Tanak headed into the afternoon stages with a 3.5s lead over part-time driver Ogier, but ended the day trailing the eight-time world champion by 17.1s.

The Estonian revealed he’d received a team order to back off with the manufacturer’s championship in mind, after team-mate Thierry Neuville retired from third on stage eight.

Ogier’s lead secured 18 provisional championship points, with Tanak set to gain 15 points if they both complete Sunday’s four stages.

Hyundai’s Dani Sordo completed the day’s eight stages in third [+2m12.8s, 13 points] ahead of Toyota’s Elfyn Evans [+2m43.3s]. He still claimed a valuable 10 points, after struggling to match his rivals throughout the day.

The pair benefitted from a mechanical issue that put Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta out of the rally.

Sardinia’s attritional stages helped elevate WRC2 class leader Sami Pajari to sixth overall, earning six points, behind M-Sport Ford Rally1 driver Gregoire Munster earning eight points for fifth at the overnight halt.

The leaderboard underwent another shake up when action resumed in the afternoon, as third-placed Katsuta was the next driver to hit trouble after Neuville.

After an oil leak in his GR Yaris’ transmission emerged at the midday tyre fitting zone, the Japanese driver briefly stopped 2.7km into stage nine [Monte Lerno, 25.33km] before pulling off the stage and into retirement.

Takamoto Katsuta, Aaron Johnston, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

This handed third to Hyundai’s Sordo while Evans climbed to fourth, 28.5s behind the podium positions.

M-Sport driver Adrien Fourmaux, who rejoined the rally after an alternator issue on Friday, also left the tyre fitting zone six minutes late following repairs to his Puma’s brakes. This did change the road order, with Munster opening the road ahead of Evans.

At the front, the rally swung back to Ogier after winning the stage by 6.8s from Tanak, who had been asked by his team “to be safe and not push it,” according to the Estonian. As a result, Tanak’s 3.5s lead quickly turned into a 3.3s deficit.

Ogier claimed stage 10 [Coiluna-Loelle, 14.53km] by 6.4s from Tanak to extend his lead out to 9.7s. Tanak again admitted to taking it easier before stating that he had lost confidence in his i20 N.

“I’m not sure if he is backing off, but I had a better tyre than him for this one, so for sure it is helping,” said Ogier when he was told about the team order affecting 2019 champion Tanak.

“Even if they told him [to be safe], I don’t know why he respects that to be honest. We are having a nice fight, why give up? I don’t think it is him. I cannot judge, it is his situation not mine.”

Evans took 2.9s out of Sordo in the fight for third overall, but the Welshman was still struggling for confidence.

The penultimate stage of the day, a second pass through Monte Lerno, provided a familiar story as Ogier claimed his sixth stage win of the event to push his lead out to 16.2s. This time Tanak, unable to find comfort in the tricky conditions, dropped 6.5s to the Frenchman.

Ott Tänak, Hyundai World Rally Team

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Sordo responded to Evans and increased the gap in the battle for the final podium spot to 32.5s.

Evans rounded off a frustrating day with a fastest time on stage 12 [Coiluna – Loelle]. His effort was 0.4s faster than Ogier, while Tanak was 1.3s adrift.

The rally concludes following Sunday’s four stages.

Tanak became embroiled in an intense fight with overnight leader Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) across the morning’s rough gravel stages with the lead changing hands twice, before Tanak ended the loop with a 3.5s lead.

However, a stage eight exit for Neuville from third position was the biggest talking point of the loop. Neuville’s retirement handed third to Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta [+1m17.5s] with Hyundai’s Dani Sordo fourth [+1m34.6s] and a frustrated Toyota’s Elfyn Evans fifth [+1m57.6s].

Sami Pajari led the WRC2 standings in sixth overall, ahead of M-Sport Rally1 driver Gregoire Munster, while M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux rejoined the rally after retiring with an electrical issue in Friday’s stage four.

The morning’s opening stage, Tempio Pausania (12.03km), was particularly challenging thanks to its low grip and sandy surface.

Those starting at the top of the order struggled although Neuville, fourth into the stage, managed to buck the trend. The Belgian delivered an impressive time that moved him ahead of team-mate Sordo and Toyota’s Katsuta into third overall.

