Competing in his third event for Hyundai after switching from Toyota, the one-time WRC winner set the fastest time on five of the day’s eight stages to lead six-time Rally Mexico winner Sebastien Ogier by 5.3s.
Lappi found himself locked in an intense fight with Ogier, the driver he alternated Toyota's third GR Yaris with in 2022, as the pair broke away from the chasing pack across Mexico’s challenging gravel stages.
