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Ogier – Mexico “not one of my easier wins”
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Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia claimed their 46th FIA World Rally Championship win of their careers, after a stunning drive in their Citroën C3 WRC on Rally Mexico.
They finished 30.2 seconds ahead of Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC), while Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC) were third – a great result, although they were a little disappointed having been second for much of the event.
Ogier’s fifth victory in Mexico moves him to within four points of Tänak at the top of the WRC drivers’ standings, while Toyota still lead the manufacturers’.
Congratulations Sébastien Ogier on winning your fifth Rally México, the first time you win here with Citroën. How much of a challenge has this victory been? “It has been a very challenging weekend and definitely not one of my easier wins. This is becoming a trend on the WRC now. Never easy conditions and more challenging than the last years. So many drivers were getting into trouble and so many cars retired. There were issues for us as well. We had two punctures and a small technical issue. It was not easy to fight. Now we have 30 points and a fifth win here.”
There were hardly any mistakes from you except at the super special stage where you mentioned you were distracted by an issue - what was that? “The problem was more or less starting in the afternoon yesterday. It got worse through the day. Coming to service last night was at the right time. The car was difficult to drive. This mistake was also partly my fault. I had too much optimism on the brakes. It was only a small problem and a few seconds lost.”
Maximum points on the Power Stage as well as the rally win here puts you second in the championship, just four points behind Ott Tänak. That must be a welcome relief after Sweden! “There is always a bit of risk. You cannot afford to take risks when you are on the podium, but I felt that I had a good package to be in the top three on the Power Stage and that was the target. Winning was the cherry on the cake. It was a good opportunity to put Sweden behind us. I would not say it’s a relief. I was not starting to worry early in the season, but it is better not to have too much of a gap. The target here was to win and we succeeded in that.”
México kick-started your career back in 2008 in the FIA Junior WRC Championship, you now take your fifth win here. Julien Ingrassia, why do you think this event has been so successful for you both? “It’s been a story now since 2008. We have very good relations with Mexicans. Maybe we can get Mexican passports…Seb has always been good on events of this nature. In Mexico or Portugal, he is good on the technical stages and precise in the notes. His driving is great in these conditions. We have the experience and know how to handle the ground. Everything has to be played on the Friday, otherwise you have a triple penalty. If you don’t have a good result on Friday, then you have no chance on Saturday. I have to thank the team that gave us a good car and a good test. We have been experiencing ice, tarmac and gravel this season but we are still learning. Winning two of the first events is a good start.”
How would you rate this event now? “I would say we know the ground very well, whether we are using the road going one way or the other. We know the mountains well. This year we’ve been facing difficult conditions. There were loose stones on the road and the grip wasn’t as high as before. It’s difficult for the co-drivers. There is a lot of traffic and it is not easy with the heat in the car, the atmosphere and the many people catching you all the time. You need to be focused.”
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia wear Stilo WRC DES Zero 8860 helmets.
