WRC – Ogier had the last word in Poland

Sébastien Ogier further increases its lead in the Championship by signing its 5th victory of the season at Rally from Poland where he had already won in 2014. The Volkswagen driver maintained the advantage over his teammate Andreas Mikkelsen and again achieved a perfect result with the victory of the Power Stage. The double world champion now has a 78-point lead over the Scandinavian who is his main opponent for the title.

Ott Tänak takes his first podium since the 2012 Sardinia Rally after winning his duel against Jari-Matti Latvala. The Finn went off the road in the final stage, damaging his Polo R WRC hitting a tree head-on. The Nordic pilot receiveda 40-second penalty for clocking in late at the time check, which leaves 4th place to Hayden Paddon at the expense of the Volkswagen driver.

Thierry Neuville thought he might give up on the final day when he rolled after cutting a corner, but the i20 WRC held on until the finish to maintain 6th position.

Chris Meeke finally took 7th place with around ten seconds ahead of Robert Kubica who was slowed down by a right-rear puncture in the Power Stage when he hit a stone. Mads Ostberg and Dani Sordo complete the top ten.

Skoda signs a double in WRC2 with the victory of Esapekka Lappi who dominated the category to win with almost a minute ahead of his teammate Pontus Tidemand. Karl Kruuda completes the category podium in his DS3 R5 after losing a minute following a puncture in the first stage. Jari Ketomaa ranks 4th after a complicated start to the event but the Nordic driver takes control of the Championship following the retirement of Nasser Al-Attiyah.

Simone Tempestini scores her first JWRC victory 48 seconds ahead of Osian Pryce. Quentin Gilbert only took 7th place following his retirement in the second stage following a broken clutch. His compatriot Matthieu Margaillan took 4th place behind the Finn Henri Haapamaki.

Rally Poland videos

Discover the analysis of the Rally Poland carried out by our special correspondents in the 2019 issue of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.