WRC Rally Estonia 2026: Sami Pajari leads after hat-trick at the start

– Toyota driver Sami Pajari had a strong start at the Rally Estonia, the ninth round of the 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC). The Finn took the lead on Friday afternoon after an impressive series of best times.

Read more Formula 1 engine penalties 2026: The overview

On Estonia’s fast gravel roads, Pajari delivered a flawless performance, winning all three stages of the first loop. This gave him a 4.1-second lead over his teammate and last year’s winner Oliver Solberg.

“It feels really good. I’m really enjoying it and it’s a beautiful place to drive. It’s going well. I recommend this feeling to everyone,” said Pajari, who started the day in fourth place.

Solberg is second but not yet satisfied

Solberg proved to be Pajari’s closest pursuer, although the Monte Carlo winner behind the wheel of his GR Yaris Rally1 was anything but satisfied. The Swede was unable to reproduce the good feeling in the car that had helped him to a dominant debut victory in the Toyota Rally1 last year.

For Solberg, Estonia is also about making up ground in the title fight after crashes in four of the last five rallies. After the first special stage (SS), he was initially in third place but moved up to second in SS2 (Karaski 1) with a time just 0.3 seconds behind Pajari. After the first loop, Solberg carried a 0.8-second lead over Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux into the tire change zone.

“The feeling is not there. I’m doing my best, but it’s far from good enough,” explained Solberg. “If I don’t have the feeling, I just don’t have it. It’s still a long way to go, but we need to find the feeling quickly.”

Fourmaux lucky after wild landing

Fourmaux was the strongest Hyundai driver in the field but was lucky in SS2: after a wild landing from a jump, he narrowly avoided a ditch. The front of his i20 N Rally1 was slightly damaged.

“We have a decent pace, but to be honest, I would like to show even more,” said Fourmaux, who finished the loop 4.9 seconds behind.

His teammate Thierry Neuville complained about balance issues with his i20 N but managed to reach the stage finish in fourth place. He was 3.5 seconds ahead of reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier.

Read more Palmer: Verstappen as teammate of Antonelli would be a «recipe for disaster»

Neuville searching for grip

“We’re just sliding around on the road and not getting any lateral grip to carry the traction into the corner,” Neuville described his problems. “Also, I had sticky feet. I was probably standing on hot asphalt before the stage and my feet were sticking to the pedals. That was not very comfortable.”

Ogier, who was 14.6 seconds behind in fifth place, added: “It’s just the beginning of the rally, so we’ll do our best and see where we stand tonight.”

Josh McErlean in the M-Sport Ford impressed with sixth overall (+23.0 seconds) ahead of Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta (+24.1 seconds). Behind them followed Esapekka Lappi in the Hyundai (+26.7 seconds) and championship leader Elfyn Evans (+27.5 seconds). Evans faced the worst road conditions as he was the first car on the road.

Three Skoda drivers leading in WRC2

Martins Sesks (M-Sport Ford) impressed in tenth place, just 1.3 seconds behind Evans. The Latvian had previously received a 20-second penalty for leaving the service park late, as repairs were necessary after an accident in the shakedown.

Jon Armstrong in the M-Sport Ford completed the Rally1 field in eleventh place. He lost 31.0 seconds in the first stage due to a front-left tire damage, which required an improvised repair to the bodywork of his Ford Puma.

In the WRC2 category, local hero Robert Virves leads with a razor-thin margin of 0.2 seconds ahead of Finn Mikko Heikkilä. In third place is another Estonian, Patrick Enok (+3.2 seconds).

The teams will run the three special stages on Friday afternoon a second time before a spectator stage concludes the day.

Read more Mission canceled! Why Grasser is driving in Oschersleben without a second car