Among the many casualties of the baked gravel roads was one other Toyota driver Kalle Rovanpera, who completed exterior the highest 10.
“It has been a tricky weekend, did not actually have the tempo we needed,” mentioned 36-year-old Evans.
“We needed to get to the top to get one thing, so might be worse.”
Welshman Evans had constructed up an unprecedented 36-point lead after the primary three rallies of the 12 months, putting second behind Ogier in Monte Carlo earlier than profitable in Sweden and Kenya.
His French team-mate has now received 4 of this season’s seven occasions and picked up 10 bonus factors in Greece, profitable each Tremendous Sunday and the powerstage, however the 41-year-old will skip the following spherical on the high-speed forest roads of Estonia.
“I feel we have had a brilliant sturdy weekend,” Ogier mentioned.
“There wasn’t a lot we may do to Ott – he was actually flying.”
Eire’s Josh McErlean was one other beset by struggles, struggling a puncture on Friday and damaging his suspension and breaking a driveshaft on Saturday.
He completed twelfth in his M-Sport Ford Puma.
“It took sheer dedication from the workforce, as a result of each service there was some job,” mentioned McErlean.
“Hopefully it will get a bit simpler from right here in Estonia and Finland.”
England’s Gus Greensmith was one among a number of WRC2 drivers who claimed top-10 finishes.
Spherical eight of the 14-event WRC sequence, Delfi Rally Estonia, runs from 17-20 July.