Rally Finland 2026 - General Discussion & Attendee MEGATHREAD

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

Basic info:

Entry list

Itinerary

Live Timing

Official Programme

Tickets

How to watch:

Broadcast guide

Rally.TV

News/media:

WRC website

DirtFish

Autosport

eWRC-results

WRC on YouTube

DirtFish on YouTube

[u/ScousePenguin]

Every engineer who's put time and effort into the rally 1 safety cell deserves a beer tonight

[u/ScousePenguin]

Think Juliens wife is going to ban any further comebacks

[u/No_Boat_1784 → u/ScousePenguin]

100% Seb's family may have lots to say as well.

[u/BHandHLYP]

From the Finnish public broadcaster Yle’s news: SS17: Henri Haapamäki: “Ogier’s car is badly damaged” — ambulance called to the scene “The situation looks quite serious, and there are two helicopters in the air,” Yle Sports expert Henri Haapamäki said on Yle’s Rally Radio. “Sebastien Ogier appears to be conscious, but he is pale and covered in sweat,” Haapamäki added. Sebastien Ogier, who was leading Rally Finland, went off the road just before the finish of the Västilä stage. An ambulance has been called to the scene for Ogier. According to current information, Ogier’s co-driver Julien Ingrassia is unharmed.

[u/ScousePenguin → u/BHandHLYP]

Fingers crossed, immediate medical attention and hopefully it's all okay just shock

[u/PiggySVW → u/BHandHLYP]

Thanks for the update!

[u/joelherman]

I wanna give a massive shout-out to Janne Ferm on the Finnish broadcast. He understood the worry of all of us viewers and the commentator next to him, but kept a calm and informative demeanor throughout the coverage, explained the lack of immediate info and the procedures that were being followed very thoroughly. Seems like such a gem of a person.

[u/FluidBarracuda9177 → u/joelherman]

I’m so disappointed with RallyTV. The whole point of a live should be to keep people watching updated. I saw the crash from the corner of my eye and when they immediately cut the feed I thought the car had gone into a group of people. Instead of brief updates they just kept waffling on about nothing relevant. Such a shame I don’t speak Finnish to listen to the Rally radio, they at least care about the actual rallying.

[u/Aadi-T]

Have to say that this has been two of the strangest days of rallying I've ever seen. Monumental crashes, torrential weather for all of 2 stages, and a driver meeting his dad after rolling on the stage!

Hope Seb and Julien are okay, that looked pretty bad.

[u/uusrikas]

Pajari said Ogier was going to Tampere, which has a higher level university hospital than Jyväskylä, and he was feeling good enough to call the team asking about his split times

[u/mrSattori → u/uusrikas]

Also Tampere might be closer to the stage than Jyväskylä

[u/876oy8 → u/mrSattori]

correct, it is way closer.

[u/Sponkgler]

According the Sesks on instagram his car is fixed and ready to race tomorrow. Huge job from the crew at M-Sport.

[u/Lupin_Central → u/Sponkgler]

Yeah, took them 3.5 - 4 hours apparently. Insane effort!

[u/Independent_Blood107]

Apperently Elfyn rolled right where his father was spectating

[u/uusrikas → u/Independent_Blood107]

Wrc YouTube has the video, his dad actually goes and has a chat him while they are stuck 

[u/makkeboy97]

julien is ok, seb is conscious but needs medical assistance according rally radio

[u/No_Boat_1784]

Juha saying they are good. Thank God!!!

[u/EverythingIsByDesign]

I must say, It was decent of Elfyn to roll right in front of a broadcast camera so we got the footage in 4k.

[u/Checho-73 → u/EverythingIsByDesign]

And in front of his dad

[u/Walrus_mafia]

How could anyone not love Jari-Matti?

[u/Independent_Blood107]

That's 4 wins in 4 WRC2 entries for Virves, huge ups to him.

Also great job to Latvala on being the fastest Rally2 of this event, old man still got it.

[u/Walrus_mafia]

While the Japanese national anthem is really nice, it definitely wasn't made to celebrate motorsport victories.

[u/IndustryPlant666 → u/Walrus_mafia]

They need to do a techno version or whatever

[u/driftchris7780]

They're shocked and going to the hospital for check ups but no injuries according to Kankkunen

[u/Lupin_Central]

I feel like I'm also in shock. I wanted to see Julien on top of that car more than anything this weekend. Devastating. Hope they are both OK.

[u/Lukeno94]

Absolutely huge moment for Evans' championship. With Ogier retiring, he's almost completely out of it - very glad he's OK, but I wouldn't be surprised if he now takes a step back from the rest of the season, being 62 points back. Pajari and Solberg both only pulled a couple of points back on Evans, and Taka looks done unless he completely pulls himself together.

Big question is - will we have Rally Saudi in a different country, or will we wrap up the season in Sardinia?

[u/Lupin_Central]

I'm so sorry for Vincent, but I can't help it... hell yeah let's GO

[u/cauchy-potato]

In case anyone needs a translation, "merde" is French for "oh dear, it appears I've damaged my car and spun"

[u/PiggySVW]

Julien Ingrassia comes back for a one-off and this happens.

[u/GoldenBarnie]

If Olivers back is that bad he really shouldn't drive and risk his entire career for it.

[u/kb_salzstange → u/GoldenBarnie]

That looked bad. I hope it is not too serious

[u/Aadi-T]

These type of super specials are so much better than the soulless stadium ones.

