be light enough for them to contend with on dry tires.
After a hot battle that lasted a number of laps, Bastianini was finally able to find a way past Binder. The pair had been dicing and overtaking each other before Bastianini made a move that stuck to claim 4th.
Binder was then in the clutches of Morbidelli, in 6th, who is enjoying a recent up turn in form. The battle would continue for the rest of the race, with Morbidelli eventually coming out on top.
The race then settled down again and gaps grew between the riders. By lap 16, Bagnaia had a 1.5 second lead over Martin, who himself was a comfortable 4.4 seconds ahead of Marquez. Bastanini was the fastest rider on the track and catching Marquez quickly – he had reduced the gap down to 0.8 seconds and was desperate to find a way past.
Whilst Martin did attempt a late-race surge for the lead, he wasn’t able to get the gap to smaller than 0.7 seconds and, eventually, crossed the link 1.1 seconds behind Bagnaia.
The third and final day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä held on to take the event win.
SS13, Laraquete 1
Sebastien Ogier kicked off the final day with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 5.6 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to take the stage win. Elfyn Evans finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 9.2 seconds slower than Ogier and 4.2 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Esapekka Lappi was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Lappi.
SS14, Bio Bio 1
Sebastien Ogier also took home the fastest time on the fourteenth stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. With a time 0.2 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to top the stage. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Ogier and 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.2 seconds slower than Evans.
SS15, Laraquete 2
Sebastien Ogier was also the fastest driver on SS15. With the Toyota driver setting a time 1.5 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to top the stage. Thierry Neuville finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Ogier and 0.7 seconds slower than Evans. Kalle Rovanperä was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SS16, Bio Bio 2 Wolf Powerstage
Sebastien Ogier also took home the stage win on the sixteenth stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 to complete a clean sweep of the day. Ogier would set a time 0.1 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to top the stage. Ott Tänak finished with the third fastest on the stage, 2.3 seconds slower than Ogier and 2.2 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Tänak. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville.
Championship Rundown
Thierry Neuville continues to hold the championship lead after Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. However, Neuville would lose points to his Hyundai stablemate Ott Tänak. As Neuville now only holds a 29-point lead over the Estonian compared to the 34-point lead he had heading into the event. Sebastien Ogier remains third in the championship, now 41 points behind Neuville and 12 points behind Tänak. Elfyn Evans also remains in the same position, as he is still fourth, now 5 points behind Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the top five in the championship, with the Frenchman sitting 21 points behind Evans.
Driver Quotes
Toyota
Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal
“This is a great result for our team. A perfect Sunday for the first time this season feels really good, especially after the devastating blows we felt on the final days of the past two events. Our drivers did a magnificent job today pushing until the end of the last stage. This result will boost the whole team and give them extra motivation for the two remaining events. Kalle and Elfyn both drove really well the whole weekend and either would have deserved to win the rally. Seb did really quick times on every stage he did and thanks to his speed and his fighting spirit today, we take away really important points for the manufacturers’ championship. Lastly, Sami did exactly what we were looking for this weekend, driving consistently and bringing the car home with a really mature performance, gaining more and more experience. So, all in all, it has been a really positive rally for us.”
Kalle Rovanperä – 1st Overall
“This win feels really good for us. It was a tough weekend and it always feels good when you’ve really had to fight for a victory. It wasn’t easy at any point with all of the weather and everything, but we did a good job. On Friday I wasn’t feeling so comfortable, but we made it through without any big mistakes and when conditions became difficult we could make some big gaps. It was important to push today as well and together with our team-mates we scored really important points for the manufacturers’ championship and we can be very happy with that. A big thanks to the team: the car was really strong this weekend.”
Elfyn Evans – 2nd Overall
“It’s been a good weekend more or less from the start to the end. We showed some good performance and it’s an amazing result for the team and I’m happy to be a part of that. The conditions didn’t go in our favour yesterday but Kalle did well with the strategy and has driven really well, so congratulations to him. Today we had more wet conditions and quite a bit of fog around too, but we managed to get through cleanly with no issues and still some decent speed. The result has really helped in the manufacturers’ championship and we just need to focus on continuing in the same way now until the end of the year.”
