Championship standings prior to the event

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia entered the round with a seventeen-point lead in the World Championships for Drivers and Co-drivers. In the World Championship for Manufacturers, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT held a four-point lead over M-Sport Ford WRT.

Entry list

The following crews were entered into the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2, and the World Rally Championship-3. The final entry list consisted of twelve World Rally Car entries and ten crews entered in the World Rally Championship-2. There were no entries for the World Rally Championship-3.

No.	Entrant	Driver	Co-Driver	Car	Tyre
World Rally Car entries
1	M-Sport Ford WRT	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	M
2	M-Sport Ford WRT	Elfyn Evans	Daniel Barritt	Ford Fiesta WRC	M
3	M-Sport Ford WRT	Teemu Suninen	Mikko Markkula	Ford Fiesta WRC	M
4	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Andreas Mikkelsen	Anders Jæger-Synnevaag	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	M
5	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Thierry Neuville	Nicolas Gilsoul	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	M
6	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Dani Sordo	Carlos del Barrio	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	M
7	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Jari-Matti Latvala	Miikka Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	M
8	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Ott Tänak	Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	M
9	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Esapekka Lappi	Janne Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	M
10	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Kris Meeke	Paul Nagle	Citroën C3 WRC	M
11	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Craig Breen	Scott Martin	Citroën C3 WRC	M
12	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Khalid Al-Qassimi	Chris Patterson	Citroën C3 WRC	M
World Rally Championship-2 entries
31	Škoda Motorsport	Pontus Tidemand	Jonas Andersson	Škoda Fabia R5	M
32	Gus Greensmith	Gus Greensmith	Craig Parry	Ford Fiesta R5	M
33	Pedro Heller	Pedro Heller	Pablo Olmos	Ford Fiesta R5	M
34	Marco Bulacia Wilkinson	Marco Bulacia Wilkinson	Fernando Mussano	Ford Fiesta R5	M
35	Škoda Motorsport	Kalle Rovanperä	Jonne Halttunen	Škoda Fabia R5	M
36	Nil Solans	Nil Solans	Miquel Ibañez	Ford Fiesta R5	D
37	Gustavo Saba	Gustavo Saba	Marcelo der Ohannesian	Škoda Fabia R5	D
38	Diego Domínguez	Diego Domínguez	Edgardo Galindo	Hyundai i20 R5	D
39	Tiago Weiler	Tiago Weiler	Fabian Cretu	Škoda Fabia R5	D
40	M-Sport Ford WRT	Alberto Heller	José Diaz	Ford Fiesta R5	M
Other major entries
81	Wevers Sport[lower-alpha 1]	Ole Christian Veiby	Stig Rune Skjærmoen	Škoda Fabia R5	M
Source:[6]

Pre-event

Khalid Al-Qassimi drove Citroën's third car in the rally.

Citroën expanded its operations to include a third entry.^[6] Craig Breen and Scott Martin returned to drive one car,^[6] having given up their seats in Mexico and Corsica to make way for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena.^[7] Khalid Al-Qassimi and Chris Patterson are making their first appearance of the season, driving Citroën's third car.^[6]

Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula returned to drive M-Sport Ford's third entry.^[6] Suninen and Markkula had been replaced by tarmac specialists Bryan Bouffier and Xavier Panseri in Tour de Corse.^[7] Daniel Barritt also returned as Elfyn Evans' co-driver after being forced to miss the Tour de Corse to recover from a concussion sustained in an accident in Rally Mexico.^[6][8][9]

Thursday

Defending rally winner Thierry Neuville edged Ott Tänak's Toyota Yaris by 0.3 second over the mixed surface roads in the town centre. Championship leader Sébastien Ogier was a further 0.1 second back in third in a Fiesta. Andreas Mikkelsen was half a second off the pace, despite twice understeering through roundabouts. From fifth to ninth were Kris Meeke, Esapekka Lappi, Teemu Suninen, Dani Sordo, the Shakedown winner Jari-Matti Latvala. Elfyn Evans, who originally finished eleventh, climbed up to tenth after Craig Breen received a 10-second penalty for checking out late at the time control.^[10]