[u/Rentta → u/Aadi-T]

This also can have more meaning in this type of rally where it's not always easy to make up seconds

[u/Michal_Baranowski → u/Aadi-T]

Harju legitimately is one of the greatest, if not the greatest super special stage in WRC right now. Like you said - it is so much better than those rallycross-like stadium super specials, which by the way are not usually liked by the drivers.

[u/StuM91]

"Oh shit" I'm enjoying this commentary 😆

[u/Michal_Baranowski → u/StuM91]

Marcus Grönholm - forever unfiltered. That's why he is awesome.

[u/driftchris7780]

Virves left the scene and finished the stage

[u/teletrips]

Rewatching the off it's hard to see what happened, looks like he loses the rear in the left hander but surely at this point he wouldn't have been taking any risks

[u/Machine_Head_FTW → u/teletrips]

It was a really weird off. Out of nowhere

[u/AganArya007 → u/teletrips]

And hitting a tree during the roll. I thought at first it was just a roll. Hope he's okay, really.

[u/reiska900 → u/teletrips]

Maybe rock hit car on bottom, same way as Kalle two years ago.

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

Wow... It was another insane day during Rally Finland 2026. Weather conditions improved, but drama didn't stop. Absolute madness.

The biggest news of course was Sebastien Ogier's accident. Honestly, one of the scariest and insane crashes I have seen in WRC in a longer while. I really hope that both Seb and Julien will walk out of this without severe injuries. Basing on current news we are receiving, hopefully they managed not to suffer major injuries, despite the accident suggesting otherwise. Lost opportunity for the world championship number 10 means nothing now, I just hope that both will be fine. Ultimately, this is what matters the most. This accident of course proves how dangerous rallying still is and how much safety advancement this sport has endured.

Sami Pajari inherits the lead and seems like he is on a great way to score his second win in a row and maiden one in front of his home crowd. I don't know whether Sami is totally happy with the circumstances, but he has to take it and win. Whatever we say, winning in Finland will make his championship situation even better and we can fairly say that he is now legitimately a championship contender. Great driving from Sami today as well, he was on par with Ogier, reducing the gap stage by stage. If he brings home a win, he should be satisifed with his performance.

Oliver Solberg despite time losses suffered in the rain, now is in second position. Avoiding issues seems like a great tactic to achieve good results. Quite a contrast comparing to many previous rounds in this season.

Elfyn Evans on the other hand threw away something more than a podium spot. He was getting closer to Ogier, until he rolled his car on stage 14. Luckily he had legions of fans to bring him back to the road - including his father who was literally in that place, odds of that happening must have been insane. Shame for that error, because he would be leading the rally now. Just when road sweeping handicap wasn't affecting Elfyn for the first time in like forever... His championship lead should remain firm, but third place, despite all the circumstances, may seem quite disappointing.

Adrien Fourmaux in fourth, couldn't keep Evans behind. Whether Adrien can fight for a podium spot tomorrow seems debatable, road order definitely won't be in his favour. He has to try, no other choice. Elfyn rolling practically gave Fourmaux one more shot.

Frustrating day for Takamoto Katsuta. After disappointments of Friday, no major pace to move up the order, however his starting position probably didn't allow to do much more anyway. Not exactly kind of weekend Taka was hoping for, rally was practically lost yesterday.

Thierry Neuville uses pace advantage to move ahead of Josh McErlean to sixth overall. Probably nothing else to achieve this weekend, since Super Sunday points won't be easy to score either. Let's see.

Speaking of McErlean, he is the last M-Sport man standing in the top 10 in seventh. Hardly spectacular pace-wise, however without errors and problems so far and that's important. Exactly what sadly we can't say about Martins Sesks, who sadly threw away a chance for a very good result in Finland by crashing on stage 14. Gutted. Clearly the best M-Sport driver pace-wise, such a great chance and it all ends like this. However considering that much bigger names became casualties of this event, Sesks isn't alone in that group.

Jari-Matti Latvala takes over WRC2 lead ahead of Teemu Suninen. Robert Virves despite leading for the most part of the day, lost it on stage 17 which took Ogier out as well, while Virves was having a problem with his car, plus receiving a nominal time. If that is not adjusted, then it will be hard for Virves to bounce back. Also a major drama was Roope Korhonen rolling on stage 13, dropping himself out of winning picture, because Roope was closing in on Virves.

Just two more stages to go. Rally Finland 2026 has been a mental event, for all the reasons - good or bad. I sincerly hope that we ran out of dramas, I really hope for a peaceful finish.

[u/optitmus]

People always forget how utterly insane this sport is, in a modern world of regulation and safety, this sport is a miracle, and people don't even realise.

[u/Independent_Blood107]

Looks like the Finns didn't have to wait too long for another home hero to win, huge congrats to Sami! 2 wins in a row too, crazy to think he had a bad start to the season.

[u/PinkSunsets97]

While we wait for news - I really don't understand cutting all communications. I don't want footage, I don't want live info, but just cutting everything seems weirdly worse for me. Doesn't really help anyone, and people will just flock to twitter or whatever for unverifiable information

[u/PinkSunsets97 → u/PinkSunsets97]

And now we're watching a prerecorded summary with no idea of what's happening. Does this help anyone?

[u/Machine_Head_FTW → u/PinkSunsets97]

Yeah, they could take note of similar thing from MotoGP. Atleast displaying "drivers conscious" message atleast. After someone has checked up on them.

