Ogier: “I expected much tougher competition”

Sébastien Ogier dominated the Tour de Corse contested last week since he won with more than half a minute ahead of his direct rival Ott Tänak (Toyota). The five-time world champion even increased his lead to almost a minute before controlling in the final stages.

“I’m really, really happy. It was a great performance, said the pilot M-Sport who celebrated his 43rd victory in WRC, his third of the season in four events. I expected much tougher competition. The gaps are generally very close and it was a nice surprise to make such a difference from the start. The rest of the weekend was not easy because it is always difficult to manage your lead while trying not to make any mistakes. »

The weekend was all the more successful for the Frenchman as he won three bonus points in the Power Stage. The double winner of Rally des 10 Virages is now 000 points ahead of Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), third on the Isle of Beauty, before tackling the Rally Argentina at the end of the month.

“Luckily we have the right car. It seems that we have moved in the right direction and progressed faster than our rivals, added Sébastien Ogier. However, it is not because we have experienced two superb challenges that it is over. We must stay on the attack. I'm sure Ford's support will pay off, things like this always take a bit of time. Development was a key factor in my choice to stay at M-Sport and I am happy to see that the efforts are paying off. »

Discover the analysis of the Tour de Corse carried out by our special correspondent in issue 2160 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version on all platforms, and on newsstands from Wednesday.