On forest roads with very variable grip after the showers that fell during the day, the Finn managed to maintain perfect control of the race over the stages.

Specials sometimes strewn with ruts, especially on SS16, but which do not seem to have disconcerted the Nordic, who nevertheless started behind the competition.

"We're riding at a good pace - there's not that much risk or anything," he said soberly, as his rivals looked more struggling.

Confident at the wheel of his hybrid Toyota, the 21-year-old driver, already victorious last year in the Estonian round, increased his lead over Evans from 11 sec 7/10 on Friday to 29 sec 1/10 on Saturday evening.

"In concrete terms, the gap is now quite significant. In this rally, you have to be consistent in the times and (...) I did not manage to compete this afternoon - or even all day", admitted the Welsh.

Rovanperä set seven of the day's nine scratch times.

Only the first and last special of the day, SS10 and SS18, escaped him.

If Evans won first, it was Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux (M-Sport Ford) who, against all odds, set the scratch time for SS18, a special on which the Finn conceded 4/10 to the Briton.

But nothing to worry Rovanperä which seems to be heading straight for its fifth victory of the season.

"There is nothing to do"

Announced among the favorites, Ott Tänak (Hyundai) is third, more than 1 min 10 sec behind the leader.

He never managed to respond to the leading men on Saturday.

"There is only one day left and there is nothing to do. The rally is still very interesting - the conditions are constantly changing and we have to stay focused," he said, still in third place. in the overall driver classification.

Estonian Ott Tanak, driving his Hyundai, during the 8th special of Rally Estonia, July 16, 2021 near Karste Timo Anis AFP / Archives

On land he knows so well, the Estonian is a priori out of the game for victory.

His rival in the championship, his teammate Thierry Neuville, second overall, pointing Saturday evening in 4th position, 2 min 20 sec from the Finn.

Earlier in the day, the Belgian had benefited from the setbacks of the Finn Esapekka Lappi (Toyota), who, after having to change wheels in the morning, lost more than two minutes.

He was then fourth, battling with Neuville, before dropping to 7th place.

As it stands, and without taking into account Sunday's "Power Stage" which rewards the first 5 with additional points in the championship, Tänak, 2019 world champion, would remain third, 15 points behind Neuville.

For now, in the world championship, Rovanperä, with 145 points, is well ahead of Neuville (80 pts) and Tänak (62 pts).

The last six stages of the Estonian rally will be contested on Sunday around Tartu (east), and could see a good fight for fifth place between Fourmaux, for the moment 6th but less than 11 seconds behind the Japanese Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) .

© 2022 AFP