 Sebastien Loeb |
The day's action near Jyvaskyla took in three stages and 39.7 competitive kilometres with local driver Jari Ketomaa blazing the early trail.
But by the end of proceedings the Finn had dropped to fourth, seven seconds adrift of world champion Loeb who was just under three seconds clear of Ogier.
Mikko Hirvonen suffered, the Finn's Fiesta engine cutting out in the opening stage which caused him to run wide and hit a tree.
The resulting suspension and brake damage meant he lost time in the following stages and is more than two minutes off the lead.
Friday's first full day of action takes the crews south to a host of new stages around a remote service area in the city of Lahti.