Rovanperä Inherits Lead After Fourmaux’s Late Puncture on Dramatic Friday in Paraguay

Kalle Rovanperä holds the overnight lead at ueno Rally del Paraguay after a dramatic opening day that saw Adrien Fourmaux’s hopes of a maiden FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) victory unravel just kilometres from the finish.

Frenchman Fourmaux had dominated proceedings throughout Friday with a composed and confident drive in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, setting the pace on Paraguay’s punishing red gravel roads. But disaster struck 3.5km from the end of the penultimate stage when a rock impact caused a puncture, costing him the lead and handing top spot to a surprised Rovanperä.

“It’s just a shame for the puncture. But that’s rallying,” said Fourmaux, reflecting on a day in which his standout speed humbled even the most experienced rivals.

Rovanperä Unsure Despite Lead

While the two-time world champion inherited first place, Rovanperä admitted he struggled with the unfamiliar conditions. He ended the day 7.1sec ahead of Fourmaux but was frank about his performance.

“We should be a bit faster, and we haven’t been the fastest guys today,” confessed the Finn. “Position-wise, of course it’s good, but I cannot say we are really happy about the performance.”

The debut WRC stages in Paraguay caught many off guard, with brutal compressions and constantly changing grip levels wreaking havoc. Rovanperä even joked he could “hear his back cracking” on some of the bone-jarring landings.

Tänak and Ogier in the Mix

Ott Tänak sits third, just 0.5sec behind team-mate Fourmaux in another Hyundai i20 N Rally1, ensuring the Korean manufacturer has two cars in podium contention.

Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier delivered the day’s most remarkable recovery. After suffering a puncture on SS2 that cost him over 30 seconds, Ogier roared back with three stage wins to climb to fourth overall, keeping his championship hopes very much alive.

“After the misfortune of this morning, for sure we can be happy with the rest of the day,” said the Frenchman, visibly buoyed by his fightback.

Mixed Fortunes for Title Contenders

Championship leader Elfyn Evans endured a frustrating day, finishing 21.1sec behind Rovanperä despite arriving in Paraguay with a three-point advantage. The Welshman admitted he was out of rhythm, joking he had “forgotten how to drive in these conditions.”

Defending champion Thierry Neuville also struggled in sixth, hampered by an overshoot and a spin. “I was fighting hard, but I couldn’t find the pace or comfort today,” he admitted.

Behind him, Josh McErlean impressed in seventh with his M-Sport Ford Puma, while Sami Pajari dropped to eighth after losing time to a wheel change on SS7.

Drama Further Down the Field

Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta was forced into retirement after running wide and shedding a rear wheel, while Grégoire Munster languished nearly 50 minutes off the pace following an off-road excursion on SS1.

Their misfortune allowed WRC2 frontrunners Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin to break into the overall top 10.

What’s Next

The ueno Rally del Paraguay continues on Saturday with seven demanding stages covering 112.78km against the clock. With the gaps still close and conditions proving treacherous, another day of twists and surprises looks certain.