P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Wet weather greeted the competitors on Saturday morning as the longest day of Rally Finland got underway. Overnight, Ott Tanak was given a five-minute penalty for a scrutineering incident in a tyre checking zone after stage seven, where he had just crashed into a tree. The penalty dropped the Estonian down to 24th position in […]
Wet weather conditions greeted the competitors on Saturday morning at Rally Finland as the longest day of the event began.
After an overnight incident, Ott Tanak received a five-minute penalty, causing him to drop to 24th place overall.
Kalle Rovanperä aimed for his first home win, increasing his lead to 14.7 seconds by the end of the morning loop, with a tight podium battle between Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux.
Tough conditions persisted as the crews faced rain again after midday service, leading to challenges for many drivers including Martins Sesks and Sebastien Ogier.
Stage 16 saw significant changes in the standings as both Fourmaux and Neuville suffered punctures, shaking up the leaderboard and giving Toyota a dominant top-five position.
With just two stages remaining on the final day, Rovanperä held a 36.8-second lead at the end of Saturday while the battle for second place intensified between Ogier and Evans.
In the WRC2 category, Roope Korhonen maintained the lead heading into the last day, with the iconic Ouninpohja stage set to test the competitors.
As the competition nears its conclusion, the outcome remains uncertain and the rallying action continues to unfold.