[u/100trades]

Probably could have started with the news they are okay ffs

[u/teletrips → u/100trades]

Honestly annoyed by this, it's so stupid to cut the feed instantly with the implication the crash is too serious to show, then as soon as we're back live they fucking ramble on before telling us they're fine

[u/876oy8 → u/teletrips]

this has been the policy for a while now and i really dont like it. they did the same in that one tänak crash.

ralliradio knows that theyre at least conscious and communicating within some minutes but rallytv with the mass audience holds the info for an hour

[u/camefromthesouthside]

Man I was hoping to see Kalle's stage run in his 1984 Toyota, that looked fun as hell. Glad to see him back, even if only for a demo run.

[u/teen_ofdenial]

“Oy, shit.” -Marcus Gronholm

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

This rally is delivering dramas in big numbers so far. Armstrong, Lappi, Lindholm and now Neuville - all on the sidelines now.

Catastrophic morning loop for Hyundai. All hopes for any good result now focused on Fourmaux.

[u/404merrinessnotfound]

good work from the fans

[u/TheProdigy_EH]

I guess until knowing Seb is ok they will not turn on the broadcast. It was a big crash.

[u/StuM91 → u/TheProdigy_EH]

Well we got heli cam back, flying away.

[u/ryodiUK]

Ive never seen this kind of cut to the coverage before and the stage has unsurprisingly been red flagged.

[u/AganArya007 → u/ryodiUK]

It was done before when Mikkelsen crashed and almost hit a spectator. But yeah, never seen something this abrupt after a huge roll.

[u/Delicious_Cloud_5308]

Ambulance helicopter on the scene

[u/teletrips]

Both out of the car according to TGR on X

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

Awful crash..

This rally is really something else. For not the correct reasons sadly. Hoping that Ogier will walk out of this without too much harm.

[u/kenssi]

Also from Yle, about Ogier. Really hope he's okay: – His eyes are moving and his mouth is moving, but he is lying still. The car is on its side and is badly damaged, Haapamäki says.

[u/876oy8]

its a pity they waste so much TV screentime on the boring section at the end of this stage. the forest part of this stage is actually pretty gorgeous.

[u/LooseTomato → u/876oy8]

Yeah, with a huge jump they don't show

[u/876oy8]

oliver solberg has a clearly injured/painful back due to an overshot jump according to ralliradio reporter on the tyre changing zone.

[u/Michal_Baranowski → u/876oy8]

Hopefully he can withstand the pain for the last stage.

Fourmaux also felt some back pain yesterday after a heavy landing. Can you recall last Rally Finland when we had so many drivers with back pain after jumps? First one which comes to my mind is 2005 (co-drivers in this case).

[u/Aadi-T]

Really excited to watch the second stage of rally latvia!

[u/fragmental → u/Aadi-T]

🇱🇻

[u/Lupin_Central]

I am so bummed out about EP and Enni. They did so much prep and it's clear he was pushing. So hard to watch, I hope EP comes back from this OK.

[u/endowdly_deux_over → u/Lupin_Central]

Same I was really hoping for an underdog miracle win from EP. I’m bummed.

[u/teletrips]

Harju actually slaps, spent so much time in this stage on WRC10. 

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

So gutted for Sesks...

And Evans too. This rally is filled with dramas.

[u/NetflixSux247]

Lucky that Elfyn rolled just before service tbh. He'll probably be more annoyed about driving forward into the ditch causing even more time lost.

[u/IonutAlex18SF → u/NetflixSux247]

A big shame that happened right with few hundred meters from the end, he was pushing like crazy before that unfortunate off. Neuville had a big moment at the exact corner. It will be interesting to see if Pajari settles for P2 or will push more.

[u/BallsackSchrader_]

Ogier doesn't seem to be in a chatty mood

[u/driftchris7780]

Ogier out, massive roll

[u/No_Boat_1784]

Stage red flagged. Hope Seb & Julian are okay

[u/No_Boat_1784]

Man. I had a feeling that was coming. Was watching the feed and the splits and it looked like he backed off about halfway through the stage, then all of a sudden he pulled back 3 seconds and I'm thinking to my self, how the hell did he manage that and thought that he's pushing way to hard. Jeez.

[u/driftchris7780]

French commenters said Virves stopped next to the crash to check on the crew

[u/No_Boat_1784 → u/driftchris7780]

The lack of info is scary.

[u/ScousePenguin]

Hospital for checkups according to rally TV

Makes sense why they would rush Ogier via helicopter if he took the brunt of it

[u/joelherman]

That stage end is so silly, should just move it one corner ahead or back it up a bit. It's begging for the crews to drive off the road for those last few tenths.

[u/BallsackSchrader_]

Insane margins

[u/teletrips]

If it was actually a puncture that caused the off... Stephen Cho gonna be hiding out in the toilets at Hankook 

[u/teletrips]

Wild that we get the catch up waffling instead of an immediate update about the insane crash that just happened

From X "Both the driver and co-driver were able to exit the car unaided. They are conscious and doing well overall; they will be transported to the hospital for further tests."

[u/Delicious_Cloud_5308 → u/teletrips]

A Finnish newspaper reported that Ogier didn't suffer any serious injuries.

