Sami Pajari sweeps all seven stages on Day 1 of Rally Estonia

Sami Pajari (Toyota Yaris) ended this Friday leading Rally Estonia, the ninth round of the World Rally Championship (WRC), after winning all seven stages on the first day.

Pajari, co-driven by Marko Salminen, completed the first 103 timed kilometers in 49:43.5 minutes, leaving Swedish driver Oliver Solberg (Toyota Yaris) 14.7 seconds behind. Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai i20) finished the day in third place, 16.5 seconds off the leader.

"It was a lot of fun. The day went very well, and we'll try to continue like this over the next two days," said the 24-year-old Finnish driver, who had also been fastest in the morning's shakedown.

Strong Start and Growing Advantage

Pajari started strong on Estonia's gravel stages, winning the first stage by 2.4 seconds before beating the competition again in the next two stages. He reached the mid-service with a 4.1-second advantage over Solberg, the 2025 winner.

During the afternoon, the Finnish Toyota driver consolidated his dominance, increasing the gap to nine seconds after the second pass through Raanitsa (21.45 km) and closing the day with a 14.7-second margin over his teammate.

Solberg and Fourmaux in Pursuit

Solberg remained in the fight for victory, despite admitting a lack of confidence in the car.

"I'm giving my best, but the feeling isn't there. There's still a long way to go, but we need to find that feeling quickly," said the Swede, who has suffered a series of accidents since his victory in Monte Carlo at the season opener.

Fourmaux, benefiting from seventh place in the starting order, was consistently among the fastest despite a scare in the second stage, when he ran wide after a jump and finished the section with grass stuck to the front of the car.

Championship Contenders

Belgian Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20) ended the day in fourth, 24 seconds behind Pajari, ahead of Frenchman Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Yaris) in fifth, 33.3 seconds back, in his first Rally Estonia appearance since 2021.

Ogier, the reigning world champion, acknowledged a "correct" day, marked by difficulties associated with his starting position, but expressed confidence in making up ground on Saturday.

"We'll try to find more rhythm and gain positions tomorrow, with a better road position," said the Frenchman, who continues to chase the dream of winning an unprecedented 10th world title.

Welshman Elfyn Evans (Toyota Yaris), the championship leader, was one of the most disadvantaged by opening the road on Estonia's fast, loose-gravel stages, finishing the day only in ninth place, 49.8 seconds behind Pajari.

Katsuta Forced to Retire

Worse off was Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota), second in the championship just seven points behind Evans, who was forced to retire after a puncture on the penultimate stage of the day. The left front tire blew out, preventing him from contesting the final stage.

Looking Ahead

Rally Estonia continues on Saturday with nine stages, totaling 149.6 timed kilometers.