Sami Pajari delivered a masterclass performance on the opening day of WRC Rally Estonia, winning all seven stages to lead the championship’s fastest gravel event by 14.7 seconds heading into Saturday’s marathon nine-stage push.
Driving the Toyota Yaris Rally1 alongside co-driver Marko Salminen, Pajari swept the competitive field with clinical precision across the high-speed Estonian gravel roads. His consistency through the day’s 100+ kilometres of racing left rivals trailing in the dust, establishing an early buffer that will be crucial to navigate the brutal second day ahead.
Championship Contenders Stumble
The front-runners were hit hard by road position draw, with championship leader Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin hampered by running first on the road — a disadvantage that forced them to sweep loose gravel for competitors behind. The Toyota driver closed day one 49.8 seconds adrift of the pace, already facing an uphill battle to recover lost ground.
Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais ran third on the road order and managed a cleaner run, but the placement still cost them time relative to Pajari’s fifth-position advantage in the road order.
Oliver Solberg kept the pressure on Pajari, holding second place — 14.7 seconds behind — as the Norwegian eyes a confidence-building result heading into summer.
The Road Ahead
Saturday brings the championship’s toughest test: nine consecutive stages totalling nearly 150 kilometres of flat-out rallying. Road position will shuffle, and Pajari’s lead, while commanding after day one, remains vulnerable to the attrition and dramatic swings typical of Estonia’s demanding terrain.
The final day, Sunday, offers two more passes through select stages to determine the winner of this ninth World Rally Championship round.
