Sebastien Ogier saw his lead in the Monte Carlo Rally reduced by more than a minute on Saturday as he adopted a cautios approach in treacherous conditions.
The Volkswagen Polo R driver came into the day leading Jari-Matti Latvala by one minute and 45.4 seconds, and saw the first of four scheduled stages cancelled for safety reasons.
Ogier's careful driving in the ice and snow was plain to see on stage 10, though, as he surrendered 40.5 seconds to his Finnish team-mate, who posted the sixth-fastest time.
There was little to choose between Latvala and Ogier in the next, but the Finn's fourth-place finish on the final stage of the day saw him gain a further 20 seconds.
Despite seeing his overall lead reduced to 42.8 seconds, Ogier was satisfied with the way he and his team approached the conditions.
"We were safe with our tyre choices today and I was very slow on every icy part," he said. "My studded tyres weren't the fastest option, but they were the safest for the snowy section in the final stage.
"I had nothing to risk by trying to drive quickly."
Latvala insists he has no intention to push for the victory, fearing one mistake could cost him a second-placed finish.
"I don’t understand it," he remarked. "I have no intention to try to catch him.
"There's a little bit of pressure on him now, but I don't want to risk too much in my position."
Andreas Mikkelsen remains third as part of a Volkswagen leading trio, but credit must also go to Robert Kubica, who posted top-three finishes on all of the day's stages.