Ogier: “I will have to be more reasonable”

Sébastien Ogier won for the third time in his career the Rally of Sweden after his first successes in 2013 and 2015. The three-time world champion had to stay on the attack until the finish due to the threat ofHayden Paddon, étonnant au volant de la nouvelle Hyundai i20 WRC.

“The weekend was very hard”, admitted Sébastien Ogier at a press conference. “I had to fight maybe even more than usual to try to keep the lead (in the second stage). It was complicated to be in first position on the road with the fresh snow, especially in Vargasen (SS12 and SS16)... I took all the risks and I would have had no regrets if something had happened because it is the start of the season. I have to admit that I was lucky, it takes a lot to win. This will not be the case every weekend. I will have to be more reasonable during the next event (in Mexico, March 3 to 6). »

Sébastien Ogier achieved a perfect score by once again winning the Power Stage. The Volkswagen driver already has a 23-point lead over his closest rival Andreas Mikkelsen after just two rallies.

“It wasn't comparable to the rest of the weekend. The grip was incredible. My settings were not at all suitable because the grip was completely different compared to the rest of the weekend. I think this was also the case for others. If I feel good behind the wheel, if I think it's possible, I try to go for bonus points because you never know what you need at the end of the season." added Sébastien Ogier.

Discover the analysis of the Swedish Rally carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2050 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.