Can Ogier take back control in Finland?

Sébastien Ogier will start in second position behind Ott Tänak (Toyota) dans la première étape du Rally of Finland contested this Friday. The Citroën driver could regain control of the championship by regaining his 4 points behind the Estonian if he achieves a second victory at the Rallye des 1000 Lacs after a first feat achieved in 2013.

The six-time champion WRC will be helped by the improvements made to the C3 WRC in terms of the front axle.

“This rally, contested in the very garden of one of our main competitors, promises to be quite a challenge, recognizes the Gapençais who will be competing in his 12th start at the Rally Finland. But I recharged my batteries during the summer break and I approach it as usual with a conquering state of mind. With its high speeds, it is undoubtedly one of the rallies where you have to be the most in harmony with your car to be able to let yourself go behind the wheel, but I finished my two days of testing with a good feeling at the controls of C3 WRC. The joker passed for the occasion will allow us to have better possibilities for set-up compromises for the rest of the season. »

His teammate Esapekka Lappi could also create a surprise. Down this season, the local driver will have an excellent position on the road for the first stage in an event where he won victory two years ago. The Finn prepared for this meeting by participating in the Estonian Rally this month.

“After getting back on track at high speed in Estonia, the team and I were able to refine the set of settings during the day of driving in Finland. We gained grip and the behavior of the C3 WRC improved further. This event is obviously special for us, but above all I want to enjoy it, and in this case the result will naturally follow. In any case, I approach it with confidence and determined to do my best.”he announced.

“With its sprint pace, and its always tiny gaps, this round like no other requires to be approached with full confidence and does not tolerate any round of observation, recalled Citroën Racing director Pierre Budar. We prepared it for the best by participating in the Estonian rally, and we further refined the C3 WRC settings during the three days of testing carried out immediately in Finland on tracks representative of what awaits us. race. For the occasion, we are introducing an evolution of our front axle, to allow our pilots to benefit from an even more interesting range of adjustments. With two former winners in our ranks, we are in any case well armed and the objective will be to resume our harvest of podiums. »

The Rally of Finland will be followed live with our live text.