Thierry Neuville’s WRC title hopes took another jolt following a bizarre liaison section spin at Rally RACC Catalunya - Rally de España on Saturday morning

He climbed to fifth following the day’s second speed test at El Pont d’Armentera, just a second adrift of an intense fight for second. He ended the stage with no hydraulic pressure and stopped en route to the following Savallà test to make repairs to his Hyundai i20.

The engine refused to fire up and in his haste to reach the Savallà start on time, Neuville spun and damaged the rear of the car. He eventually started three minutes late, incurring a 30 second penalty, before conceding 12sec to Juho Hänninen’s fastest time.

The Belgian returned to mid-leg service in Salou in eighth, almost 40sec adrift of title rival Sébastien Ogier and facing the prospect of conceding more points to the Frenchman.

Kris Meeke continued to lead, the Citroën C3 pilot saying: “We targeted a push on the first stage and it’s been a really good morning. The last stage was new, and there was quite a lot of pollution pulled out so we took it carefully.” 

Behind Meeke, it was all change again. Four drivers started Savallà split by a single second in the overall standings. When they emerged, Ott Tänak had displaced Dani Sordo in second, with Ogier also now ahead of the Spaniard.

Changes to the set-up of Tänak’s Ford Fiesta left the Estonian happier, although he reported a possible transmission problem. He had a 0.3sec advantage over frustrated team-mate Ogier, who struggled to generate the pace he expected, with Sordo 0.8sec further back.

Overnight leader Andreas Mikkelsen could not reproduce his gravel pace on asphalt and was fifth, 20.8sec off the lead. “It’s easier to fight at the top on gravel than asphalt. On asphalt you have to be so precise and I need more time in the car,” said the i20 debutant.

Hänninen enjoyed a stellar morning in his Toyota Yaris. The Finn won both SS7 and SS8 to climb to sixth with a comfortable margin over Mads Østberg in seventh. Behind Neuville, Esapekka Lappi and Stéphane Lefebvre completed the top 10.

Andreas Mikkelsen was the surprise leader of Rallyracc catalunya - Rally de España after a fascinating opening on Friday morning.

Driving a Hyundai i20 in competition for the first time after signing for the Korean manufacturer last month, Mikkelsen vaulted from fifth to first after winning the tough Terra Alta speed test which closed the morning’s action.

With tyres already showing wear after two gravel tests, managing the rubber through the 39km special stage, which also contained several abrasive and technical asphalt sections, was key. Mikkelsen mastered it.

He was fastest by 2.7sec to lead fellow Norwegian Mads Østberg by 0.6sec and said: “I made some differential changes before the stage and it’s better now. I start to feel more and more at home.”

Østberg was second quickest but continued to struggle with dust entering his Ford Fiesta’s cockpit. “It's ridiculous, I don’t see in the stage and Torstein (co-driver Eriksen) is struggling with this voice,” he explained.

Road opener Sébastien Ogier had the worst of the conditions but the championship leader climbed to third overall in his Fiesta, 4.0sec behind Østberg. He finished with two badly worn tyres but third fastest was his reward for a fine drive.

Fourth was Ott Tänak, the Estonian slipping back from the lead and 7.4sec behind Mikkelsen after a slow puncture in his Fiesta. “On the Tarmac section we had a tyre alarm. It was disturbing and I lost my rhythm,” he explained.

Kris Meeke dropped time on the mid-stage asphalt but the Citroën C3 pilot was just 0.2sec behind Tänak in fifth place, with Dani Sordo completing the top six in another i20.

There was a glum expression on Thierry Neuville’s face at the stage finish. The Belgian was the only driver to opt for soft compound rubber all round and it was a decision he regretted.

“Not the greatest choice. The information was the soft compounds would last at least 50km, but the temperature was higher than expected and they went off after 10km. We couldn’t take advantage,” said Neuville, who was seventh and 15.8sec off the lead.

Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hänninen were eighth and ninth in Toyota Yaris cars, with Elfyn Evans completing the leaderboard after clipping a stone near the finish. The impact broke his Fiesta’s front left wheel.

Esapekka Lappi conceded 30sec after losing the brakes in his Yaris on the asphalt.

Sébastien Ogier has paused negotiations about his WRC future after admitting the process is moving more slowly than expected.

The defending champion is nearing the end of his one-year deal with M-Sport and had hoped to have his 2018 plans sorted by this weekend's RallyRACC Catalunya - Rally de España. 

But with interest confirmed from Citroën and M-Sport, and rumours in Spain of a third bid from Hyundai, Ogier has put 2018 talks on hold temporarily so he can focus on the upcoming rally. 

"I hoped to have made a decision by now but it's not easy for anyone," Ogier said. "We are all dependant on big groups, or manufacturers, which don't take decisions very quickly, and that is making the discussions quite long. Let's say this ping-pong exchange is going slower than expected."

"This week I have things on my mind that are even more important. I need to focus on the rally, I need to achieve a good result and I want to make one more step towards my next title. And that's what matters the most right now.

As he gears up for this week's mixed surface encounter in Spain, Ogier emphasised next year's decision would be driven by championship-winning potential. 

"I want to continue to be competitive, that's the main thing," he explained.

"That's why I explore the options, I have to see where I can be the most competitive - and for that you need a good car, good people around you and strong motivation to achieve it."

M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson backed Ogier's decision to concentrate on the title fight.

"Seb wanted to get things sorted before the rally, but a week ago we decided to stop discussing it because he wanted to concentrate on this event," Wilson told wrc.com.

"In terms of our negotiations, nothing has changed in the six-week break. Right now he's committed to trying to win the championship."

Wilson also said it was too early to say if Ford's recent decision to end its World Rallycross programme at the end of the year would boost his chances of retaining Ogier. 

"We are still in regular discussion with Ford, and obviously they are looking at a new strategy going forward, but there is nothing that I can say about what they are planning to do with the funds that were used in WRX,"he said.

Sébastien Ogier was fastest in a sun-kissed shakedown at Rallyracc Catalunya on Thursday morning.

The Frenchman blasted his Ford Fiesta through the 2.97km mixed surface speed test on the edge of Salou 0.3sec quicker than longtime leader Kris Meeke. Dani Sordo and Ott Tänak were tied in third, 0.8sec further back.

The opening 1km used dirt roads before switching to asphalt for the rest of the distance and Spanish hero Sordo set the pace in the opening run in his Hyundai i20.   

Citroën C3 driver Meeke moved to the head of standings after the second run and looked secure until Ogier pipped him with fastest time in his fourth and final pass.

Jari-Matti Latvala was fourth in a Toyota Yaris with Mads Østberg completing the top six in another Fiesta.

None of the leading drivers encountered major problems, although Esapekka Lappi stalled his Yaris’ engine during his first pass.

LEADING SHAKEDOWN TIMES