The result sees him stretch his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, from 23 points to , as he bids match his title successes from 2013 and 2014.
“I think we can be proud,” said Ogier. “The team have done an amazing job this weekend. It could not have been better.
“One of the best wins of my career.”
Ogier took the lead on Thursday night in the second short super special. He was then never headed and despite having to run first on the road and sweep the roads, he completed Friday’s opening loop 9.6 seconds up on Thierry Neuville.
The event got off to a dramatic start on Friday morning, with M-Sport’s Ott Tanak spectacularly crashing out in SS3, when he went off the road and ended up in a reservoir – MUST-SEE video of the incident available: HERE. Tanak, however, was just the first of many big name retirements, with Citroen’s Kris Meeke, Hyundai ‘third’ driver Hayden Paddon and former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica joining him on the sidelines in SS4.
The carnage continued on the repeat loop as well, with Neuville – Ogier’s biggest threat at that point – picking up a puncture in SS8 and rolling his Hyundai i20 WRC near the finish.
Ogier led by 12.1 seconds post-El Chocolate 2, with Jari-Matti Latvala on a charge and outpacing his team-mate in three of the four stages.
Latvala’s challenge was halted in the second test on Saturday though, when the Finn hit a bank and ripped off the left rear wheel in SS12. The Finn was able to limp to the end, but lost over 6 minutes and was then unable to go any further.
At the point, Ogier was left with a comfortable cushion, although he still won two more stages in the afternoon to extend his buffer, before taking it “easy” through SS19 on Sunday and then winning the event ending Power Stage.
Meanwhile, Citroen’s Mads Ostberg enjoyed a good scrap with Andreas Mikkelsen in the fight for second, eventually seeing off his fellow countryman by 6.3 seconds.
Mads Ostberg
Ostberg was frustrated to have problems with the gearbox in the opening stage on Friday – similar to what afflicted him in Sweden – but fought back, posting several top-three times, including winning SS9, SS16 and on the final day, SS19.
Mikkelsen had a bit of a scare in the first test on Sunday and then had to avoid a rock in SS20, but his approach – taking it easy on the first runs, before pushing on the second after building up experience – still paid off, allowing the VW Motorsport II man to bag third, just like he did in Monte Carlo and Sweden. It also means he consolidates second place in the championship.
M-Sport’s Elfyn Evans took fourth in his Fiesta RS WRC, equalling his previous best WRC results, albeit more than two minutes off the Ostberg-Mikkelsen duel. The Welshman belied his lack of experience to set top-ten times in all but a few tests, peaking with a third best effort in SS4 and fourth in SS15.
Dani Sordo rounded out the top-five on his return from injury after missing Rally Sweden when he fell off his mountain bike and broke two ribs. Sordo lost time with punctures and gearboxs problems on Friday and Saturday, while on the final day he complained of brake issues in SS19 and pain in his shoulder – but still finished up as the lead driver for Hyundai.
Ford privateer Martin Prokop was sixth, surviving a few “big moments” in SS2 and SS4 on Friday, as well as having to stop for a cow in SS5 and then an off in the penultimate test when he hit a stone.