Sami Pajari – 6th Overall
“It’s really nice to reach the finish of this rally. Thank you to the team, because it has been such a pleasure to drive this great car again. Friday was quite promising for us and we could show some pace. Then there was a lot of learning on the following two days with tricky conditions but that’s part of the game. To get safely through the whole rally was the main plan, so we need to be happy with that and at least we could show good pace on some of the stages. Now I can’t wait for Central European Rally which will be another new challenge with a lot to learn.”
Sebastien Ogier – 36th Overall
“t’s nice to finish the weekend on a positive note and really help the team today to bring the manufacturers’ championship back alive. I still feel a bit disappointed with myself and the mistakes we made on the previous days which were very costly, because we had amazing speed and won most of the stages we finished. But that’s not enough in rallying: you need to put it all together and we didn’t do that this weekend. I had a lot of fun driving the car and I want to thank the team for all their efforts improving the car, as it’s never felt so good on gravel. We are going in the right direction and we will keep on pushing up to Rally Japan.”
Hyundai
Cyril Abiteboul- Team Principal
“This has been a very difficult rally for us, and a complete contrast to where we were at Acropolis Rally earlier this month. We didn’t have the package to win this weekend, and so we focused on the championship battles and avoiding the pitfalls we saw over the weekend. In that respect, it is mission accomplished, but we depart Chile with the gap we had built in the manufacturers’ standings now halved. It is imperative that we give our drivers a more competitive car for the last two tarmac rallies, where we hope to unleash the full potential of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid and rebuild our advantage. On a final note, I would like to extend my congratulations to Janne on a fantastic career in rallying, and wish him all the best in his ‘retirement’. He is a character like no other and he will be dearly missed by everyone in the team. ”
Ott Tänak – 3rd Overall
“It is difficult to take many positives form this weekend; we were a bit lucky that Ogier hit trouble on Friday but other than that, there was nothing we could do to take the fight to the Toyotas. We gave Rally Chile our maximum and scored everything we could. Now we go to two tarmac rallies and in normal circumstances our road position should be good for us. The fight for the manufacturers’ title is not over yet, but we need to work hard for it.”
Thierry Neuville – 4th Overall
“A tough weekend for us, made more challenging by the weather conditions. Since Saturday, things started to go a bit better for us in terms of set-up and the profile of the stages, which gave us a bit more confidence and a decent rhythm. There was no need to take big risks, we just managed our result. We tried to push a bit more in the Power Stage but we had fog for a couple of corners that cost us important seconds and a few points but at the end of the day, I’m happy with the outcome.”
Esapekka Lappi – Retired SS15
“This has not been our weekend. Today was much more challenging in terms of conditions with the overnight rain and low cloud affecting visibility. There was some light at the end of the tunnel but our task was to attack today and try to mix up the points, but we failed to do that. Finally, I need to thank Janne for 15 seasons together. We were both rookies when we started and we climbed up the hill to be professionals together, and now this journey comes to an end. I’m sure we still sit together in a rally car, but not professionally. He has been the loudest laugher of the team – you might not see him, but you
can hear him from very far away. We will miss his jokes and sense of humour.”
M-Sport
Richard Millener, Team Principal
“It is definitely a case of what could have been here, the one minute time penalty really hampered the overall result for Adrien, which was a huge shame. However, that’s rally sometimes and despite this disappointment we can still look back on another positive weekend. Two stage wins, another demonstration of the speed of the Puma from both Adrien and Gregoire, and solid results from them both in some really tricky conditions.”
“I am also happy for Grégoire and Louis that they have got a solid result after the last two tricky events.”
“For Mārtiņš and Renārs, I guess it wasn’t quite what they had hoped for. A small mistake with big consequences on Friday, and a tough last stage with no rear spoiler, but I think they still did a great job and got an insight into the experience that they need to learn to get to the top of the WRC – one of the key reasons to bring them here.”
