Elfyn Evans remains in third place at Rally Finland despite a dramatic roll of his Toyota on Saturday. The incident occurred during stage 14, where he and co-driver Scott Martin narrowly escaped serious injury after their car rolled over three times before getting stuck in a ditch. Fortunately, they only lost two minutes thanks to the assistance of spectators, allowing team mechanics to repair the GR Yaris for the subsequent stages.

In a shocking turn of events, Sebastien Ogier, the nine-time champion, crashed out of the lead during stage 17. Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia had a severe accident after running wide on a fast corner, crashing into trees. Both drivers exited the vehicle unassisted and were taken to the hospital for precautionary checks, though they were reported as conscious and generally okay.

As the rally progresses, Sami Pajari, who previously won his first rally in Estonia, has taken over the lead with a significant advantage of 46.4 seconds over his Toyota teammate Oliver Solberg. Evans' strong performance during the final stage helped him secure his position ahead of Adrien Fourmaux of Hyundai.

Key standings after stage 18 of 20 include:

• 1. Sami Pajari (Toyota) - 2:00.38.0
• 2. Oliver Solberg (Toyota) +46.6 seconds
• 3. Elfyn Evans (Toyota) +1:36.3
• 4. Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai) +1:40.1
• 5. Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) +2:54.5
• 6. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) +3:52.9
• 7. Josh McErlean (M-Sport Ford) +3:54.4

Evans expressed gratitude towards his team for their support and extended his thoughts to Ogier and Ingrassia, hoping for their swift recovery. Meanwhile, Jon Armstrong from Northern Ireland continues to compete despite a crash on the previous day, although he remains far from scoring points.