Neuville was only 3.3s behind stage winner Tanak, who claimed his second fastest time of the rally to date despite being distracted by a loose bonnet.

It was enough to snatch the rally lead by the smallest of margins as Ogier relinquished his overnight advantage by a tenth, after losing time to a left rear tyre coming off the rim.

Ogier was the sole driver to take only one spare as part of his tyre package, which left him in danger for the remaining three stages before the tyre fitting zone.

Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Evans was unable to match Neuville’s pace, starting one position head of his rival, as he struggled to judge the low grip. The Welshman was sixth fastest, behind top WRC2 runner Pajari.

Walking a tightrope after the tyre failure, Ogier produced an impressive fightback in stage six. He was fastest through the 22.61km Tula test to reclaim the rally lead by 2.2s from Tanak.

Ogier laid down an impressive effort 2.3s faster than his former M-Sport team-mate, who felt his maximised his run.

“Obviously, tough start with the puncture,” said Ogier. “We tried to fix it but we are not 100% sure we can still use it. I can see the wheel is bent and is leaking. It is a big fight.”

Neuville again maintained his strong start to clock a time 3.2s adrift of Ogier. The effort was made all the more impressive compared to his championship rival Evans, who appeared all at sea with his Toyota. Evans dropped 28.0s to Ogier and was clearly frustrated, reporting a “terrible feeling” behind the wheel.

Sordo also was also unable to explain his 25.7s time loss as he continued to trail Katsuta in fifth overall. Both Sordo and Evans were slower than Fourmaux, who opened the road.

The second pass through Tempio Pausania was even more challenging. The road was heavily rutted, exposing large rocks and bedrock that carried a high puncture risk.

Ogier was careful to ensure he completed the stage without further tyre damage. That objective was achieved, but he lost the rally lead in the process as Tanak pulled 2.2s ahead.

Neuville emerged with the stage victory, despite suffering an intercom issue caused by his drinking system.

Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

“We have a good run, we had to be careful in there with the roughness,» said Neuville who was 0.1s faster than team-mate Tanak.

“Lots of stones in there and a big impact on the bumper, so we had to go slow in the fast sections. A small intercom issue, things got wet while drinking, but we managed to work through it.”

Sordo declared the stage “destroyed” when he carefully navigated through, while Katsuta admitted he was lucky to avoid a puncture after hitting a rock. A frustrated Evans was nine seconds adrift of Neuville, reporting “we’re not feeling at one with everything”.

The final stage of the morning, a re-run through Tula, was even rougher than the previous pass and provided the biggest drama of the rally to date.

Neuville was caught out by the incredibly rocky conditions and bounced off the road, beaching his I20 N. Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe were unhurt, but hopes of securing any Saturday points were over.

Team-mate Sordo was surprised and saddened to see Neuville off the road.

“I see Thierry and I was really disappointed, f****** hell. Honestly I don’t know why he needs to take this amount of risks,» said Sordo.

Tanak won the stage to increase his rally lead over Ogier, but admitted it felt “like he was driving without power steering” given the conditions. Ogier declared the stage as among the roughest he’d ever seen as he managed to reach the end 1.3s shy of Tanak, carrying a rear left tyre off the rim.

Evans also suffered a tyre off the rim as he took advantage of title rival Neuville’s exit. The M-Sport duo of Fourmaux and Munster were also fortunate to complete the test after suffering brake issues.

Crews will tackle four more stages this afternoon.

Italian helmet supplier Stilo has created a helmet which incorporates an onboard camera, similar to those in operation in F1, to provide a raw drivers’ eye view to the WRC’s television coverage.

Stilo is working in conjunction with the WRC Promoter to develop a helmet camera with the device now reaching the testing stage.

Helmet cameras have become popular in circuit racing with Formula E, Supercars and Formula 1 utilising the technology to elevate the coverage it delivers to fans.

This is just one step the WRC Promoter is undertaking to improve the championship’s promotion having revealed its vision for the future to stakeholders at Rally Portugal. The plan included a renewed push to take the championship to the USA in 2026 alongside investments in improving the fan experience at events and social and digital media. 

“We are working on engineering a camera together with the WRC Promoter. We are testing something with the Promoter,» Stilo managing director Paolo Bonetalli told Motorsport.com.