Adrien Fourmaux, 5th overall
“First time here in Chile, and I really enjoyed the stages. The fans were great with us and cheered us on all the time. We enjoyed the rally; it was really a shame what happened on Friday with the issue with the alternator and the water pipe, but that’s part of the game.”
“We managed to get a top-five result so we can be pleased with that, now we go back to Tarmac to finish the season.”
Grégoire Munster, 7th overall,
“I’m happy with our Friday performance, we showed good pace and were competitive with the front guys. Saturday was a bit more difficult in the morning, they were new stages for us but we improved in the afternoon in tricky conditions. In the fog we managed to do a third-fastest time in SS11, which was really great for us.”
“Sunday was tricky again with the rain and fog but we managed to stay out of trouble and not make any mistakes throughout the weekend. The goal was to bring the car home, which was important for us after a good effort on Friday.”
Mārtiņš Sesks, 24th overall
“First of all I think it was really challenging to be here in Chile for the first time. Our first two Rally1 outings were quite smooth really from our side. But here we found many new challenges, and everyday was different. We caught a double puncture on Friday unfortunately, and since Saturday it was just about keeping it safe and learning as much as we can.”
“Some new experience for us, especially with losing the aero on Sunday. I think it’s better to have these challenges now, when we’re not really fighting for anything. It’s better to know how to cope with it now than in the future when there’s more at stake.”
Today’s race in Mandalika was tough for riders up and down the grid, with only 12 bikes finishing the race. However, the two riders at the front were able to control the field and keep their noses clean in an exceptional display of their abilities.
After a difficult Saturday, Jorge Martin has enjoyed a perfect Sunday here in Mandalika. He started the race on pole, led every lap and controlled the whole race on his way to a brilliant win. He was untouchable with his nearest rival rarely able to get within a second of him.
On the cool-down lap and in parc ferme, he was celebrating as if he had won the title. After crashing during the sprint race, and crashing out of the lead of last year’s Indonesian GP, this was undoubtedly a display of relief from the Prima Pramac rider. This the first race win for Martin since Le Mans, and he will be keen to capitalise on this momentum as we now reach a crucial part of the season.
Image Credit: MotoGP on X
It was an equally fantastic day for rookie rider, Pedro Acosta, who came home in 2nd. He started the race in 3rd, claimed 2nd place on lap 3 and never looked back. As he crossed the line, he was instantly under investigation for a tyre pressure infringement. The team still celebrated in the park ferme and, two hours after the podium celebration, it was confirmed he would keep his 2nd place as no further action was needed.
Martin’s closest championship rival, Pecco Bagnaia, came home in 3rd. Whilst he wasn’t able to end the day ahead of Martin, he will still be pleased with this result. After a horrible start, with the bike bouncing off the grid and dropping him down to 6th, he eventually was able to find his rhythm and make his way back up to 3rd.
It was ultimately a race of attrition today with only 12 riders meeting the chequered flag.
This started on the first lap as Jack Miller hit the kerb on the inside, at the change of direction between turns 2 and 3. This sent his bike down and, as he slid across the track into the gravel, he took down with him Alex Marquez, Luca Marini and Aleix Espargaro. For Marquex and Espargaro, it was their fourth crash of the weekend – certainly a weekend to forget for them both.
It was also a retirement for yesterday’s podium-finisher, Marc Marquez, who wasn’t able to enjoy the same result today. On lap 12, his bike went “bang” and he pulled off the track with his Gresini machine on fire.
For several laps before this technical issue, Marquez had been enjoying a fantastic battle with VR46 rider, Fabio DiGiannantonio. The pair were dicing and fighting, overtaking each other on most corners in a brilliant but clean display of tough racing.
Enea Bastianini, who was setting a blistering pace and numerous fastest laps as he fought his way up into the podium positions, went down at turn 1 of lap 21. He ultimately overcooked it in the corner and the bike went down in the breaking zone.
