DRAMA: Rovanperä rolls out on penultimate stage

The 23-year-old looked set end Finland’s seven-year wait for a native winner and held a lead of 45.8sec over team-mate Sébastien Ogier with just two stages remaining. But it all went wrong for Rovanperä on a high-speed left-hander in Sahloinen-Moksi when he clipped a rock which pushed him off line and flipped his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 into a roll.

Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen were unharmed in the incident but will go no further. It means their team-mate Sébastien Ogier now leads the rally with one stage remaining as Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux both climbed the standings to fill second and third positions.

Laajavuori could also prove pivotal in this year’s WRC title race as Elfyn Evans, chasing down vital Super Sunday points, crashed his Toyota on the same stage. With Ott Tänak also ruled out of contention on Friday, Neuville’s championship lead is set to grow.