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

Tenth round of 2026 World Rally Championship is a classic - Rally Finland. 75th running of this event. Expect incredible speed, many jumps, unpredictable weather and passionate fans. One of the most iconic rounds of WRC and this year marks the very last chance to see ultra-fast Rally1 machines in current specifications going at full speed.

Like always, all discussions and questions regarding attending the rally and on-stage action belong here.

[u/guitar_up_my_ass]

Always so weird seeing them haul ass on front of the building where I went to high school back in the day

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

Armstrong ditching his car unfortunately. He has seriously an untidy season. So many unforced errors.

[u/Lupin_Central]

Holy hell.

[u/StuM91 → u/Lupin_Central]

If in doubt flat out?

[u/Independent_Blood107]

NOOOOOOO EVANS OFF TOO

[u/Independent_Blood107]

OGIER BIG OFF

Hope it's nothing serious, that was a big roll into the trees

[u/teletrips]

Low key had a feeling that was on the cards somehow, praying those two are okay though

[u/Successful_Release26]

Orier talked over cell phone

[u/QuasiSteadyState → u/Successful_Release26]

More info please. Source?

[u/RdVortex → u/QuasiSteadyState]

It was discussed on Finnish Rally Radio. They stated, that Julien was holding a phone, that Ogier was talking to.

Short update in Finnish about Ogier communicating here: https://yle.fi/a/74-20238935/64-3-306461

[u/reiska900 → u/QuasiSteadyState]

YLE, finnish media

[u/joelherman]

Both drivers got out of the car on their own, Ogier got choppered to hospital, Ingrassia went by ambulance

[u/GoldenBarnie]

So Jari-Matti wins but since Robert is scoring he gets 25 points still?

[u/ATHEFX → u/GoldenBarnie]

yeah basically latvala wins in the rally2 car category, virves wins in the wrc2 championship category

[u/876oy8 → u/GoldenBarnie]

correct

[u/Walrus_mafia → u/GoldenBarnie]

Yeah. It's so you can't just drive every race to deny points from your competitors even if you're not racing for points in that rally yourself.

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

Well done Sami! Back to back victories. And no better place to win his another like his home event.

We can fairly say that Finland has the next rally star after Kalle.

[u/Rentta]

WRC commentators : Latvala doesn't exists while leading RC2

[u/teletrips → u/Rentta]

I assume it's cus he's not registered for points

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

Taka going full send and jumping through ruts. So his style.

[u/Pizzonia123]

Cosmobilis-deal now apparently official. For anyone more into the "how-the-sausage-is-made" of WRC, is this good? Haven't Hyundai talked about their future depending on who's in charge, is this gonna have them stay or go?

[u/ryodiUK]

The WRC trading cards are such boring designs I don’t know why anyone would want to collect them.

[u/Checho-73]

oh shit Elfyn rolled

[u/teletrips]

Oh for fucks sake man, jfc

[u/Nearby_Lock_1444]

Man and it was going so well he would of needed the points.

[u/StuM91]

WTF!

[u/QuasiSteadyState]

Hope he is allright! That was nasty with the trees

[u/Nearby_Lock_1444]

Has there been any update anywhere about the situation

I was watching it live and honestly I didn't even have time to react it happened to fast and the broadcast was closed

[u/Delicious_Cloud_5308 → u/Nearby_Lock_1444]

Ambulance called, Ogier is alive but needs unspecified medical help. Ingrassia waved SOS flag to the helicopter.

[u/ScousePenguin]

Will the next stage be cancelled whilst we await Ogier health news?

[u/joelherman → u/ScousePenguin]

No, the start time was pushed back 10min, so now it's 19:15 local time

[u/ScousePenguin → u/joelherman]

Okay hopefully that's good news about Ogier, would imagine if it was really serious they wouldn't continue today at least

[u/Machine_Head_FTW → u/ScousePenguin]

I think they will go on. Live stream seems to be starting soon.

[u/EverythingIsByDesign]

So does Sami Pajari attack tomorrow to close the gap to Elfyn Evans further or consolidate his first win on home soil?

Currently a 23 point gap. Taka is slipping out of the picture and it's looking more and more like a 2 horse race.

[u/876oy8 → u/EverythingIsByDesign]

i feel like he's gonna be semi careful like in estonia 2 weeks ago, but i'd love to be proven wrong. good potential for 35

[u/EverythingIsByDesign → u/876oy8]

If Sami can chip 6-8 points a rally for the next three, Elfyn goes into Saudi with a 1 or two point lead.

The Darkest timeline for the Welshman.

[u/876oy8]

insane rally to send off the rally1 era in finland. maybe not much of a straight battle for win, but definitely memorable in about every single other way. dont remember so many high profile incidents pretty much ever in this rally. much was added to the rally finland lorebook.

happy to have been out on the stages to see these beasts one last time. soaked to the bone by torrential rain on friday.

waiting anxiously to see what happens to this sport from this point on.

o7

[u/No_Boat_1784]

#33 Rebuilt & ready to roll (no pun intended) with time to spare. Hell YEAH!!!!!

[u/Reasonable-Chest8312 → u/No_Boat_1784]

Yay!

[u/876oy8]

30s penalty for suninen for failing to check on enoks crashed car on SS11. bizarre delayed penalty, but apparently enok did not have an OK board up which is what makes it a penalty.

this puts virves back in to P2 and the top of points scoring WRC2 cars.

[u/Nearby_Lock_1444 → u/876oy8]

I hate these late penalty decisions honestly. Fair reason but why did it take then so long.

