The European gravel season is underway and, after an action-packed Rally Portugal three weeks ago, we’re back at it with Rally Italia Sardegna.
A quick glance at the result from Portugal may suggest it was a predictable affair, but Sébastien Ogier taking advantage of his road position to win the rally didn’t tell the whole story. Damper conditions on Friday helped Thierry Neuville offset his comprised road position and meant he came away with his championship lead increased.
Will he have the same good fortune in Sardinia? Running order is sure to play a role, but this is a very different rally to the one we watched three weeks ago. It may be some 34 miles shorter than it was in 2023 but, make no mistake, this is still one of the most challenging events on the calendar. Attrition could impact the result every bit as much as on-stage performance.
Here’s our form guide ahead of this year’s Rally Sardinia.
#11 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 3rd-3rd-5th
Best Italy result: 1st (2016, 2018 & 2023)
Many people had written-off Thierry Neuville prior to Rally Portugal, but the Hyundai driver put in a stellar performance to finish third on a rally where he could so easily have been fifth or sixth.
He extended his championship lead and, while he doesn’t have a full rally’s worth of points in hand, a 24-point buffer is a significant advantage after just five rounds of the championship.
Rain in the days and weeks before the rally helped Neuville in Portugal. There have also been weather warnings in the region of Sardinia in recent weeks, but another determined performance will be required in order to ensure he leaves the island with his commanding championship lead intact.
Neuville has a good record in Sardinia on his side too. He has won the rally three times and goes into this weekend as the man with his that inscribed his name on the winner’s trophy most recently. He would no-doubt love to add a fourth victory to his tally but maintaining a healthy gap to Elfyn Evans will still be considered a job well done.
#33 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 6th-2nd-4th
Best Italy result: 2nd (2021)
This is not how it was supposed to be. With Kalle Rovanperä on a part-time schedule in 2024, this was supposed to be Elfyn Evans’ year. So far, it isn’t panning out that way.
While Neuville overcame the challenge of running first on the road in Portugal, Evans struggled to get comfortable in the Yaris. His problems were compounded by a puncture on the Friday, not to mention Scott Martin leaving his pacenotes at a time control prior to the same stage.
Despite this difficult result, there are some positives to take to Sardinia. Evans was sure he had found an improved setup for the Toyota on the final day in Portugal, and the pre-event test for this weekend was carried out on the island, so the Welshman should know what to expect.
He also needs to remember that, prior to Portugal, he was on a good run of form. He may not have won a rally so far this season, but he has been on the podium three times. A win here might be a big ask, but it’s not impossible, and it could be the thing that kicks his title charge back into life.
#8 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 2nd-4th-8th
Best Italy result: 1st (2017 & 2022)
Ott Tänak has had a difficult start to 2024, but Portugal finally gave the Estonian a reason to be cheerful. He still wasn’t comfortable in the i20 Rally1, but the Hyundai driver appeared to have accepted that he was just going to have to make the best of it. That he most certainly did; leaving with 26 points – more than any other driver.
Tänak is a two-time winner in Sardinia, and his most recent victory was with Hyundai back in 2022. His road position isn’t ideal (he has passed Adrien Fourmaux in the championship standings so starts third) but, winning in the i20 when it was still so underdeveloped demonstrates that the Hyundai driver has a good chance to repeat that result this weekend.
The gap to Elfyn Evans in the title race is now just seven points, so there will be plenty of motivation to maximize the result and make it a Hyundai one-two in the drivers’ standings.
#16 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 4th-17th-3rd
Best Italy result: 30th (2021)
Sardinia has not been kind to Adrien Fourmaux. Last time he was in top machinery on the island in 2022, he crashed out of the rally, only to suffer the same fate when he returned in 2023 as part of his enforced demotion to WRC2.
This is a different year however, and it’s a very different Adrien Fourmaux. The M-Sport driver looks a more mature, measured competitor in 2024. A mistake on the final day in Croatia was a blip, but his performances otherwise have been solid and fourth place in Portugal was another demonstration of how he has learned to close-out rallies and bring home solid points.
He may have slipped behind Tänak in the championship standings, but he will at least benefit from not having to sweep quite so much loose gravel from the road this weekend. Perhaps the most important target for Fourmaux is to keep the Puma in one piece and lay to rest the ghosts of his last two visits to Sardinia.
#18 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 29th-5th-2nd
Best Italy result: 4th (2021)
It’s fair to say that Rally Portugal was a mixed event for Takamoto Katsuta. On Friday lunchtime, he was leading the rally. By Saturday afternoon, an impact with a stone wall had broken the Toyota’s rear suspension and ended any hope of a good result.
Rally-winning pace is clearly now within Katsuta’s repertoire, as demonstrated by the Japanese scoring maximum Super Sunday points in Croatia and finishing second in Kenya. What isn’t yet there is the consistency to take that speed and use it to climb onto the top step of the podium.
Katsuta finished fourth in Sardinia back in 2021 and followed that with sixth in 2022. Mechanical issues spoiled the overall result in 2023, but there were the flashes of speed we have now become used to, particularly on the final day. This weekend could be another opportunity to take the speed and finally finish the job.
#17 Sébastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 1st-1st-2nd
Best Italy result: 1st (2013, 2014, 2015 & 2021)
He’s very on a roll. In a very good way. Would you bet against the eight-time world champion, right now? Not sure I would. He arrives into Alghero following back-to-back wins in Croatia and Portugal. He’s relaxed, racy and ready to score his first WRC hat-trick since 2016.
What’s more, he’s fifth on the road on Friday. For years he came to this event ready to accept his fate as the road sweeper for following, not this time. Providing the weather stays dry, we could be in for an Ogier masterclass. The only negative for him is, obviously, the shortened first loop. That will only serve to drive him harder and faster on the roads inland from Castelsardo.
Right now, two drivers sit at the top of the table when it comes to Sardinian WRC wins: Ogier and his countryman Sébastien Loeb. They’re four-all. It’s hard to imagine a better moment for eight times to get one up on nine times.
#6 Dani Sordo (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: 5th-DNF-3rd
Best Italy result: 1st (2019 & 2020)
Sardinia will be the second time we’ve seen Dani Sordo in 2024, as the Hyundai part-timer is brought in to help the Korean manufacturer in its quest to wrestle the makes’ prize from the all-conquering Toyota.
Sordo did a solid job in Portugal, finishing in fifth place overall and setting three fastest times on Friday. He was never going to be allowed to interfere with the result of his team-mates, though he was within touching distance at the end of Saturday.
Sordo is a two-time winner in Sardinia, albeit in the previous generation of Hyundai i20, but his experience will be a valuable asset to the team as always. Make no mistake though, the Hyundai driver is very much in a supporting role. If he can get himself to the front, he will be allowed to stay there provided it serves the team, but his result will quickly be sacrificed if it means more points for Neuville.
#13 Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1)
Last 3 WRC results: DNF-7th-15th
Best Portugal result: 11th (2023) (7th in WRC2)
There is major contrast between the two sides of the M-Sport service area right now. While Adrien Fourmaux is in the ascendancy, Grégoire Munster is yet to find the same groove from which to grind out results.
He crashed out on the final day in Portugal, dropping his Puma off the road and into retirement. Seventh in Croatia was better, but suspension damage in Kenya and two offs in Monte Carlo point to a driver that needs to find an uptick in form.
We should of course remember that Munster is still learning. He finished seventh in WRC2 in Sardinia in 2023, and what was his first attempt at the rally. This year it will be about continuing that journey of education. However, you can’t learn from the side of the road, so a finish must be top of the priority list.
