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Discover the analysis of the Rally of Mexico carried out by our special correspondent in issue 2155 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.
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Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport) maintained his lead at Rally Mexico to score his second victory of the season after Monte-Carlo last January. The five-time world champion had a perfect weekend, maintaining his lead in the final stage and picking up four bonus points from the Power Stage.
Dani Sordo (Hyundai) follows in second place, more than a minute behind the winner. The Spaniard again suffered a puncture in the Power Stage on the right rear tire, but he managed to reach the finish line by limiting his delay. The Hispanic driver took advantage of an error by Kris Meeke (Citroën) in Alfaro (SS20) who ended up on the door. The Northern Irishman was able to leave with the help of the spectators but no longer had any hopes of catching up with his rival on a regular basis.
Andreas Mikkelsen (Hyundai) took the points for fourth place, finishing ahead of Sébastien Loeb (Citroën) who was in the lead before his puncture in the second stage. The nine-time WRC champion precedes Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) who will have opened the road during the three days. The Belgian should maintain his sixth place even if he chose, like several other drivers, to start late in the Power Stage to benefit from a better position on the road.
Ott Tänak (Toyota) also chose to wait at the start of the last special. This strategy was profitable for him since he signed the scratch ahead of Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala, Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen. Sébastien Loeb only set the sixth fastest time.
Pontus Tidemand (Skoda) took victory in WRC 2 by taking seventh place while his direct rival in the category Gus Greensmith (Ford) finished ninth in the general classification.
Sébastien Ogier will in any case have the honor of opening the road in the first stage of the Tour de Corse on the weekend of April 5 since he takes back control of the Championship.
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The provisional ranking of the Power Stage:
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Neuville only set the 4th fastest time in the Power Stage. The Hyundai driver should retain his 6th place since he was 5 minutes ahead of Tidemand, 7th overall.
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Ogier: “It’s fantastic to win here because I really like this rally. We feel that the car has really progressed. It is obviously a satisfaction to take back control of the Championship. »
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Tänak improves the scratch with 4 tenths ahead of Ogier.
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Neuville is 4 tenths ahead of Ogier in the 1st split.
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Tänak and Neuville finally took the start of the Power Stage.
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Ogirer wins the Rally of Mexico! The M-Sport driver wins by taking the provisional scratch in the Power Stage with a lead of 8 tenths over Latvala.
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Sordo ends with a puncture on the right rear. The Spaniard fails outside the Top 5 of the Power Stage but retains his 2nd place overall for a 15″ lead over Meeke. “It was a stone in the road. I felt the car start to move in the corners. I was nervous but I was able to go through with it. »
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Ogier set off in the Power Stage. The M-Sport driver is getting closer to a 4th victory in this event.
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Meeke does not take any risks and finishes with the 5th provisional time, 14″6 behind Latvala’s provisional scratch. The Citroën driver secures 3rd place. “I had everything to play for victory this weekend, but I didn’t get the job done. I have to increase my pace. »
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Tänak waits on the starting line before trying his luck in the Power Stage when Sordo sets off.
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Mikkelsen sets the 2nd provisional time, 1″6 behind Latvala’s provisional scratch. The Hyundai driver secures 4th place. “I couldn’t get the right pace all weekend but it was important to secure this result. »
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It is Meeke and not Neuville who is at the start. No doubt a tactical choice for the Hyundai driver.
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Loeb finished 4” behind Latvala. This is the 5nd provisional time. The nine-time WRC champion secures 2th place. “It’s great to be back in the WRC. I really enjoyed this new car. It’s just a shame we had this puncture but it was a great weekend. »
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Loeb has just started in the Power Stage.
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Latvala improves the time of his teammate Lappi by 6s. The Toyota driver secures 8th place. “I thank the promoters for not putting me at a disadvantage regarding road position. I rode really well. »
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Lappi improves Suninen’s time by 13″8. The Toyota driver secures 11th place. “The car was fine in the narrow parts but it was more complicated elsewhere. We lost a lot of time. » The Finn has already beaten the scratch score signed by Tänak in the first pass.
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Suninen only improves Tidemand’s time by 2″4. The M-Sport driver secures 13th place.
