Sardinia is renowned for its brutal rough gravel stages that test the WRC drivers and cars to the limit, and this year marks the event's 20-year anniversary.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera heads to the Italian island leading the championship by 17 points after scoring a much-needed victory in Portugal last month, ending a drought since lifting the 2022 world title in October last year.
The Finn will face a tall order to repeat the feat in Sardinia which he feels is perhaps the "trickiest” event of his campaign. Rovanpera will also face the disadvantage of starting first on the dusty stages.
His eight-time world champion team-mate Sebastien Ogier will however be tipped as one of the favourites having won the event on four previous occasions. The Frenchman, competing in a partial WRC campaign, will start third on the road.
Although, Toyota struggled for outright pace on the rough gravel last year, but has been working hard to arrest its form on the tricky surface. Sardinia and Greece were the only events where the team failed to score a podium last year.
Elfyn Evans will be among a number of drivers desperate to close the gap in the title race after a frightening crash resulted in leaving Portugal without any points. Likewise, stablemate Takamoto Katsuta will be looking to bounce back from an alternator issue that robbed him of a strong points haul in Portugal.
M-Sport’s Ott Tanak is Rovanpera’s nearest rival in the championship and is likely to be a threat if he can find the sweet spot in his Ford Puma, having previously enjoyed two wins in Sardinia. He will be joined in the M-Sport by Pierre-Louis Loubet, who scored a career best fourth there 12 months ago.
Source: Autosport