The overnight leader started the morning with a 1m23s margin but a front-left puncture on the loop’s penultimate test reduced his advantage to 16.8s over Hyundai’s Ott Tanak heading into the afternoon’s four stages.
Rovanpera’s issue has brought Tanak into the fight for victory after the 2019 world champion was elevated into second once teammate Thierry Neuville was demoted to fourth overall, after incurring a one-minute penalty for speeding during a road section on Friday.
