Hat-trick within reach: Toyota youngster Pajari on course for victory in Paraguay

Sami Pajeri heads into the final day of the Rally Paraguay with a lead of 24.1 seconds over the astonishingly strong Hyundai driver Hayden Paddon.

The Toyota driver started Saturday with a lead of 11.9 seconds. Pajeri steadily extended his lead over Paddon during the morning, before grazing the roadside barrier at high speed on the first run of the Hohenau special stage, tearing off the upper section of the rear wing on his GR Yaris Rally1.

Die Paraguay-Überraschung Paddon Hayden weiter vorne dabei

Foto: XPB

The 24-year-old nevertheless reached the midday service with a lead of 22.8 seconds. After replacing the damaged aerodynamic part, he continued to control the rally in the afternoon as well.

A slip on the Bella Vista special stage provided another brief moment of alarm. Nevertheless, he was still faster than Paddon there. Pajari also maintained his composure as tyre management became increasingly important on the difficult terrain.

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Rallye Paraguay: Powerstage

FIA World Rally Championship

30.08.2026 - 19:00

“For me, this rally is a different challenge to those in Estonia and Finland. Now it’s all about just surviving here,” commented Pajari.

Hayden Paddon remains comfortably in second place in his first World Rally Championship gravel outing since 2018.

WM-Leader Elfyn Evans (noch) weiter auf Podestkurs

Foto: Red Bull

The New Zealander struggled to rediscover the rhythm that had briefly taken him to the top on Friday. However, the part-time Hyundai driver increasingly focused on conserving his tyres and simply avoiding problems.

The Kiwi finished Saturday with a 32.2-second lead over Evans.

Adrien Fourmaux made a significant leap forward in the standings. The Hyundai driver claimed no fewer than five stage wins during his spectacular comeback. The Frenchman reduced the gap to third-placed Elfyn Evans – which had stood at more than 55 seconds at the start of the day – to just 3.3 seconds.

In the morning, Fourmaux won the Bella Vista Sur and Hohenau special stages, before securing three more special stage victories in a row in the afternoon.

World Championship leader Evans continued to focus on avoiding unnecessary risks in a rally that has already hit many of the leading teams hard.

“To be honest, Adrien has driven a completely different rally to everyone else. He’s simply putting all his eggs in one basket,” said Elfyn Evans.

Adrien Fourmaux sammelte WP-Siege en bloc

Foto: Red Bull

Behind them, another close battle was unfolding. Oliver Solberg climbed to fifth place after Josh McErlean spun on the final special stage and knocked over a billboard at the side of the road.

Local hero Diego Domínguez (Toyota) continues to fly the Paraguayan flag high – he is seventh overall and leads the WRC2 standings. M-Sport driver Jon Armstrong is in eighth place, whilst WRC2 rivals Gus Greensmith and Fau Zaldivar (both Toyota) round off the top 10.

As heavy rain had been forecast, the teams expected Saturday’s conditions to be dramatically different from Friday’s. Several drivers opted for softer set-up settings designed for wet conditions. Instead, the special stages turned out to be mostly dry, but also slippery.

Thierry Neuville mit seinem Hyundai als Amphibienfahrzeug

Foto: Red Bull

Takumoto Katsuta (Toyota) set the fastest time on the Encarnacion Costanera Super Special Stage, which took place at the end of the day in tricky conditions.

As heavy rain had been forecast, the teams expected Saturday’s conditions to be dramatically different from Friday’s. Several drivers opted for softer set-up settings designed for wet conditions. Instead, the special stages turned out to be largely dry, but also slippery.

Sunday’s decisive final leg comprises five special stages totalling 68.16 kilometres.