The Finn Esapekka Lappi (Toyota) opened up a tiny lead on the first day of the Rally Sardinia.
After the first special stages, the 31-year-old is 0.7 seconds ahead of Ott Tänak from Estonia (Hyundai). In third place is Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet (Ford/+15.1).
Kalle Rovanperä (Finland/Toyota), winner of the last three stages and leader in the overall World Championship standings, suffered a setback at the start. With a deficit of more than a minute, the rally prodigy is only in eighth place.