Sami Pajari, a Toyota driver, has positioned himself as the leader in the Estonia Rally thanks to an impressive performance that has seen him win all the stages on Friday afternoon. The Finn has taken advantage of the fast gravel roads of Estonia, finishing the first round of three stages with a 4.1-second lead over the winner of the previous edition, Oliver Solberg.
“It feels really good. I really enjoy driving here, it’s a beautiful place to do it. Everything is going well and I recommend this feeling to everyone,” Pajari commented, who started his run from fourth position on the track.
Solberg, who is also a Toyota driver, has been his main rival. However, the extraordinary Swedish driver has expressed his dissatisfaction, commenting that he has been unable to reproduce the feeling he had during his unprecedented victory in Monte Carlo last year. In the first run, Solberg was placed third, but then improved his time in the second stage (Karaski 1) to move into second place, just 0.3 seconds behind Pajari.
Adrien Fourmaux, a Hyundai driver, has led his manufacturer’s team, although he had a difficult episode in the second stage that nearly saw him fall into a ditch. After this incident, Fourmaux finished the round 4.9 seconds behind the leader.
Additionally, Thierry Neuville, another Hyundai competitor, struggled with the balance of his vehicle, finishing in fourth position. For his part, the reigning world champion, Sébastien Ogier, did not have a good start, placing 14.6 seconds behind the leader.
In the WRC2 category, Robert Virves has achieved first place, above Mikko Heikkilä, with a difference of just 0.2 seconds. The teams will repeat the same stages in the afternoon before finishing the day with a super special.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