“The idea is to have a driver perception of the car, so it is possible to see exactly what the driver is seeing. Especially in rally the difficulty of placing of the camera on the car, you have plenty of cameras but when you are in a turn and drifting it is difficult to get a drivers’ eye view. It is something we are working on.

“The difference between this and circuit racing is the camera for rally has to be a very high-quality camera.

“You see in Formula 1 that the camera is shaking a lot and you can’t see what is happening. In rally you must have the maximum quality.

“The idea is to find a camera that can transmit for one minute but in this case, it must be stable and be high quality, this is the difficulty and why we are working with the promoters to find the right solution.”

While testing of the device is underway, the helmet will be required to meet the FIA’s safety standards before it can be homologated and therefore used in the WRC.  

“It is a big challenge because you cannot have any accessory that is not certified because safety must come first,” added Bonetalli.

“You have to prove that the helmet with this accessory, the camera in this case, is safe and compliant with the current standard. You cannot have something that is too big or too dangerous for the driver. You have a to have a camera and a housing that is placed in such a way so if there is an accident it does not hurt the driver.    

“We have designed something, and we are working to test it and the next step is to get it certified.”

WRC Promoter’s senior director of content and communications Florian Ruth added: “WRC Promoter is collaborating extensively with Stilo to develop a camera system specifically designed for open-face helmets commonly worn by drivers and co-drivers at the elite level of rallying. Ensuring top-notch image quality is crucial for this project.

“Therefore, when this camera is homologated, we want to be confident that it provides fans with an almost perfect drivers’ eye view from the world’s most thrilling cockpit.”

Toyota part-time driver Ogier made the most of his favourable road position to win one of the two afternoon tests to lead Hyundai’s Tanak by 1.8s.

M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux completed the loop in third [+10.5s], ahead of Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta [+13.5s], with the third Hyundai of Dani Sordo fifth [16.5s]. Championship leader Thierry Neuville limited the damage of starting first on the road to hold sixth [23.4s], 10.9s faster than title rival Evans in eighth, behind leading WRC2 runner Sami Pajari. M-Sport’s Gregoire Munster and Citroen WRC2 driver Yohan Rossel completed the top 10. 

Friday proved to be a case of damage limitation for those starting at the top of the road order given the dusty gravel roads, although there was a thought that the overall Friday time loss could be less given the reduced mileage, courtesy of the new 16-stage, 48-hour format.  

However, the road cleaning effect was laid bare in the first stage of the rally, a 25.65km blast through Osilo-Tergu.

As anticipated, championship leader Neuville and his nearest rival Evans struggled, as the pair dropped almost half a minute. Neuville declared there “was no grip at all” while Evans fared better on time but suffered a left-rear puncture which left the Welshman without a spare wheel for the remaining three stages.

Elfyn Evans, Scott Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Rally Portugal winner Ogier was on hand to capitalise on his starting berth as he set a blistering effort to claim the stage and move into an early lead. The Frenchman set a benchmark 7.7s faster than Tanak, who impressed thanks to a gusty effort from third on the road.

“I tried hard, it’s very slippery and loose, especially in the narrow where it is so difficult to get the traction,” said Tanak.

Sordo had an even better starting position than Tanak, but he couldn’t match his team-mate, posting a time 14.5s slower than Ogier. M-Sport’s Fourmaux achieved an identical time to sit third ahead of Katsuta, fast-starting WRC2 runner Sami Pajari and Munster.

Tanak’s strong start to the rally continued into stage two [Sedini – Castelsardo 13.26km] despite his i20 N suffering a loss of hybrid power. His effort was enough to win the stage and close the gap to rally leader Ogier to 1.8s, the latter taking a cautious approach in the stage.

Despite opening the road, Neuville was able to issue a response to stem the time loss by delivering an eye-catching run. He reached the stage end 1.2s slower than Tanak.  

While Fourmaux reported that he was fighting for control of his Ford Puma, the Frenchman was third fastest on the stage, beating Katsuta, Ogier and Sordo. 

After suffering a puncture in the previous test, Evans had to take extra care but was clearly struggling behind the wheel, losing a further 13.5s.

“I wasn’t expecting anything that bad to be fair,” said Evans at the stage end. When asked if taking only one spare was a brave call, he added: “Now, obviously yes.”

A pair of stages conclude Friday’s action this evening.