Sami Pajari Maintains Edge Over Oliver Solberg Amid Rally Estonia Battle

Sami Pajari remains the driver to beat at Rally Estonia, though Oliver Solberg ended his Toyota teammate’s 100% stage-winning streak during Saturday’s morning loop. After securing victory in all seven stages on Friday, Pajari extended his dominance by winning stages 8 and 9, stretching his streak to nine consecutive wins. His 17.6-second lead over Solberg held firm, but the gap narrowed dramatically on stage 10 (Peipsiaare 2), where Solberg cut 3.3 seconds into Pajari’s advantage. The Finnish driver maintained his lead for stage 11 (Mustvee 2) by a razor-thin 0.2 seconds, reducing Pajari’s overall edge to 14.1 seconds. “It seems like Oliver was super-fast and pushing like crazy [on SS10],” Pajari said. “I need to keep pushing and not give him an easy job.”

Before adding: “0.2s on this stage [stage 11] is nothing really, but it seems he is building up the pace somehow. I need to focus on my thing, and the feeling is still there, so we need to keep pushing.”

Solberg Begins to Close Gap

Following a sluggish performance on Friday, Solberg credited car setup adjustments for his resurgence. “Last year’s setup felt closer to this year’s, and we found some answers,” said Solberg. “The car feels more or less the same as last year, and the feeling is a bit better.” He downplayed his focus on the gap, stating: “I’m not looking too much at the gap. I’m concentrating on regaining confidence and letting times come naturally.”

A technical scare marred Solberg’s morning—he reported a vibration in his front-right tire during stage 11, reminiscent of teammate Takamoto Katsuta’s tire blowout earlier in the event. “I backed off because I feared it might blow, which would end my run,” he admitted. “The tire held, but I could’ve pushed harder.”

Hyundai Team Battles for Third Place

Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux clung to third place despite a collision with an anti-cut device on stage 10, while teammate Thierry Neuville closed to within 5.6 seconds after a deflating tire in stage 11. Behind them, Sebastien Ogier struggled, citing hesitation on high-speed forest sections. “I’m still too cautious, especially on first passes,” Ogier noted. His 19.8-second deficit to Pajari underscored his faltering pace.

Championship Leader Evans Rises

Elfyn Evans, the reigning champion, made the most significant move on the day, advancing from ninth to seventh after Josh McErlean’s retirement due to an exhaust manifold issue. Evans’ climb was aided by M-Sport’s Martins Sesks retiring from a front-right puncture. Jon Armstrong completed the Rally1 class in ninth, narrowly avoiding time loss due to a nosebleed in his final stage. “It’s awkward but common,” he laughed. “If you’re getting blood from the nose, you’re pushing hard!”

Crews face five remaining stages to conclude Saturday’s action.

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