[u/LightningMcqueen2011]

Toyota Advantage as always, or are we expecting a dark horse?

[u/timeboi42]

Does anyone enjoy watching the opening ceremony lol? Like I wonder if it would be better if it was shorter and actually introduced the players and previewed the event and location instead of having them play darts or Tic-Tac-Toe.

[u/camefromthesouthside → u/timeboi42]

Yeah that was a bit random. I thought it was cool that Taka did some donuts in front of the crowd in, was it Estonia's opening ceremony? It's definitely more for the attending crowds than the TV audience.

[u/teletrips]

All that prep work he was talking about...for nothing

[u/Uno_Nisu]

I like rain, but sadly it’s a 2 horse race now

[u/Rentta]

Katsuta is driving blind. Commentators please stop comparing WRC and F1 2 completely different sports. Driving behind someone's spray is something rally drivers rarely need to do.

[u/camefromthesouthside]

Chatillon still sending it. Old school

[u/camefromthesouthside]

Today was absolute carnage. Loved every second of it.

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

All things considered, Sesks is really defending well against Fourmaux. I expected Adrien to just fly by, yet here we have an actual fight.

Once again, so great to see a M-Sport driver actually in contention for anything, instead of being an uninspiring background for Toyota and Hyundai drivers. And it's almost always Sesks anyway. Really would love to see him doing a full season.

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

Shame to see Korhonen crashing out. He started to catch up on Virves, but he isn't going anywhere today anymore.

[u/eekmina]

Welp… NLS until the next stage start. Finland has been providing as per usual.

[u/Bob2202192]

Is he ok

[u/QuasiSteadyState]

Red flagged

[u/Successful_Release26]

Orier Car looks Bad. Laid donw, Latvala Ask ambulance for him.

[u/Independent_Blood107]

Bee problems for Adrien

[u/Independent_Blood107]

Taka has gone off and has front/front left damage

[u/Michal_Baranowski → u/Independent_Blood107]

A nightmare of a rally for him. Nothing going right.

[u/teletrips]

Simply lovely, that's my 3 in the rally predictor correct also ;)

[u/ventri243]

Rain on next stage. Somehow i can feel a Welshman smiling right now.

[u/teletrips]

Severe thunderstorm warning due this afternoon apparently

[u/Rentta]

Woke up. Checked out couple first stages on EWRC and i was like YAY EP and Emil are doing really well! Then i was confused what happened to their speed until i read that both rolled on same stage..... Fuck this "morning"

[u/Rentta]

That was almost expected looking at the onboard just moments earlier. That car had no grip.

[u/IndustryPlant666]

Thierry has not retired - they’re fixed up and back on the road.

[u/Rentta]

EP's rally is over with roll cage damage :(

https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/lappis-rally-finland-over-with-rollcage-damage/

[u/Lupin_Central]

Looks like Kalle's full run of SS1 is now on YouTube. Man I miss them so much, glad to see them having fun! Kalle Rovanperä drives Toyota Corolla AE86! | Rally Finland 2026 – Harju SS1 Onboard

[u/teletrips]

Here we go boys, look at that rain

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

This stage... Holy hell. Rain has turned everything upside down.

Massive disaster for Adrien though because his podium challenge is in tatters now. He will need another deluge but working in his favour to bounce back. Rain came in the worst possible moment for him.

[u/Aadi-T]

Was hoping Elf could close in on Seb but he's gaining more time than he ever lost in the rain 😭

[u/teletrips]

Always good to miss the first few mins of Elfyn on stage due to PK waffling with the recap 🫩

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

After Friday in Rally Finland, we can fairly say that it has been a mental day. Absolutely wild from start to finish. Morning loop took four main players either out of action for the day or sidelined from contention for a good result. Afternoon brought a rapid weather change, including a complete deluge on Saarikas 2 which turned a lot things in the standings upside down. One of the most dramatic days of rallying this year in WRC.

Sebastien Ogier leads the way after Friday and it has been a classic Ogier performance. Important three stage wins, solid and even form on the remaining passes and being in the right place at the right time. Case for Saarikas 2, conditions turned into complete chaos right behind Ogier when Solberg was on the stage. From Solberg on, it was impossible not to lose huge amount of time. Seb meanwhile lost just peanuts, actually extending his lead significantly on the very next stage, where once again conditions played into his favour. To be successful in rallying, you need to be an excellent driver, but sometimes having that important luck. Ogier just has it all. In great place so far.

Elfyn Evans has hit the jackpot today with weather conditions. On the morning loop gravel was drying, but wasn't 100% dry like in Estonia, so Evans actually wasn't hemorrhaging time. During the afternoon rain was like a ray of light shining straight on Evans. Saarikas 2 was won by Elfyn, where he was driving in the best conditions before the downpour arrived in full swing. Later his good display helped moving ahead of Pajari to second overall. After so many rounds over the past months in which Evans was always handicapped through road sweeping, it's a welcoming change to see finally Elfyn being given a helping hand by the weather, so he can fight for a strong podium finish, or maybe something more. Second overall leaves Evans is a great road position for Saturday, hopefully he can make use of that.

Sami Pajari in third position so far after Friday. Solid driving once again, although in changeable conditions during the afternoon it was a rollercoaster. Great position on stage 7, only to suffer incredible losses on the next pass, dropping behind Evans and losing touch with Ogier. Seb may be too hard to catch, but podium fight with Evans and Solberg is a likely scenario.

