Alghero (Italy) (AFP)

The Spaniard Dani Sordo (Hyundai), winner last year, was still aiming for the double in the Rally of Sardinia on Saturday evening, ahead of the French Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) and the Belgian Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), in a fierce fight for the second square.

The last word was for Ogier, author of four scratch times against only one for the Belgian.

As for the leader of the championship, the Welshman Elfyn Evans (Toyota), he followed it all from afar, clinching 4th place in the general classification and almost a minute behind Sordo.

The six-time French world champion set the best times of the two runs in the legendary Monte Lerno special (SS7 and SS9), then Sordo shone in SS8 and Neuville in SS10.

"Two good passages in Monte Lerno", soberly summed up Ogier at the lunch break, on his Twitter account.

"The other stage was more difficult. I was not very good the first time. I drove better on the second lap, but the engine stalled in a pin. In such an intense fight, it is not never good ".

"It remains very tight, we continue to attack!" Added the Hautes-Alpes champion before reconnecting.

As soon as said, immediately done: Ogier finished with a bang, with two other scratch times in SS11 and SS12, and finished the day ahead of the Belgian, for a second and a half.

“I really tried everything and I attacked as hard as I could,” Neuville explained on Twitter, “but I wasted a few seconds making a mistake on a bridge,” he said.

Less well classified than Ogier in the championship, he will want to come back in front of him on Sunday and, if possible, take as many bonus points as possible during the final Power Stage (SS16).

Delayed Friday morning by suspension problems, his teammate Ott Tänak, reigning world champion, continued his solo race in 6th place, more than two minutes behind Sordo.

He will have the same objective as Neuville on Sunday, take as many points as possible to preserve the hope of retaining his crown.

There are still four specials to go on Sunday morning, or 40 km timed, in this 6th round (out of 8) of the World Championship (WRC).

Two more rounds will follow, in Belgium in November, then near Milan at the beginning of December, because the Monza Rally was added on Friday, at the last minute, to the WRC calendar.

© 2020 AFP