Ogier: “I have nothing to lose”

Sébastien Ogier succeeded in its strategy by relying on soft tires in the second stage of the Rally d’Australie alors que ses adversaires directs ont préféré les gommes dures. Le pilote Volkswagen est revenu à deux secondes de son coéquipier Andreas Mikkelsen au terme de la journée en reprenant une dizaine de secondes d’avance sur Hayden Paddon (Hyundai).

“It was a wonderful day for us. Julien (Ingrassia, his co-pilot) and I decided to take risks and it paid off, rejoiced Sébastien Ogier. I took to the road like a skier doing slaloms, you can see it from the marks on the hood. We put all our eggs in one basket by taking four soft tires and this choice turned out to be the right one. »

“Before the rally, I didn’t expect to have such a good chance of winning, specified Sébastien Ogier who opened the road during the two stages. This will be an exciting final step for fans. Andreas (Mikkelsen) and Hayden (Paddon) will do everything to win but I have nothing to lose. »

Andreas Mikkelsen can already be satisfied with having retained the lead of Rally Australia after encountering a pedal problem. His clutch pedal twisted and came into contact with the brake pedal.

“The last stage on Sunday will be really interesting, although I won't be against riding with a little less pressure, commented the Norwegian. The stage went well since we managed to keep the lead, even if we lost a little time with the pedals. It was a strange situation. It doesn't change much for the big final which I lead by two or 12 seconds. The fight for victory will be tense. »

The final stage of Rally Australia will begin this evening from 22:06 p.m. French time.