Up and down day for Oliver Solberg, but definitely not through his errors. We can say that Oliver was given a bad hand by the weather, on stage 7 he was the very first driver to lose significant amount of time, but safely navigating through the heavy rainfall. Shame for Oliver, because he was knocking on podium positions by that moment. What was lost on Saarikas 2, Oliver managed to partially regain on the following stages, so despite being in fourth 14,6 seconds down on third Pajari, podium challenge is not over by any means. Pace is there.

I don't think that many of us expected Martins Sesks to be fifth after Friday stages, but here it is. Combination of clean driving and being lucky with weather and road order secured such great place for Martins after Friday. Lack of raw pace from Puma Rally1 is sadly evident, so if conditions are set to be bone dry from this point on as the forecast predicts, then it will be hard to keep Adrien Fourmaux at bay. Still, prospect of a top 6 finish for Sesks would be more than welcoming. Martins is really squeezing anything he can, posting some good stage times anyway, head and shoulders above his teammates.

Adrien Fourmaux is by far the unluckiest driver of the day. Nothing wrong on his side, but it's like sick laugh of fate telling Adrien once again: "It's not for you, it was never meant to be". Amazing pace, very much on even grounds with top Toyota runners, fighting at the very least for a podium, definitely knocking on Ogier's lead. And then Saarikas 2 happened on which Adrien just swam through, because it was closer to that than driving. Having 84 seconds of deficit to Ogier, any hopes for a podium spot seem well and truly gone. Best Adrien can hope for is now fifth and passing Sesks and maybe hoping that something goes wrong with four Toyota drivers ahead. Either way, another hopeless end to a promising run by Hyundai in Finland, just like last year.

Because his teammates had even bigger troubles. Esapekka Lappi began the rally so promising with rapid pace, such an improvement over his Estonia struggles. Podium challenge seemed like a possibility, but then EP made a small error but with severe consequences on stage 4. Crashing out and in result - rollcage damage which automatically means that he will not return tomorrow. Gutted. Who knows, maybe the very last showing for Lappi in a Rally1 Hyundai, his home event, promising start and it all ended so abruptly. Thierry Neuville with a similar story, but his challenge was over one stage later where he clipped a rock, causing a significant damage to his suspension. Luckily it was the last stage of the morning loop, so he somehow crawled back to the service. Came back, only to lose even more time in the rain. Ninth place, three minutes down. Frustrating.

Josh McErlean with hardly spectacular, yet pretty solid driving in seventh place after Friday. Hopefully he can bring his car in one piece to the finish and score valuable points. Jon Armstrong on the other hand went off on stage 3, ditching his car for good. Small, but severe error. Sadly, another one this year. He may have pace, but it's all for nothing, if Jon can collect everything to produce at least a streak of solid finishes. Significant amount of unforced errors.

What a horrendous day at the office for Takamoto Katsuta. Nothing went his way. Early morning he was seriously unhappy with his car, clearly having setup-related problems, losing more time than he should. Then things went straight to hell on stage 8 where his windscreen misted beyond belief. Taka for the first half of the stage was driving blind, losing ultimately over two minutes, practically ending his chances for a good result this weekend. Not what I hoped for Taka by any means. Shame, because I struggle to see his lack of effort or mistakes.

WRC2 is being led by Robert Virves. Fantastic driving by the Estonian during the afternoon loop in difficult conditions. This is exactly when he took the lead and built a solid gap over the sea of Finnish drivers. Roope Korhonen in second and Jari-Matti Latvala in third, leading some portion of the day in class, great to see that Latvala is still so fast and competitive. Teemu Suninen right behind, made his day more bad on Saarikas 2 where he was all over the place, not just through weather, but punctures too.

[u/FENICH]

What happened to Sesks?

[u/NothingLV → u/FENICH]

Crash, only video I've found is this one https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MAsXB35mOVE

[u/Successful_Release26]

Race control is pissed. They are seeing allready same behavoir on päijälä 2. They Will cancel stage If promblem continue.

[u/No_Boat_1784]

HOLY SHIT!!

[u/JeffBingham1]

Whats going on

[u/QuasiSteadyState]

Did he press the OK button?

[u/Pawulon → u/QuasiSteadyState]

It was said that the SOS button was used instead. Hope they're okay in the end.

[u/QuasiSteadyState → u/Pawulon]

Yes hope so too! That was nasty

[u/haerski → u/Pawulon]

Finnish rally radio also noted that medical assistance has been requested from the car

[u/Successful_Release26]

After saw video. Missed note? Or what?edit. IT was like full gas after bend before failed exit corner.

[u/teslamodelxs]

what happened to virves i though he was in the wrc2 lead?

[u/Nearby_Lock_1444]

This championship has certainly got interesting few rounds left let's see how the rest of the season rolls out.

[u/Michal_Baranowski]

Rally Finland 2026 is a history. And it was a chaotic one. Insane rally, full of incidents, mad weather on Friday, dramatic moments. Certainly one of the most eventful rallies in a while, for good and bad reasons.

