Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala led the Rally of Germany on Friday after world champion and Volkswagen teammate Sebastien Ogier came off the road and then took a wrong turn as he tried to rejoin the race.
Ogier’s car crashed during the day’s sixth stage and slipped into a vineyard.
Although unhurt in the incident, the French driver then missed the road back into the stage and headed back to service.
He will be penalised 10 minutes on Saturday’s restart, a sanction which will end his hopes of winning the race and extending his lead in the world championship.
Latvala leads Britain’s Kris Meeke in a Citroen by 37 seconds while Spain’s Dani Sordo, the 2013 winner in Germany, is third in his Hyundai, 42 seconds off the lead.