Competing in his first event as a full-season Rally1 driver, the Toyota Gazoo Racing competitor continued to manage changing conditions effectively, responding consistently across the day’s six stages to end the leg with a 1min 08.4sec advantage in the French Alps.

Friday’s itinerary presented a contrasting challenge to Thursday night’s opening loop. Snow and slush in the morning were replaced by mud and standing water in the afternoon, requiring crews to adapt their approach throughout the day.

Solberg set the early pace by winning SS4 before sustaining a front-left puncture on the first pass of Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert / La Motte-Chalancon. He responded by setting the fastest times on the following two stages to consolidate his lead.

Behind the leader, the contest for second position developed over the course of the day. Elfyn Evans began Friday ahead of team-mate Sébastien Ogier, but the gap gradually reduced as conditions evolved. Evans claimed stage wins on SS5 and SS8, while Ogier closed consistently, reducing the margin to 6.5 seconds by the overnight halt.

Adrien Fourmaux completed the day in fourth position, despite encountering technical issues affecting his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 during the afternoon. He ended the leg more than one minute ahead of team-mate Thierry Neuville.

Neuville lost significant time on SS9 after running wide into a ditch early in the stage, dropping to fifth overall by the end of the day.

Jon Armstrong adopted a cautious approach in the final loop following earlier tyre issues, bringing his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 home in sixth position. Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon completed the leg seventh overall, continuing to build experience and confidence across the day.

WRC2 competitors Léo Rossel, Eric Camilli and Nikolay Gryazin completed the top ten. Takamoto Katsuta fell to 12th overall after a challenging day affected by tyre and power steering issues, while Josh McErlean retired following an off on SS9.

The rally continues on Saturday as crews travel south from Gap towards Monaco, where four further stages are scheduled, including a super special stage in the Principality.