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Toyota Gazoo Racing's Sébastien Ogier stayed right on Lappi's heels throughout the day, finishing just 5.3sec behind him at the end of the day. Toyota's Elfyn Evans finished in the final podium spot, 24.8sec behind Ogier.
The FIA World Rally Championship's first gravel round of the season in the mountains around León saw some of the leading crews face challenges, but Esapekka Lappi of Hyundai i20 N managed to steer clear of drama and lead the pack.
Lappi's impressive performance in the latter half of the afternoon, with back-to-back stage wins, gave him some breathing space and helped him clinch the top spot.
Toyota Gazoo Racing's Sébastien Ogier stayed right on Lappi's heels throughout the day, finishing just 5.3sec behind him at the end of the day. Toyota's Elfyn Evans finished in the final podium spot, 24.8sec behind Ogier.
Thierry Neuville of Hyundai faced several issues, including hybrid unit failure and damaged driveshaft boot, but still managed to reach the overnight halt 9.7sec adrift of the podium.
Meanwhile, defending champion Kalle Rovanperä lost time in almost every test due to the loose conditions and ended the day 19.9sec down on Neuville.
Hyundai’s Dani Sordo dropped from fourth to sixth overall after losing around a minute due to rear-left tyre damage.
Championship leader Ott Tänak of M-Sport Ford faced turbocharger failure and is currently more than 14 minutes behind the lead.
Both Pierre-Louis Loubet and Jourdan Serderidis retired their Pumas in the opening stage. Takamoto Katsuta lost control of his Yaris and rolled down a steep embankment on SS5.
WRC2 leader Gus Greensmith finished seventh, while Adrien Fourmaux and Emil Lindholm finished ahead of him in the support category. Kajetan Kajetanowicz completed the top 10.
Saturday's leg is the longest of the event and features nine more challenging stages totalling 126.52km.
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