WRC Sardinia: Title wide open after double Hyundai drama

Oliver Solberg entered the final day of the World Rally Championship with a mere six-point lead over Toyota's Elfyn Evans, following a dramatic Saturday at Rally Italy Sardinia. Rally leader Solberg had narrowed the gap to Evans to four points, but a double Hyundai setback provided a boost to title rivals Evans and Sami Pajari. After an outstanding performance, Solberg led the rally by 33.6 seconds from nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier, while Pajari took third place, 1 minute 39.9 seconds back.

Evans finished the day in fifth, 6.4 seconds behind recovering Fourmaux. With 10 bonus points on the line for the final stage, the title race was wide open. After dominating the morning, the title race shifted in Solberg's favor, but it quickly swung away after the first afternoon stage. Hyundai's Thierry Neuville, who started 2.7 seconds behind Solberg, retired after ripping the left rear wheel from his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 just 1.1km into stage 11.

This crucial moment helped title contenders Pajari and Evans. Solberg's four-point deficit to Evans expanded to six. As Hyundai suffered another setback, Fourmaux was forced to stop and change a punctured tyre, dropping him to fifth behind Pajari and Evans. Evans capitalized on the situation, completing the day in fifth place and widening his provisional championship lead over Solberg to eight points.

Solberg opted to back off, knowing he didn't need to take any extra risks given his substantial lead over Ogier. The Swede ended the day strongly, extending his margin over Ogier to 33.6 seconds. Evans threw caution to the wind in the final stage, attempting to hold onto fifth overall, but ultimately couldn't hold off a charging Fourmaux.

Both Solberg and Evans expressed their frustration and acknowledged the tough day ahead, as the title race remained wide open with only four stages remaining.