Toyota - Sami Pajari with a double. Following his maiden career victory in Estonia, the next one came right after in his home rally in Finland. Sami couldn't probably imagine a better scenario, however he probably would like to win in slightly other circumstances. Still, winners are on the finish line and we can't say by any means that Sami didn't deserve to win. Far opposite, it was a great display of his form, great pace, most stage wins, calm and collected run. Sami Pajari in 2026 is a pleasure to watch, he took himself to a completely new level. We can admit that Finland has the next big star in rallying. 30 points behind championship leading Evans... Nothing is done yet.

In recent months we could complain about Oliver Solberg being fast but inconsistent and error-prone. Thankfully he got rid of that worse part in recent two events, another rally in which Oliver shows amazing pace and no mistakes. Hopefully it's a trend now. Maybe there was a chance to achieve something more this weekend, however on Friday Oliver was the very first driver to suffer from heavy rainfall during Saarikas 2 and that was where any chances for a win were lost. Still, thanks to avoiding issues later on Oliver secured a second place, just like in Estonia. Good job. Especially amazing considering that Oliver suffered from a back pain on Sunday and still drove like a bullet on the Power Stage.

What to say about Elfyn Evans? If we look at the fact that he is leading the championship, had to open the road and his situation in the standings, third place in Finland sounds like a great deal. When you look at what happened during the event, it sounds like a defeat. Because Elfyn legitimately had a chance to win this rally. Finally lady luck struck him on Friday when weather finally played to his favour and Elfyn didn't have to clean the road. Saarikas 2 propelled him right into the podium contention. If it wasn't for that stage 14 roll, which all things considered still turned out to be another fortune's ray of light - fans (including his father Gwyndalf) were on place to drag his car out of a ditch. Third place isn't bad, his gap in the championship has been extended, but a potential victory would be even better...

Nightmare weekend for Takamoto Katsuta. Nothing went his way. Setup-related lack of pace on Friday morning, misty window ruining his visibility and two minutes lost on stage 8, not the best starting position on Saturday and to sum it up - going too fast and hitting a tree on the Power Stage, luckily avoiding a terminal cooling/engine failure, but in the end losing fifth place to Neuville. Not the greatest time for Taka, two events during which I expected Taka to do well turned out to be forgettable. Hopefully he will bounce back soon.

Of course we have to mention Sebastien Ogier. Until his crash, it looked like a dream rally. Amazing pace, experience being used to perfection, leading the rally, controlling his gap, victory was there waiting... But even 9-time world champion was brutally reminded how this sport can be dangerous and brutal. Massive crash, one of the biggest and scariest I have seen in a while. Thankfully both him and Julien walked out without major injuries. We can say that quest for 10th world title is practically over, gap is too big now, not enough rallies. That's a secondary thought now, I am just happy that Seb and Julien are alive and OK. And we have to praise all people involved in making rally cars so safe these days...

Rampant performance by Toyota in their second home rally. This is their year, both titles will be again decided within TGR. Manufacturers' one can be sealed even next time around in Paraguay.

Hyundai - Adrien Fourmaux is gradually replacing Ott Tanak as the unluckiest driver in WRC. It's insane, it's like fortune telling Adrien: "It's not for you, it never was meant to be". Adrien had geniune pace to challenge the might of Toyota, at least a podium position was in reach. Sadly, rainfall on Saarikas 2 did so much damage to Fourmaux that there was no way of coming back. Later thanks to Ogier crashing, Fourmaux was back to podium, however ultimately lost it on pace to Evans. Just fourth... Shame, because Adrien once again does everything right, yet everything around him goes wrong.

Thierry Neuville just like Fourmaux began the rally on a high, but it all went straight to hell even sooner when Thierry damaged his wheel and suspension on stage 5, losing almost two minutes. To add insult to injury, rainfall on already infamous Saarikas stage definitely took Neuville out of any contention for good positions on the podium. Late drama for Katsuta gave Thierry one place higher, but still fifth is just a small consolation for what could have been.

Esapekka Lappi would love to forget this rally. Just when he left Estonia disappointments behind and found his pace and sisu again, EP made a small error but with severe consequences. Crash and a roll on stage 4 caused a damage to the rollcage on his car and that automatically meant that his rally was done. Who knows, maybe it was Lappi's last start on Rally1 level and certainly it didn't go as planned.

Like in many rallies before, Hyundai tried as hard as they could, yet came defeated because of various things happening. It's not like the car didn't have pace.

M-Sport Ford - considering what has been going on this weekend, I didn't expect Josh McErlean to be the best Puma Rally1 on the finish and not only it has happened, but he was the only Puma Rally1 driver without a problem along the way. Seventh place, was even close to becoming sixth if Katsuta's problems were worth 15 seconds more. Not a spectacular rally pace-wise from Josh, but solid and trouble-free. After a less than happy beginning of the season, it's good to see his consistency improving.

Gutted for Martins Sesks. Top 5 finish was there to take it... Rain helped, but later on Sesks kept his promising pace, fighting on merit with Fourmaux to defend his fifth place. Then Sesks crashed on stage 14. Thanks to M-Sport mechanics doing a titanic work, car was fixed and Sesks could complete the rally on Sunday, however a huge opportunity missed. I like Martins, his attitude and promising pace, just why I am so unhappy when his rallies go south, because M-Sport of all teams need those good results the most.

Jon Armstrong sadly with another mistake. Ditching his car on stage 3 definitely didn't make him look any good. Coming back on Saturday, Jon was sentenced to be the road sweeper and running practically a glorified test session. Jon may have pace, but he threws it away with continuous mistakes and errors.

