The Michelin-equipped Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver, nicknamed Cohete – the Spanish word for rocket – moved in front after winning Saturday’s opening test and remained ahead of the pack throughout the day.
In ambient temperatures exceeding 30 degrees centigrade, Suarez was fastest on four of the day’s six stages and leads the 43rd Andalusia Rally – Sierra Morena – Cordoba World Heritage Site by 21.6sec prior to Sunday’s action getting under way.
“We went fast and, in general, we are happy, it was a perfect day,” Suárez said. “I’m really calm, we make a big gap to the following cars. I had a lot of understeer in the first stage, we did a change and it worked well after this. The Michelin tyre is always working well. Now it’s time to stay calm and think about tomorrow.
Ivan Ares is second at the wheel of a Pirelli-supplied Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 with Giandomenico Basso, another Pirelli runner, rounding out the provisional podium places.
The Skoda-powered double ERC champion is 6.4sec adrift of Ares and 2.9sec in front of Teemu Suninen, who holds fourth place on his first ERC start in 11 years.
“We did a really good job this morning, especially with the tyre preservation,” Ares said after clocking two fastest stage times during the day. “But the car was not behaving well in these hot conditions, and I was not confident [this afternoon]. But we know the stages well and the main thing is to be focused.”
Jorge Cagiao holds fifth followed by Andrea Mabellini, who is fronting Lancia’s return to the ERC’s top tier for the first time since 1993.
Polish champion Jakub Matulka completed leg one in seventh, one place ahead of British title winner William Creighton, who suffered a half-spin on SS2.
Dominik Stríteský, fastest on Friday’s Cordoba street stage, is ninth with Roberto Blach rounding out the top 10 ahead of Callum Devine and leading MRF-shod contender Simone Tempestini. Tristan Charpentier, the ERC3 winner in Spain 12 months ago, is 13th, Erik Cais 14th and Marco Bulacia 15th. Top Hankook runner Isak Reiersen is 17th on his first ERC outing on asphalt, one place behind Tuukka Kauppinen, who was a frontrunner in Junior ERC last season.
In an action-packed start to the ERC season opener, reigning champion Miko Marczyk crashed out on stage three with Calle Carlberg stopping to change a damaged front-left tyre on the same test.
“We had quite stiff set-up, a little bit too stiff for the morning loop,” Marczyk explained. “On the smooth Tarmac I have a really big problem with the entry to the corner with some understeer. I was trying too much and, unfortunately, we turned to the right corner, probably I should go there around 100 kilometres and we had 115 [kilometres per hour] something like that. In a theoretical way, not a huge fault, but I haven’t got at all the grip at the front on this smooth Tarmac and we hit the barrier and damaged the rear-left suspension. I’m not happy but with the Power Stage we still have some mathematical possibilities to fight for some points.”
Having been delayed by a damaged front-left tyre on SS3, Philip Allen crashed out on SS6. With his Toyota sustaining broken steering and partly blocking the road, the stage was halted before being cancelled.
Adrian Rzeznik, who has stepped up to ERC1 from ERC3 for 2026, had to replace a damaged rear-left wheel on SS3 after an off – the result of a pacenote issue – on a right-hander. Hungarian champion Gabor Nemet suffered front-left tyre damage five kilometres into SS3 through a cut. Benjamin Korhola rolled into retirement on SS3.
The 8.95-kilometre Obejo stage is up first tomorrow (Sunday) with the first car set to start at 08:05 local time. It’s one of three double use stages scheduled for leg two and will be followed by the Villaviciosa stage, the longest of the 43rd Andalusia Rally – Sierra Morena – Cordoba World Heritage Site at 27.05 kilometres. The podium finish, held adjacent to the Estadio El Arenal, is due to begin at 19:00 local time.
