The Croatia Rally delivered a brutal opening day, dramatically reshaping the World Rally Championship title fight as leader Elfyn Evans crashed out from the front.

Evans, driving for Toyota Gazoo Racing, had set the pace by winning the first two stages. However, his rally unraveled on stage three when he overshot a right-hand corner, leaving his GR Yaris stranded deep in the foliage and unable to continue.

Radio transmissions hinted at a potential miscommunication, with Evans heard saying, "I thought it was a three," suggesting a possible pacenote discrepancy with co-driver Scott Martin on the critical approach.

In a devastating double-blow for Toyota's championship hopes, Evans' crash came just two hours after his closest title rival, teammate Oliver Solberg, also retired. Solberg, who started the event just eight points behind Evans, hit a bank on the very first stage.

With the two title contenders out, the lead was inherited by another Toyota driver, Sami Pajari, who now heads the field. The chaos also claimed M-Sport Ford's Jon Armstrong, who retired after striking a concrete kerb on stage four.

This dramatic turn of events throws the drivers' championship wide open, proving that in the WRC, focus and precision are as critical as outright speed on every treacherous corner.