WRC – Ogier: “All is not lost” in Argentina

Sébastien Ogier will have only 78km to try to regain the 31 seconds that separate him from Jari-Matti Latvala at the head of the Rally from Argentina. The reigning world champion lost ground by accumulating bad luck. On the second pass of the second stage's special stages, the tread of a front tire broke down, damaging the wing and front bumper of his Polo R WRC. The loss of the latter then caused the engine to overheat, which went into “safety” mode in the slow sections.

“Today we tried everything to reduce our delay, but Jari-Matti had a very good performance and he did a fantastic job,” admits Sébastien Ogier. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go very well for us. In SS8, the tread of one of our tires came off and the pieces of rubber that flew away damaged the wing of the car. We will try to understand how this could have happened. Shortly before, I also lost a little time in a spin. »

With 29 points ahead of his Finnish teammate, Sébastien Ogier can settle for second place, especially as he can aim for bonus points for the Power Stage. " All is not lost ", however, insists the leader of the Championship. “Since the conditions are difficult here, anything can happen tomorrow. In any case, a second place in Argentina would still be a good result for Julien (Ingrassia, the co-driver) and me with a view to the world championship. »

The final stage of the Rally Argentina will be contested from 13:44 p.m. (French time). Videos of the event can be viewed on this link. The full interview with the Volkswagen driver is available here.