Paris (AFP)

Second-placed Estonian Ott Tänak (Toyota) topped the Rally Great Britain on Saturday slightly increased his lead over world rivals and rivals Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) of Belgium and Sébastien Ogier of France (Citroen).

When he took control of the twelfth inning on fourteen of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the final stage on Friday, the ES10, Tänak was 3 sec 4/10 ahead of his dolphin Ogier.

At the end of SS17 on Saturday night, he was 11 seconds ahead of Neuville, coming back from fourth to second place. The six-time champion of the French world, he fell back to third place at 17 sec 3/10.

This gap, the Estonian managed to dig it despite the untimely noise of his damaged rear bumper that prevented him from hearing perfectly the instructions of his co-pilot from the ES15.

"If you consider how tight things have been, eleven seconds may seem like a lot because we've never had so much of a gap all weekend," said the leader of the event and the drivers' standings. But eleven seconds is nothing, we have to keep a good pace tomorrow. "

Neuville, like Ogier, was counting on this event to narrow the gap in the Championship when he was 30 points behind Tänak. The Belgian "does not know what he can do" now. "We're going to keep pushing, as we did today," he said, "The fight is tight but I was faster than yesterday."

The French, who has a deficit of 17 points over his Estonian rival, is not "in the position (he) wants" but he has "nothing more to give". "We need to go faster but I have no answer for that", regrets the one who hopes for a seventh world title with a third different manufacturer (after Volkswagen in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and M-Sport Ford in 2017 and 2018).

- Fight also at the manufacturers -

Even if the Citroën driver gives ground, none of the three has yet cracked and everything will be played in the last five stages (38.42 km timed) on Sunday morning in the humid and muddy forests of Wales.

Especially in the Power Stage, 22nd and last ES, which offers the fastest between one and five bonus points in the drivers standings.

Behind the leading trio, Kris Meeke of Britain (Toyota), who was down in fourth place after leading the biggest dance on Friday, and Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai), fifth, clocked 26 sec 5/10 and 46 dry 9/10 respectively.

But the latter is under the threat of regional stage, the Welsh Elfyn Evans (M-Sport Ford), back from the eighth to the sixth position at 4 sec 5/10 of Mikkelsen, by signing the best time of the three stages. morning (SS11, 12 and 13).

Victorious on his home turf in 2017, Evans makes his comeback after missing the last three rounds of the Championship due to an injury contracted at the Estonia Rally in July.

Positions of these six also depends on the fight for the Constructors title, where the team at Neuville and Mikkelsen, Hyundai, currently has a nineteen point advantage over that of Tänak and Meeke, Toyota.

© 2019 AFP