Esapekka Lappi claimed a maiden WRC victory on Sunday afternoon for Rally Finland in only his fourth start at the highest level.
The Finn survived a late scare after breaking a wheel on his Toyota Yaris, but with time on his side, he managed to secure victory with a 36 second advantage over M-Sport's Elfyn Evans.
"Amazing, just amazing," commented Lappi. "I’m on my home soil so I should have been strong here and I was, but a victory was beyond my dreams. I have to really say a big thanks to the team because they built such a fast car in such a short time."
Evans clinched second after a thrilling battle with Juho Hänninen, the pair split by just 0.3s come the end. The pair were helped by Teemu Suninen's late spin in the penultimate speed test, dropping the Finn from second to fourth.
Ireland's Craig Breen completed the top five for Citroën, more than 80 seconds adrift of Lappi, with Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak, Kris Meeke, Dani Sordo and Mads Østberg completing the top ten.
M-Sport driver Tänak won the final live TV Power Stage to claim five bonus points in his Fiesta. Evans took four points for second, while Neuville secured three in a Hyundai i20. Jari-Matti Latvala and Hänninen, both driving Yaris cars, took two and one point respectively.
Ogier's retirement means Neuville is now tied in the lead of the championship heading into the final four events on the season.
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