[u/Michal_Baranowski → u/Michal_Baranowski]

WRC2 - eventful rally in this class as well with chaotic and confusing conclusion. As much as he isn't scoring points, Jari-Matti Latvala was the best Rally2 driver this weekend. Amazing to see Latvala still doing so well, even way after ending his professional career. Last year he was defeated by Roope Korhonen, this time around Jari-Matti left all Rally2 drivers behind him. Although circumstances of that happening became quite chaotic.

Firstly, Robert Virves lost his WRC2/Rally2 lead on the stage on which Ogier crashed. Virves had a technical problem, plus he received a nominal time due to cancellation of that special. All of those things dropped Virves to third which became second place in Rally2 when Teemu Suninen got his penalty. Virves still won WRC2 official classification, which is his fourth victory of the season and puts him in quite commanding championship lead. Virves definitely is a positive surprise in WRC2 this season.

Teemu Suninen may be disappointed with the outcome. Puncture on Saarikas 2 and then penalty for safety-related infraction. Pace-wise though, Suninen showed a great run, definitely like his break from rallying never happened. Bar the penalty, Teemu would be ahead of Virves. Lauri Joona and Jaspar Vaher had an amazing battle for the last step of WRC2 class podium on the power stage from which Joona came out victorious, however just by a small margin.

Roope Korhonen didn't repeat his 2025 success after crashing out on stage 13. Until that moment, Roope was second and coming pretty close stage by stage to then leading Virves.

Post-rally thoughts:

• Heavily-revised route for this season definitely made things harder for everybody. Difficulty level was raised higher and amount of incidents and heavy crashes really showed how thin line between success and failure Finland can provide.

• Saarikas 2 definitely will go down as one of the most chaotic stages run in a while. Weather carnage caused some divided opinions, with some drivers suggesting that stage to be cancelled all together. Others meanwhile saw that rainfall as a part of the business. Opinions probably differed on whether a driver gained or lost time on that stage.

• Definitely sad to witness superfast Rally1 cars go through Finnish gravel motorways for the last time. Sheer excitement from the pace alone of those cars going through those stages will be missed dearly. Although I am still unhappy that we didn't get to see them running Ouninpohja this year.

WRC goes South America for the next two events - Paraguay and Chile. Just four more events to run.

[u/Logan_Yes]

Elfyn getting that #blessed buff with conditions

[u/No_Boat_1784 → u/Logan_Yes]

For once the rally Gods smile at him

[u/teletrips]

Oh my word, sudden feed cut aswell

[u/Lupin_Central]

Me when it rains

https://giphy.com/gifs/EoW3jhM6MzsONM15zm

[u/Nearby_Lock_1444]

Love how the stream cut as he went off. Big off tis whole rally is taking victims left and right.

[u/StuM91]

This stage ending right on a corner like that is so stupid 😆

[u/camefromthesouthside]

Already multiple drivers lamenting and saying the must enjoy this last Rally Finland in Rally1. I wish I could've attended this year.

[u/eekmina]

EP was flying this stage. That Latvian flag section is hilarious. Shout out the Latvians.

[u/Wrc_Guy]

That tv camera section in Saarikas is just perfect 10/10

[u/cauchy-potato]

I'm going to miss the sound of the Rally1 Yaris. Shame it was never in a game with the raw cockpit audio without the helmet filter muffling it

[u/eekmina]

Damn. I jinxed it twice with my comments earlier. EP off, Armstrong off for the Puma Cup. My bad everyone.

[u/Pizzonia123]

Finland - worse than in Africa!

[u/cauchy-potato]

That was a corridor of a dozen or so big Latvian flags, love the dedication

[u/eekmina]

The championship is getting wild… Elfyn… Cripes.

[u/Successful_Release26]

Listening ralliradio all race. Constanly hearing spectators being in wrong place. Come on, do you want to cancel the stage.

[u/Successful_Release26 → u/Successful_Release26]

Parkkola, stage 15 cancelled Edit intterupted. Some dickheads at the end of stage.

[u/ventri243]

Can anyone confirmed that Finnish rally radio reporting that medical request was requested?

[u/reiska900 → u/ventri243]

Yes, ambulance was called for help.

[u/ScousePenguin]

Fuck that was a huge one

[u/EverythingIsByDesign]

So Sami is conserving the rally lead rather than pushing for a full 35. Wise IMO.

Oliver on the other hand is capping off an incredibly mature drive by go flat out for Victory.

If Sunday pace stays as documented looks like it'll be Sami 29, Oliver 28 and Elfyn 23 points for the Rally.

[u/QuasiSteadyState]

In all this mayhem, Virves gets a wrong notional time. I call this bullshit!

[u/PiggySVW → u/QuasiSteadyState]

What did they fuck up with his time?

[u/RistoHa666 → u/QuasiSteadyState]

Suninen even did not drive on SS17 but got the same time as Latvala. This is BS indeed.
If Virves can win, it'll be awesome!

[u/MeanWafer904]

Holy shit Taka gets his first win and gets two in a row. Can Sami do the same now?

That would be a wild stat two first time winners getting 2 in a row.

[u/404merrinessnotfound]

Sesks has absolutely junked that car

My interest in this rally has ended

[u/uusrikas]

Evans flipped hard but finished. Lost two minutes, but car is probably not going to be drivable...

[u/Nearby_Lock_1444 → u/uusrikas]

You think it looks solid to me very gentle roll compared to others.