Both Marquez and Bastianini were clearly disappointed as they made their way back to the garage. Could today’s difficult result be the end of their championship battle?
There were also DNF results for Fabio DiGiannantonio, who crashed out while under pressure from Marc Marquez at lap 9, Joan Mir, who crashed on lap 13, and Augusta Fernandez, who retired with a mechanical failure.
It was a more positive day for Franco Morbidelli and Marco Bezzecchi, who finished in 4th and 5t respectively. Both riders have had a tough season so far so will certainly enjoy today’s results and the battles they enjoyed along the way.
With action up and down the grid throughout the race, today’s race was a Mandalika classic!
The second day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä leads the event after the days six stages.
SS7, Pelun 1
Elfyn Evans kicked off the day with a stage win. As the Welshman set a time 0.9 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Kalle a Rovanperä finished third fastest on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Evans and 0.5 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak was fourth fastest on the stage, 2.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS8, Lota 1
Kalle Rovanperä set the fastest time on the eighth stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. As Rovanperä set a time 9.7 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 10.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä and one second slower than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
SS9, Maria Las Cruces 1
Elfyn Evans capped off the morning loop with his second stage win of the day. As Evans finished eight seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Ott Tänak was third fastest on the stage, 9.3 seconds slower than Evans and 1.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, two seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SS10, Pelun 2
Elfyn Evans took home his third stage win of the day on SS10. As the rally leader set a time 2.3 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to take his fourth stage win of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Evans and one second slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.9 seconds slower than Neuville.
SS11, Lota 2
Thierry Neuville took home his first stage win of the weekend on SS11. With a time five seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to top the stage. Grégoire Munster finished third fastest on the stage, 10.3 seconds slower than Neuville and 5.3 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Munster. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 7.9 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
SS12, Maria Las Cruces 2
Adrien Fourmaux capped off the second day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 0.8 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 9.5 seconds slower than Fourmaux and 8.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.2 seconds slower than Evans.
Quotes
Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal
“I must say that we are really satisfied with our performance today. Kalle and Elfyn have been doing an amazing job and driving really well. The conditions have been very tough but they have both shown that if you manage it, you can make big time differences. We’re also really happy with how Sami has been performing. The most important thing for him is to get the experience, so he took it carefully in the fog because feeling the limits of the car is more difficult in such extreme conditions, and that is the right approach for him. It was disappointing for Seb that he had to stop this morning, but he will be back tomorrow and I know his motivation will be high because he’s been driving extremely fast so far this weekend.”
Kalle Rovanperä – 1st Overall
“Overall it’s been a positive day for us. The feeling was definitely better than yesterday. As I expected, the tyre wear was a big factor this morning and on the last stage it was a challenge to keep the pace until the end of the loop. Then we could gain something in the afternoon when the weather got a bit damper and trickier. I would say it was the foggiest conditions I’ve ever driven a rally car in, but we managed it well: we could keep it quite safe and still have good pace. There’s still a long day to go tomorrow and it will be important to secure this one-two for the team and also try to bring as many points as we can from the last day.”
Elfyn Evans – 2nd Overall
“I think we can be pretty pleased with our performance today. We had a good morning loop – maybe just a bit careful on the middle stage managing the tyres. The afternoon was tougher. It started off pretty well in the first stage of the loop but then we hit very bad fog on the second one, where we couldn’t even see the edge of the road. It was very difficult and we lost a lot of time there. We also fitted our soft tyres there and couldn’t really make use of them, whereas Kalle used his on the last one where it was wetter and did a great job to take advantage. That was a bit of a double whammy for us, but overall it’s been going well and we’ll try to carry on the same way tomorrow.”
Sami Pajari – 6th Overall
“Today the stages were more technical and something new for me to learn driving the Rally1 car. The conditions were also really tricky already in the last stage of the morning and especially this afternoon. In SS11 I was expecting some fog but I was surprised just how bad it was. I decided to just try and drive clever in those conditions, as it would be so easy to make a silly mistake because you can only see a few metres in front. Still we could enjoy some sections today: the first stage of the afternoon was really good and the last one was also going better even in damp conditions. The car has been really nice to drive the whole weekend and I’m sure we can have a good feeling again tomorrow.”
