After suffering a suspension failure on stage 5 Jari Matti who was leading the rally of Mexico has to drop down the ladder, opening the room for the Citroen Due, Loeb and Hirvonen to take the lead. Loeb has now over 11 seconds lead ahead of Hirvonen after 12 stages in Mexico and Mads Ostberg is third over 1 minute away. Nasser hangs on 9th position behind Chris Atkinson who stays 8th impressively.
Overall Standings after Day 1:
| Pos | No | Driver | Time | Diff Prev |
Diff 1st |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 | S. LOEB | M | 1:24:46.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 2. | 2 | M. HIRVONEN | M | 1:24:57.6 | +11.2 | +11.2 |
| 3. | 10 | M. ØSTBERG | M | 1:25:58.3 | +1:00.7 | +1:11.9 |
| 4. | 3 | J. LATVALA | M | 1:26:14.3 | +16.0 | +1:27.9 |
| 5. | 4 | P. SOLBERG | M | 1:26:21.8 | +7.5 | +1:35.4 |
| 6. | 5 | O. TÄNAK | M | 1:26:23.1 | +1.3 | +1:36.7 |
| 7. | 6 | E. NOVIKOV | M | 1:26:48.4 | +25.3 | +2:02.0 |
| 8. | 21 | C. ATKINSON | 1:27:20.1 | +31.7 | +2:33.7 | |
| 9. | 7 | N. AL-ATTIYAH | M | 1:27:35.0 | +14.9 | +2:48.6 |
| 10. | 12 | A. ARAÚJO | 1:28:16.6 | +41.6 | +3:30.2 | |
| 11. | 15 | S. OGIER | 1:29:01.6 | +45.0 | +4:15.2 | |
| 12. | 38 | B. GUERRA | P | 1:32:02.0 | +3:00.4 | +7:15.6 |
| 13. | 52 | R. TRIVINO | 1:32:21.7 | +19.7 | +7:35.3 | |
| 14. | 31 | M. KOSCIUSZKO | P | 1:32:34.6 | +12.9 | +7:48.2 |
| 15. | 43 | K. BLOCK | 1:32:40.8 | +6.2 | +7:54.4 | |
| 16. | 32 | N. FUCHS | P | 1:32:43.5 | +2.7 | +7:57.1 |
| 17. | 40 | G. LINARI | P | 1:38:41.3 | +5:57.8 | +13:54.9 |
| 18. | 49 | R. SALGADO | P | 1:41:03.5 | +2:22.2 | +16:17.1 |
| 19. | 55 | C. IZQUIERDO | 1:42:19.3 | +1:15.8 | +17:32.9 | |
| 20. | 56 | I. DE IZAURIETA | 1:42:28.5 | +9.2 | +17:42.1 |