Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia were locked in an intense battle for victory during Rally Italia Sardegna. Ultimately, however, and despite their best efforts, the Frenchmen had to settle for second place.
Having taken the lead on Friday afternoon, Ogier maintained his position into the event’s closing kilometres. But his lead was just 3.9 seconds on the eve of the final day. The reigning World Champion had something of a balancing act to contend with – taking the risks in pursuit of victory whilst ensuring he brought the Fiesta home for a haul of vital championship points.
Ogier pushed hard and a thrilling battle ensued. But he finally lucked out by a mere 0.7 seconds – the joint third-closest finish in FIA World Rally Championship history.
Ogier and Ingrassia had to settle for second place in Sardinia
“I don’t think I can be unhappy with the weekend”, Ogier said. “I did everything I could, but I have to say that I was not prepared to take as many risks as Thierry [Neuville]. We still have some work to do because we were losing some tenths here and there – especially in the slower, more technical sections – but it’s still a good result for the championship.”
“We’re only at the halfway point with six more events to come, but for sure we will have to be consistently strong. It will be a nice challenge and we will enjoy that, but now it’s time to have a break and enjoy the holidays!”
“I tried everything I could, just missing a bit of speed. The last SS was super rough & I did 2 mistakes when I went off the line. That’s where I lost it today but there were lots of places costing us a few tenths this weekend. Yesterday when I stalled, 3s have been lost easily” pic.twitter.com/Tp1siI93TZ
— Sébastien Ogier (@SebOgier) June 10, 2018
“That’s how it is. It is still good points for the championship, we lost one battle but definitely not the war. There are 6 rallies to go, it’s still no time to panic and there are some rallies where Thierry will have a disadvantage” #RallyItalia #WRC
— Sébastien Ogier (@SebOgier) June 10, 2018