Sebastien Ogier – 39th Overall
“With the time we lost yesterday we had to push this morning and starting near the front we knew we would have to face tough conditions. We made a brave tyre choice and I think it was working well. Unfortunately, very close to the end of SS8, there was a rock in my line and we clipped it in the wrong moment when the front of the car was fully loaded under braking, and it damaged the suspension. It’s not what any of us wanted and it’s two rallies in a row where we had amazing speed and we didn’t convert it. It’s frustrating but we’ll be back tomorrow and I hope my team-mates can still bring a strong result for the team.”
Hyundai
François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Technical Director
“A difficult day for the crews out there, but at the end of the day we love rallying because of the extreme conditions. Thierry did exactly what he needed to do today to ensure a good start position for Sunday, so a great day for him with no mistakes. Ott made a small mistake this morning and then was not on the optimal tyre choice for this afternoon, but while we hoped for more he has provisionally scored good points for the manufacturers’ championship. Esapekka had an even more challenging day, losing his front bumper in the first few kilometres which made the car difficult to drive, and while he had an improved setup for the second loop his time penalty dropped his motivation and he saved his tyres for tomorrow. As a team we have to ensure we score as many points as possible, but it is a complicated situation: a mix of pushing to get the maximum, but not pushing too much to risk what we have achieved today. ”
Ott Tänak – 3rd Overall
“We had a good morning loop, despite losing the rear in the low grip conditions and spinning the car – thankfully, everything was fine and no harm done. Our times weren’t very close to the Toyotas today; yesterday was so messy it didn’t show, but today we could see we couldn’t get up to the speed where we needed to be. We expected the complete opposite conditions on those final stages, it was a really tough call. While the drivers’ championship might not be up to us anymore, the manufacturers’ fight is still tight so we definitely need to score as many points as possible tomorrow.
Thierry Neuville – 4th Overall
“I’m definitely pleased with today. We were able to close the gap to the podium as well which would have been an even better position overnight, but we didn’t force it too much in the last stage. Yesterday was very challenging and didn’t go well, but today we had a clear target of fourth that we achieved very quickly in the morning, so the afternoon was about protecting that. We can’t afford to make mistakes now. We have a better road position for tomorrow, so we need to make sure we benefit from some road cleaning and score as many points as we can.”
Esapekka Lappi – 8th Overall
“The car is back in once piece which is positive, but it was really not enjoyable out there. I was struggling for grip and I don’t understand why – we tried a lot of things but I just couldn’t make them work. It is a shame about our penalty; we had just put the soft tyres on so my motivation afterwards was to not destroy them to save them for tomorrow, so we drove slowly after that. There was also very heavy clouds on both the long stages and the visibility was pretty much non-existent, so I didn’t want to risk anything. We will try and pick ourselves up for tomorrow.”
The 2024 MotoGP World Championship is turning into a story of mistakes, not successes. It’s a title that won’t be won, but rather won’t be thrown away. Today, it was Jorge Martin’s turn to make a devastating mistake which he will look back on with frustration as we draw ever closer to the final race in Valencia.
Image Credit: Enea Bastianini on X
It was a race of contrasts today for our two championship leaders, Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin. With a pole position, a brilliant start and a comfortable early lead, it should have been plain sailing for Martin from there on out. However, he seemingly pushed his tyres too hard too early and ended up crashing at turn 16 of the first lap.
This gifted the lead to his closest rival, Bagnaia, who kept his nose clean and spent the rest of the race with a fairly comfortable lead. It was a near-perfect performance from Bagnaia, despite the dusty, slippery track conditions and chaos happening behind him.
Joining him on the podium were two other championship contenders who have been able to pull closer to the battle at the front.
Enea Bastianini was able to bring home a brilliant Ducati 1-2. It was a strong race from him after stating in 5th but showing his speed as he fought his way up to 2nd.
