Saturday at the Croatia Rally delivered the kind of drama that defines the World Rally Championship, as Thierry Neuville stormed into the lead after a punishing afternoon flipped the event on its head. What began as a composed, tactical battle quickly turned into a high-pressure survival test, with tyre trouble, deteriorating road surfaces, and sudden setbacks changing the leaderboard in spectacular fashion. By the end of the day, Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe had turned a deficit into a dominant overnight advantage, putting Hyundai in a powerful position heading into Sunday’s final stages.
The Belgian star’s surge to the top came after one of the most dramatic reversals of the rally so far. Neuville had started the day 13.7 seconds behind Toyota Gazoo Racing youngster Sami Pajari, who had been in command since Friday morning. Pajari looked poised, mature, and calm under pressure, continuing to manage the rally with discipline on roads that were increasingly difficult to read. But in rallying, momentum can disappear in an instant, and Saturday afternoon proved exactly that.
Earlier in the day, Pajari was still very much in control. The Finn navigated tricky leaf-covered roads, heavy road pollution, and wildly inconsistent grip with confidence, maintaining his lead while keeping both Neuville and Takamoto Katsuta within reach but still behind. Katsuta briefly moved into second overall on SS10, yet Neuville answered back with a strong run on the new Generalski Stol test to reclaim the spot. At midday, Pajari still held a 12.4-second advantage over Neuville, while Katsuta sat another 12.7 seconds back in third. At that stage, the event seemed set up for a tense but controlled fight to the finish.
Then came the brutal afternoon loop.
What had been a battle of pace and management suddenly became a rally of attrition. The second pass through Generalski Stol – Zdihovo delivered road conditions that resembled gravel more than tarmac, exposing crews to harsh surface changes and a rising risk of punctures. Katsuta opened the loop with the fastest time on SS13, trimming Neuville’s cushion in the fight for second, while Pajari remained steady at the front. But the tone of the day changed completely on SS14, when tyre drama exploded throughout the field.
Drivers began suffering one setback after another. Jon Armstrong stopped to change a wheel. Hayden Paddon picked up a front-left deflation. Katsuta also had tyre trouble. Yet the most devastating moment belonged to Pajari, whose Toyota was hit with the costliest blow of all. Forced to stop and change a wheel, he haemorrhaged more than two minutes and lost the rally lead in a single crushing twist. What had looked like a breakthrough weekend for the young Finn suddenly turned into damage limitation. By the overnight halt, Pajari had dropped to third overall, now 1 minute 46.4 seconds behind the leader.
Neuville, by contrast, kept everything together. The Hyundai driver ended Saturday with a commanding 1 minute 14.5 second lead over Katsuta, emerging as the biggest winner from the chaos. His pace had been strong all weekend, but his real edge on Saturday came from balancing speed with clean execution when the rally became unpredictable. Neuville said the car had felt better from the beginning of the weekend and that he and the team had been able to improve it step by step. That rhythm, combined with his experience, allowed him to capitalize when others were forced into costly mistakes or mechanical trouble.
Katsuta also deserves major credit for the discipline he showed. Although frustrated by losing time during the afternoon, the Toyota driver stayed composed while the rally unraveled around him. That patience elevated him into second overall, placing him as Neuville’s closest challenger heading into Sunday. In a rally filled with unpredictable grip and tyre damage, Katsuta’s ability to remain controlled may prove just as important as raw speed.
Beyond the top three, Saturday featured several important performances across the field. Restarting after Friday’s early exit, Oliver Solberg produced a stunning response by winning every stage from SS9 to SS12 before a puncture stopped his clean sweep on SS13. Elfyn Evans, also out of the overall fight after his Friday crash, still showed determination by claiming victory on SS16. Armstrong again underlined his growing confidence with a string of strong times despite his own issues, while Josh McErlean endured a punishing day that included a cockpit fire, repeated punctures, and electrical problems in the M-Sport Ford Puma.
Paddon, meanwhile, quietly delivered one of the most impressive drives of the day. On his Croatia Rally debut, he managed to nurse an earlier puncture without stopping and held firm in fourth overall, 3 minutes 28.2 seconds off the lead. Yohan Rossel completed Saturday in fifth place and continued to lead the WRC2 battle, maintaining a strong presence in one of the event’s most competitive support categories.
Here are four major takeaways from Saturday’s dramatic action in Croatia:
- Thierry Neuville seized the lead after starting the day 13.7 seconds behind Sami Pajari.
- Sami Pajari’s rally changed on SS14, where a wheel change cost him more than two minutes.
- Takamoto Katsuta climbed to second overall by staying calm and disciplined through the chaos.
- Only four stages remain, with just under 60km of competitive action left before the Croatia Rally winner is decided.
After SS16 of 20, the top six standings were led by Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 at 2h 20m 20.8s, followed by Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston at +1m 14.5s, and Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen at +1m 46.4s. Hayden Paddon / John Kennard held fourth, while Yohan Rossel / Arnaud Dunand and Léo Rossel / Guillaume Mercoiret completed the top six. With Sunday now in sight, Neuville stands on the edge of what could be his first victory of the season for Hyundai Motorsport. But if Croatia Rally has proven anything, it is that nothing is settled until the final kilometer is complete.
Report by David Roslaes, Sports News Reporter