Friday

Although Ott Tänak got a half-spin in the second stage, he managed to gain a significant lead in subsequent stages, winning five of six special stages which earned him a 22.7-second lead over Kris Meeke, much to the astonishment of his rivals. Thierry Neuville ended the day at the third place, margined his teammate Dani Sordo by less than one second, while defending world champion Sébastien Ogier was a further 6.9 seconds behind. Craig Breen was seventh on the board, 41.2 seconds off the lead. Early leader Andreas Mikkelsen got a puncture in SS6, relegating him to seventh place, along with Esapekka Lappi who also suffered from two punctures. The Finn was in the thick of the podium battle but plunged to eighth. Elfyn Evans was ninth, the Welshman frustrated by his lack of pace, with Fiesta teammate Teemu Suninen completed the leaderboard. Jari-Matti Latvala was forced to retire from the rally after his Yaris' front right suspension and engine's oiling system sustained significant damage.^[11]

Saturday

Ott Tänak was almost unbeatable in the rally. He set another five fastest stage times out of seven. His lead is now up to 46.5 seconds overall. Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo, who gained the podium place after Kris Meeke suffered a puncture and dropped to eighth, were the only two drivers to snatch stage victories from the Yaris diver. They were separated by 21.7 seconds. Defending world champion Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen climbed up to fourth and fifth overall respectively, followed by Esapekka Lappi, another 29.1 seconds behind. Elfyn Evans was seventh in another Fiesta, nearly three minutes off the lead. Teammate Teemu Suninen and WRC 2 leader Kalle Rovanperä finished in the top ten. Craig Breen rolled his C3 out of sixth, which damaged his roll cage. He was forced to retire.^[12]

Sunday

Ott Tänak dominated the rally and took his first rally victory of the season and first for his team, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.^[13] Thierry Neuville finished second with five Power Stage points, while his teammate Dani Sordo completed the podium. Defending world champion Sébastien Ogier finished fourth overall, margined Andreas Mikkelsen by just four seconds. Teammate Elfyn Evans finished sixth in another Fiesta, over three minutes off the lead. Kris Meeke finished at the seventh place after Saturday's puncture. Esapekka Lappi, Teemu Suninen and WRC 2 winner Pontus Tidemand, who recapture the position of category leader after Kalle Rovanperä rolled out in second to last stage, completed the leaderboard.

Top ten finishers

The following crews finished the rally in each class's top ten.^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Position		No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Time	Difference	Points
Event	Class								Class	Stage
Overall classification
1	1	8	Ott Tänak	Martin Järveoja	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC	3:43:28.9	0.0	25	2
2	2	5	Thierry Neuville	Nicolas Gilsoul	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	3:44:06.6	+37.7	18	5
3	3	6	Dani Sordo	Carlos del Barrio	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	3:44:44.6	+1:15.7	15	0
4	4	1	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	3:45:27.5	+1:58.6	12	4
5	5	4	Andreas Mikkelsen	Anders Jæger-Synnevaag	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	3:45:31.5	+2:02.6	10	3
6	6	2	Elfyn Evans	Daniel Barritt	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	3:46:35.2	+3:06.3	8	0
7	7	10	Kris Meeke	Paul Nagle	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	3:46:54.6	+3:25.7	6	1
8	8	9	Esapekka Lappi	Janne Ferm	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC	3:48:01.5	+4:32.6	4	0
9	9	3	Teemu Suninen	Mikko Markkula	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta WRC	3:49:07.5	+5:38.6	2	0
10	10	31	Pontus Tidemand	Jonas Andersson	Škoda Motorsport	Škoda Fabia R5	3:55:44.7	+12:15.8	1	0
World Rally Championship-2
10	1	31	Pontus Tidemand	Jonas Andersson	Škoda Motorsport	Škoda Fabia R5	3:55:44.7	0.0	25	—
12	2	32	Gus Greensmith	Craig Parry	Gus Greensmith	Ford Fiesta R5	4:03:23.8	+7:39.1	18	—
15	3	33	Pedro Heller	Pablo Almos	Pedro Heller	Ford Fiesta R5	4:04:47.6	+9:02.9	15	—
16	4	38	Diego Domínguez	Edgardo Galindo	Diego Domínguez	Hyundai i20 R5	4:11:34.3	+15:49.6	12	—
18	5	36	Nil Solans	Miquel Ibáñez	Nil Solans	Ford Fiesta R5	4:33:28.6	+37:43.9	10	—
Source:[14][15]

Other notable finishers

The following notable crews finished the rally outside top ten.^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Position		No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Class	Time	Points
Event	Class								Stage
14	14	12	Khalid Al-Qassimi	Chris Patterson	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	WRC	4:04:47.2	0
Source:[14][15]

