Ogier takes victory in Mexico

Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport) maintained its lead in Rally of Mexico to sign his second victory of the season after Monte-Carlo last January. The five-time world champion had a perfect weekend, maintaining his lead in the final stage and picking up four bonus points from the Power Stage.

Dani Sordo (Hyundai) follows in second place, more than a minute behind the winner. The Spaniard again suffered a puncture in the Power Stage on the right rear tire, but he managed to reach the finish line by limiting his delay. The Hispanic driver took advantage of an error by Kris Meeke (Citroën) in Alfaro (SS20) who ended up on the door. The Northern Irishman was able to leave with the help of the spectators but no longer had any hopes of catching up with his rival on a regular basis.

Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) takes the points for fourth place, finishing ahead of Sébastien Loeb (Citroën) who was in the lead before his puncture in the second stage. The nine-time champion of WRC precede Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) which will have opened the road during the three days. The Belgian should maintain his sixth place even if he chose, like several other drivers, to start late in the Power Stage to benefit from a better position on the road.

Ott Tänak (Toyota) also chose to wait at the start of the last special. This strategy was profitable for him since he signed the scratch ahead of Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala, Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen. Sébastien Loeb only set the sixth fastest time.

Pontus Tidemand (Skoda) took victory in WRC 2 by taking seventh place while his direct rival in the category Gus Greensmith (Ford) finished ninth in the general classification.

Sébastien Ogier will in any case have the honor of opening the road in the first stage of the Tour de Corse on the weekend of April 5 since he takes back control of the Championship.

Discover the analysis of the Rally of Mexico carried out by our special correspondent in issue 2155 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.