Ogier: “Every point counts at the end of the season”

Sébastien Ogier suffered at Rally from Portugal. The Citroën driver had to open the road in the first stage and subsequently suffered the team strategy of Hyundai who placed Sébastien Loeb and Dani Sordo behind him. The six-time champion WRC despite everything, saved a podium by taking advantage of the retirement of Kris Meeke and the problems of Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota), but he will still have to sweep at the start of the event in two weeks in Sardinia.

The championship leader indeed seemed disappointed to retain the lead of the championship because his position as opener in Italy should be detrimental to him. Ott Tänak (Toyota), the winner in Portugal, even slowed down towards the finish in order to leave control of the championship to its French rival!

“I didn't think I could score twenty points this weekend, and although victory was never possible for us due to our starting order, we gave our all every time regardless of the situations and this result is a just reward, confides Sébastien Ogier. I was actually hoping not to open in Sardinia, but every point counts at the end of the season. I'm pleased to see that we were competitive in the Power Stage, which was pretty much the only stage of the weekend where we were in the same grip conditions as our rivals. This means that we have also progressed in performance even if it was difficult to show it this weekend given the circumstances. »

Citroën could congratulate itself on Sébastien Ogier's result in the face of fierce competition.

“Given their position on the track on the first day, but also on the following days, they clearly did well again on this terrain where sweeping is of paramount importance, confirms Team Principal Pierre Budar. Failing to be able to fight on equal terms, they knew how to maintain the pressure, stay on the lookout and they saw their stubbornness rewarded with this new podium, synonymous with significant points in the championship. They had a good feeling aboard C3 WRC, this also confirms that we have made significant progress and that we are working in the right direction. We will now continue to redouble our efforts because we will still be on sweeping duty in Sardinia. »

On the other hand, the disappointment is palpable for Esapekka Lappi who could have finished just off the podium without two consecutive errors forcing her to abandon.

“After our rollover, the car wasn't in too much trouble, except that it was missing the wing. I thought I would find a good rhythm in the following special but I was too optimistic on a straight line, I hit an embankment, which immediately caused a puncture, then the suspension breaking. There were too many kilometers left to go with a makeshift repair. I am sincerely sorry to the whole team who deserved better” the Finn apologizes.

“We are indeed disappointed that they did not reach the finish line today following two errors, especially after their very good day yesterday. After some very good pre-race testing where we pinpointed differential settings that suited them better, they were really building something interesting, and I hope they can capitalize on that. in Sardinia. We will now work together and support them so that they can better manage these kinds of situations in the future.”, adds the director of the Reds.

Discover the analysis of the Rally of Portugal carried out by our special correspondent in issue 2219 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.