Sébastien Ogier is satisfied with “important points” in the championship

If the Ford Fiesta WRC by Elfyn Evans played for victory until the end against the Hyundai i20 Thierry Neuville, Sébastien Ogier was unable to take part in the regular fight at the forefront in Argentina.

Despite an opening stage finished in fourth position, just six seconds behind Neuville, the four-time world champion was unable to keep up with the pace set by the Neuville – Evans tandem.

“We had reason to be optimistic for the future, and yet our hopes did not translate into results, because quite a few small difficulties slowed us down until the end of the weekend comments Ogier.

The performances were not what we hoped for. This was linked to the fact that the car had too much slip and this led to a lack of traction, a lack of performance and premature wear of the tires, even though their economy has always been our strength. »

The championship as a priority

Still leader of the championship with 102 points, the driver M-Sport maintains a clear lead over Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota), credited with 86 points, but saw Thierry Neuville confirm his good performances in Rally Monte-Carlo and Sweden.

With two successes in two rallies in Corsica and Argentina, the Belgian places himself as a more than serious threat for the title holder, who highlights the balance sheet of his Rally of Argentina, more than his pure performance.

“We will have to continue working, analyze the data from this weekend and try to find a solution during our next tests, underlines Ogier.

In the meantime, and given the difficulties we encountered, we can be satisfied with nevertheless scoring important points with a view to the championship, because even if Thierry got closer, our lead increased over our closest pursuing, Jari-Matti. »

Sébastien Ogier has still failed to win in Argentina, after winning the runner-up position three times in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Rally Argentina, produced by our special correspondent in Villa Carlos Paz, in issue 2112 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version, and this Thursday on newsstands.