SALOU, Spain — Sebastien Ogier's hopes of securing a seventh straight world rally driver's title and denying Ott Tanak his first were dealt a near fatal blow in Catalonia on Friday.

The French rally ace's Citroen suffered mechanical problems resulting in a loss of over three minutes after the Rally of Catalonia's third stage.

Ogier trails championship leader Tanak by 28 points in the standings, with the Estonian only needing to outscore him by two points this weekend to dethrone the French rally king.

Ogier's problems began in the second stage with power steering issues, compounded in the next by a malfunctioning gearbox.

It was only after the third stage that his mechanics could try to get his car back firing on all cylinders.

The Rally of Catalonia around Salou south of Barcelona is the 13th and penultimate leg of the season which concludes in Australia next month.

Tanak was taking a cautious approach to clinching his maiden title.

"We'll focus on ourselves and do all we can. If it takes more than that, then there's no need to push it. If we don't do it here, we can take the fight to Australia," the Toyota Yaris driver said this week.

The only other driver in with an outside shot at the title is Thierry Neuville, the third-placed Belgian who is 41 points adrift in the standings.

Dani Sordi is the early leader in Catalonia, by one second from his Hyundai teammate Neuville with Tanak seven seconds adrift in third.

Ogier is three minutes 36 seconds behind Sordi ahead of Friday's afternoon's three stages.

Alonso to enter 2020

Dakar Rally with Toyota

Two-times Formula One champion and double Le Mans 24 Hours winner Fernando Alonso will enter next January's Dakar Rally with Toyota, the Japanese manufacturer confirmed on Thursday.

The move has been an open secret with Alonso entering rallies in South Africa and Morocco as preparation with fellow Spaniard and former Dakar motorcycle winner Marc Coma as co-driver.

The Dakar Rally has come a long way since its origins as a race from Paris to Senegal, with the 2020 edition taking place in Saudi Arabia for the first time after moving from South America.

Alonso's entry was announced ahead of this weekend's Spanish round of the rally world championship.

The Spaniard is also seeking to win the Indianapolis 500 to complete the so-called Triple Crown of Motorsport, after winning the other two parts at Le Mans and in Formula One.

The 38-year-old hung up his helmet as a McLaren Formula One driver last year.

Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah, a three times winner, is the reigning Dakar champion and is also returning with Toyota. — Reuters