Marc Marquez took the final podium spot, ending the sprint race in 3rd. He started the race in 12th after a crash in Q2. A classic Marqeuz-style first lap saw him leap up from 12th to 5th before turn 1, and the rest of the race was his to enjoy from there.
Martin failed to score points today – he rejoined the back of the grid after his crash but, despite a valiant battle and a number of aggressive moves, he ended the day in 10th. He looked visibly dejected as he met the chequered flag, undoubtedly considering what could have been today.
It was a much more positive day for Marco Bezzecchi who is back to his former self this weekend, after struggling so far this season. He started the race on the front row and ended the day in 4th – he would have been hoping for a podium finish but, on lap 7, he missed his breaking and almost hit the back of Bagnaia. This forced him out wide, on to the dirt, dusty part of the track and he dropped back from 2nd to 4th, where he spent the rest of the race.
Just behind Bezzecchi were Franco Morbidelli, Pedro Acosta, Maverick Vinales and Johann Zarco in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th respectively. This group were in a huge battle for much of the race, jostling for position and enjoying overtakes on most laps of the race.
This group were also fighting with Fabio Quartararo who is enjoying a much more positive weekend for Yamaha this weekend. Whilst he qualified in 6th, he faded towards the end of the race after a lap 8 bump with Morbidelli which saw him drop down the field. The Frenchman ended the day in 12th.
The first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans leads the event after the day’s six stages.
SS1, Pulperia 1
Sebastien Ogier kicked off the weekend with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 7.1 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 8.7 seconds slower than Ogier and 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Tänak. As a note the times of Evans, Fourmaux and Pajari were all assigned times after the day’s completion. As SS1 was cancelled shortly after Neuville started the stage due to spectator issues.
SS2, Rere 1
Elfyn Evans topped the second stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. With a time 2.3 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the stage, 2.9 seconds slower than Evans and 0.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Sebastien Ogier was fourth fastest on the stage, one second slower than Pajari. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS3, San Rosendo 1
Kalle Rovanperä capped off the morning loop with his first stage win of the weekend. As Rovanperä set a time 0.1 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Grégoire Munster was third fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä and one second faster than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Munster. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
SS4, Pulperia 2
Sebastien Ogier took home his second stage win of Rally Chile Bio Bio on SS4. With a time 5.9 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 10.5 seconds slower than Ogier and 4.6 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth-fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.7 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
SS5, Rere 2
Sebastien Ogier also topped the fifth stage of the day. As the eight-time champion set a time 0.2 seconds faster than fellow countryman Adrien Fourmaux. Ott Tänak finished fourth fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Ogier and 1.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Esapekka Lappi was fourth fastest on the stage, one second slower than Tänak. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Lappi.
SS6, San Rosendo 2
Adrien Fourmaux capped off the first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio with his first stage win of the weekend. Fourmaux finished with a time 1.8 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Elfyn Evans was third fastest on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux and 0.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Sami Pajari set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Evans. Kalle Rovanperä rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Pajari.
Driver Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal
“Overall it has been a good first day for the team. To be holding positions one, three and four is very good. Seb was the fastest today but unfortunately had to pay a high price for this one mistake. Elfyn drove some really good stages today and this was a very positive start for him after a tough couple of rallies. Kalle doesn’t feel so comfortable in conditions like this, when it’s a hard surface with loose gravel on top, but I believe tomorrow can be better for him. Lastly, Sami had a very consistent day and a good solid performance, which is exactly like we discussed with him before the rally.”
Elfyn Evans – 1st Overall
“The morning was quite short for us after the first stage was cancelled, but it was feeling generally pretty good in the car. The roads were narrow and cambered and quite fast but technical at the same time with a lot of crests and undulations. So they were fun to drive but the grip level was quite low which made it challenging. The afternoon was tougher for us: I maybe didn’t have the best feeling in the first couple of stages, but it was better in the long one to end the day. We’re still in a decent position and hopefully we can improve for tomorrow.”