Special stages

Overall classification
Day	Stage	Name	Length	Winner	Car	Time	Class leader
26 April	—	Villa Carlos Paz [Shakedown]	4.25 km	Jari-Matti Latvala	Toyota Yaris WRC	2:31.5	—
	SS1	SSS Villa Carlos Paz	1.9 km	Thierry Neuville	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	1:54.4	Thierry Neuville
27 April	SS2	Las Bajadas / Villa del Dique 1	16.65 km	Sébastien Ogier	Ford Fiesta WRC	8:55.7	Sébastien Ogier
	SS3	Amboy / Yacanto 1	33.58 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	19:19.9	Andreas Mikkelsen
	SS4	Santa Rosa / San Agustín 1	23.85 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	13:42.6
	SS5	SSS Fernet Branca 1	6.04 km	Dani Sordo	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	4:42.0	Ott Tänak
	SS6	Las Bajadas / Villa del Dique 2	16.65 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	8:43.4
	SS7	Amboy / Yacanto 2	33.58 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	19:18.7
	SS8	Santa Rosa - San Agustín 2	23.85 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	13:35.0
28 April	SS9	Tanti - Mataderos 1	13.92 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	9:00.1
	SS10	Los Gigantes - Cuchilla Nevada 1	16.02 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	8:16.7
	SS11	Cuchilla Nevada - Rio Pintos 1	40.48 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	24:31.0
	SS12	SSS Fernet Branca 2	6.04 km	Thierry Neuville	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	4:40.8
	SS13	Tanti - Mataderos 2	13.92 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	8:59.9
	SS14	Los Gigantes - Cuchilla Nevada 2	16.02 km	Ott Tänak	Toyota Yaris WRC	8:15.5
	SS15	Cuchilla Nevada - Rio Pintos 2	40.48 km	Dani Sordo	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	24:03.0
29 April	SS16	Copina - El Condor	16.43 km	Andreas Mikkelsen	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	13:09.5
	SS17	Giulio Cesare - Mina Clavero	22.41 km	Thierry Neuville	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	18:31.3
	SS18	El Cóndor [Power stage]	16.43 km	Thierry Neuville	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	13:00.8
World Rally Championship-2
26 April	—	Villa Carlos Paz [Shakedown]	4.25 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	2:41.3	—
	SS1	SSS Villa Carlos Paz	1.9 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	1:57.5	Kalle Rovanperä
27 April	SS2	Las Bajadas / Villa del Dique 1	16.65 km	Pontus Tidemand	Škoda Fabia R5	9:54.8	Pontus Tidemand
	SS3	Amboy / Yacanto 1	33.58 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	20:42.9
	SS4	Santa Rosa / San Agustín 1	23.85 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	14:29.1
	SS5	SSS Fernet Branca 1	6.04 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	4:46.8
	SS6	Las Bajadas / Villa del Dique 2	16.65 km	Pontus Tidemand	Škoda Fabia R5	9:24.8
	SS7	Amboy / Yacanto 2	33.58 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	20:29.1
	SS8	Santa Rosa - San Agustín 2	23.85 km	Pontus Tidemand	Škoda Fabia R5	14:19.3
28 April	SS9	Tanti - Mataderos 1	13.92 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	9:25.1
	SS10	Los Gigantes - Cuchilla Nevada 1	16.02 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	8:49.5
	SS11	Cuchilla Nevada - Rio Pintos 1	40.48 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	26:09.5	Kalle Rovanperä
	SS12	SSS Fernet Branca 2	6.04 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	4:48.1
	SS13	Tanti - Mataderos 2	13.92 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	9:20.2
	SS14	Los Gigantes - Cuchilla Nevada 2	16.02 km	Kalle Rovanperä	Škoda Fabia R5	8:43.6
	SS15	Cuchilla Nevada - Rio Pintos 2	40.48 km	Pontus Tidemand	Škoda Fabia R5	25:20.0
29 April	SS16	Copina - El Condor	16.43 km	Pontus Tidemand	Škoda Fabia R5	13:29.8
	SS17	Giulio Cesare - Mina Clavero	22.41 km	Pontus Tidemand	Škoda Fabia R5	18:45.6	Pontus Tidemand
	SS18	El Cóndor	16.43 km	Pontus Tidemand	Škoda Fabia R5	13:42.0

Power stage

The Power stage was a 16.43 km stage at the end of the rally. Additional World Championship points were awarded to the five fastest crews.

