P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak has laid the groundwork for a potential third consecutive Rally Chile triumph for the Estonian ace, ending Friday’s opening leg with a narrow 0.4s advantage over Toyota’s Elfyn …
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak is currently leading the Rally Chile with a narrow 0.4s advantage over Toyota’s Elfyn Evans after the opening leg on Friday. Tanak, who has won every WRC round previously held in Chile, struggled in the morning but managed to overhaul Evans on the penultimate stage to claim the overnight lead by just 0.4s. Despite Tanak’s strong performance, Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier showed great potential throughout the day before hitting a bank on the morning’s final stage, affecting his lead. Tanak’s afternoon turnaround is encouraging as he aims to close the points gap to his championship-leading teammate, Thierry Neuville. Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera completed the top three but voiced frustrations over the dry road conditions not suiting his usual driving style. Gregoire Munster put in his best performance of the season but dropped to fifth due to tire damage on the final stage, trailing Toyota’s Sami Pajari by just 1.4s at day’s end.