Kalle Rovanperä – 3rd Overall
“I’m happy to reach the end of the day without losing too much time, considering that I didn’t really have the most comfortable feeling on these roads. The road base is really hard, so you get a bit of a line and some grip here and there, but it’s changing all the time and I have to change my driving a bit to suit this. To be only 10 seconds behind tonight is not so bad: we’re still in the fight and we’ll try to be better tomorrow. The stages are a bit different and there’s going to be new challenges with a lot of tyre management, but hopefully we can have a better feeling.”
Sami Pajari – 4th Overall
“It’s been a really good and clean day for us. The stages were nice to drive but the conditions were also quite tricky: the grip level was changing quite a lot and so was the width of the road, so it was not easy to have a perfect flow. Especially for me without much experience, it was not so easy to judge the speed. But I tried to stay calm and not rush too much and I think we managed to do a really solid job with consistent speed and to be this close to the front is really nice. I feel like I know many places where I can improve but the plan is just to carry on the same way tomorrow.”
Sebastien Ogier – 9th Overall
“It’s been a day of what could have been for us. Once again the speed was there, but this one mistake in the third stage this morning probably ruined our chances for a top result this weekend. It was a mistake in my pacenotes, with a corner that tightened more than I thought, and we hit the bank on the outside which gave us a puncture at the rear. Otherwise it has been fun in the car on these nice roads and this afternoon we tried to enjoy it. Tomorrow could be very tough for us running near the front of the road, but like always we will keep fighting.”
Hyundai Motorsport
François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Motorsport Technical Director
“We knew coming here was going to be very tricky for us, with fast and narrow roads that leave no room for mistakes, so we are very happy to be in the position we are today as we weren’t expecting to be leading. Ott found it difficult to find the right rhythm and setup this morning but in service we found a good compromise that enabled him to fight and finish Friday in first. We know the first day of gravel rallies are difficult and frustrating for Thierry opening the road, but he managed to climb the classification which will give him a better road position tomorrow. Esapekka struggled to come back after some time out of the car, but he showed better pace in the afternoon and we are confident he will also gain places tomorrow. As a team, we are staying focused on our target to score points as a priority. It’s still a long rally, but today has been a positive day for our team.”
Ott Tänak – 2nd Overall
“I’m definitely surprised to be leading the rally; all three of us were struggling this morning. It was extremely demanding and I couldn’t find any kind of feeling in the car. It was also quite difficult in the afternoon but both the grip and the car improved – I’m not really feeling as I should at the moment but we are taking the maximum out of it. We’ve been dialling the car after every stage to try and find a better direction, you definitely need a very goof car balance. Tomorrow the characteristic of the roads will be completely different, but we’re expecting more grip and with a much better road position, we should have a better day.”
Thierry Neuville – 6th Overall
“Being first on the road definitely added to a difficult day in general, but I think we were on the wrong setup as otherwise I cannot explain how I was struggling so much. The feeling wasn’t good, and we didn’t have any fun out there today. However, we are only 30 seconds off the lead and 20 seconds behind fourth and fifth, so our target tomorrow must be to chase those positions. With a bit more performance and speed, I honestly believe it should be possible. We will swap the dampers to another set which will give us more traction but less precision and reactivity, but I clearly had no traction today and I was struggling like hell.”
Esapekka Lappi – 7th Overall
“Quite difficult to find the confidence out there today. I think everyone is complaining about grip and how difficult the conditions are and it is no different to me. I also felt our setup was not really optimum for these kind of roads, but we found improvements for the second pass which was working better. Overall, a tricky morning when you’re missing the confidence to really push and you want to avoid a mistake. In the end, I don’t think our pace was too bad – without the tyre delamination we would have been about 20 seconds off the lead. It’s still a long rally to go, so let’s see what we can do.”
*Note the Hyundai post-day quotes were sent out prior to the COC decision to reallocate select SS1 times, hence why Tänak said he leads the event when in actuality he dropped to second after these changes*