Pos.	Driver	Co-driver	Car	Time	Diff.	Pts.
1	Thierry Neuville	Nicolas Gilsoul	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	13:00.8	0.0	5
2	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	13:01.3	+0.5	4
3	Andreas Mikkelsen	Anders Jæger-Synnevaag	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	13:01.5	+0.7	3
4	Ott Tänak	Martin Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	13:04.0	+3.2	2
5	Kris Meeke	Paul Nagle	Citroën C3 WRC	13:04.5	+3.7	1

Penalties

The following notable crews were given time penalty during the rally.^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Stage	No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Class	Reason	Penalty
SS1	11	Craig Breen	Scott Martin	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	WRC	1 minute late	0:10
SS7	34	Marco Bulacia Wilkinson	Fernando Mussano	Marco Bulacia Wilkinson	Ford Fiesta R5	WRC-2	20 minutes late	3:20
SS13	38	Diego Domínguez	Edgardo Galindo	Diego Domínguez	Hyundai i20 R5	WRC-2	5 minutes late	0:50

Retirements

The following notable crews retired from the event.^{[lower-alpha 2]} Under Rally2 regulations, they were eligible to re-enter the event starting from the next leg. Crews that re-entered were given an additional time penalty.

Stage	No.	Driver	Co-driver	Entrant	Car	Class	Cause	Re-entry
SS1	36	Nil Solans	Miquel Ibañez	Nil Solans	Ford Fiesta R5	WRC-2	Mechanical	Yes
SS3	7	Jari-Matti Latvala	Miikka Anttila	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC	WRC	Suspension	No
SS3	39	Tiago Weiler	Fabian Cretu	Tiago Weiler	Škoda Fabia R5	WRC-2	Accident	No
SS6	40	Alberto Heller	José Diaz	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Fiesta R5	WRC-2	Accident	No
SS8	37	Gustavo Saba	Marcelo der Ohannesian	Gustavo Saba	Škoda Fabia R5	WRC-2	Mechanical	Yes
SS9	34	Marco Bulacia Wilkinson	Fernando Mussano	Marco Bulacia Wilkinson	Ford Fiesta R5	WRC-2	Accident	No
SS12	11	Craig Breen	Scott Martin	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT	Citroën C3 WRC	WRC	Accident	No
SS17	35	Kalle Rovanperä	Jonne Halttunen	Škoda Motorsport	Škoda Fabia R5	WRC-2	Accident	No
SS18	37	Gustavo Saba	Marcelo der Ohannesian	Gustavo Saba	Škoda Fabia R5	WRC-2	Accident	No

Championship standings after the rally

Drivers' championships World Rally Championship Pos. Driver Points 1 Sébastien Ogier 100 2 Thierry Neuville 90 3 Ott Tänak 72 4 Andreas Mikkelsen 54 3 5 Dani Sordo 45 World Rally Championship-2 Pos. Driver Points 1 1 Pontus Tidemand 68 1 2 Jan Kopecký 50 3 3 Gus Greensmith 36 6 4 Pedro Heller 30 2 5 Takamoto Katsuta 29 World Rally Championship-3 Pos. Driver Points 1 Jean-Baptiste Franceschi 37 2 Denis Rådström 37 3 Emil Bergkvist 33 4 Terry Folb 28 5 Enrico Brazzoli 25

Co-Drivers' championships World Rally Championship Pos. Co-Driver Points 1 Julien Ingrassia 100 2 Nicolas Gilsoul 90 3 Martin Järveoja 72 4 Anders Jæger-Synnevaag 54 3 5 Carlos del Barrio 45 World Rally Championship-2 Pos. Co-Driver Points 1 1 Jonas Andersson 68 1 2 Pavel Dresler 50 3 3 Craig Parry 36 6 4 Pablo Olmos 30 2 5 Marko Salminen 29 World Rally Championship-3 Pos. Co-Driver Points 1 Romain Courbon 37 2 Johan Johansson 37 3 Ola Fløene 33 4 Christopher Guieu 28 5 Luca Beltrame 25

Manufacturers' and teams' championships World Rally Championship Pos. Manufacturer Points 1 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 144 2 M-Sport Ford WRT 129 3 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 124 4 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT 93 World Rally Championship-2 Pos. Team Points 1 1 Škoda Motorsport 68 1 2 Škoda Motorsport II 50 3 Tommi Mäkinen Racing 35 4 Hyundai Motorsport 30 5 Printsport 25 World Rally Championship-3 Pos. Team Points 1 OT Racing 37 2 ADAC Sachsen 37 3 ACI Team Italia 33 4 Go+Cars Atlas Ward 18 5 Castrol Ford Team Turkiye 15