Sebastien Ogier held on to the lead after the second day of the Rally Sweden, sitting 26.9 seconds ahead of fellow Frenchman Sebastien Loeb.
Nine-time world champion Loeb won Saturday’s last stage in his Citroen, but Ogier was just a second behind in his Volkswagen to go into Sunday’s final six stages with the edge.
Norwegian driver Mads Ostberg overtook Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland for third place, 57.7 seconds back in his Ford.
“Everything is still running smoothly. I do not need to attack, and can afford to sit back and control events,” Ogier said.
Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand retired from the race for mechanical reasons.