Championship leader Thierry Neuville matched Latvala’s time in his Hyundai i20 to tie for second at the Tir Prince trotting track, finishing ahead of title rivals Sebastien Ogier and Ott Tanak.
Ogier, driving a Ford Fiesta, was 0.4 seconds behind Belgian Neuville, while Estonian Tanak finished a further 0.2 seconds behind in his Yaris. Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen completed the top six in an i20.
Friday sees the action move to the forests of north Wales, with eight stages covering 110.76km.
Rally Great Britain: After Special Stage 1 (Top 10)
| Pos | Num | Driver | Nat | Team | Car | Time/Gap | |
| 1 | 9 | Esapekka Lappi | FIN | Toyota Gazoo | Yaris WRC | 1:21.6 | |
| 2 | 7 | Jari-Matti Latvala | FIN | Toyota Gazoo | Yaris WRC | +0.3 | |
| 3 | 5 | Thierry Neuville | BEL | Hyundai | i20 WRC | +0.3 | |
| 4 | 1 | Sebastien Ogier | FRA | M-Sport Ford | Fiesta WRC | +0.7 | |
| 5 | 8 | Ott Tanak | EST | Toyota Gazoo | Yaris WRC | +0.9 | |
| 6 | 4 | Andreas Mikkelsen | NOR | Hyundai | i20 WRC | +1.7 | |
| 7 | 6 | Hayden Paddon | NZL | Hyundai | i20 WRC | +1.9 | |
| 8 | 36 | Kalle Rovanpera | FIN | Skoda | Fabia R5 | WRC2 | +2.2 |
| 9 | 3 | Teemu Suninen | FIN | M-Sport Ford | Fiesta WRC | +2.2 | |
| 10 | 11 | Craig Breen | IRL | Citroen | C3 WRC | +2.5 |