Mikko Hirvonen extended his lead in Finland to 4.9sec after setting the fastest time through the 22km Jukojarvi.
Hirvonen’s second consecutive stage win came despite an incident 4.6km from the start line when his car struck a roadside post which broke off and struck the windscreen.
But while his closest rival on Friday’s opener had been his Ford team-mate, this time Citroen C4 drivers Petter Solberg and Sebastien Loeb were second and third quickest.
Both Solberg and Loeb edged past Latvala in the overall standings, leaving Latvala fourth, 0.8sec adrift.
Standings after SS3:
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Mikko HIRVONEN | Ford Focus WRC | 19m03.7s |
| 02 | Petter SOLBERG | Citroën C4 WRC | +4.9s |
| 03 | Sébastien LOEB | Citroën C4 WRC | +7.8s |
| 04 | Jari-Matti LATVALA | Ford Focus WRC | +8.6s |
| 05 | Dani SORDO | Citroën C4 WRC | +13.2s |
| 06 | Sébastien OGIER | Citroën C4 WRC | +15.4s |
| 07 | Henning SOLBERG | Ford Focus WRC | +21.7s |
| 08 | Mads ÖTSBERG | Subaru Impreza WRC | +32.2s |
| 09 | Matthew WILSON | Ford Focus WRC | +41.7s |
| 10 | Kimi RÄIKKÖNEN | Citroën C4 WRC | +56.1s |
| 11 | Khalid AL QASSIMI | Ford Focus WRC | +1m03.8s |
| 12 | Jari KETOMAA | Ford Fiesta S2000 | +1m04.4s |
| 13 | Juha KANKKUNEN | Ford Focus WRC | +1m08.2s |
| 14 | Juho HÄNNINEN | Skoda Fabia S2000 | +1m08.4s |
| 15 | Matti RANTANEN | Skoda Fabia S2000 | +1m18.7s |