Sébastien Ogier showcased his relentless pursuit of the World Rally Championship title on Sunday, clawing back crucial points from championship leader Thierry Neuville. Ogier stormed the opening two stages of the final day, taking control of the day’s classification and catapulting himself into second place overall.
After a damaging turbo failure on Friday, which cost the Frenchman over two minutes and dropped him to third by Saturday, Ogier wasted no time on Sunday. He charged through the Inohori test, blitzing the field by 5.3 seconds and reigniting his title charge.
Meanwhile, Hyundai’s Dani Sordo eased off the pace, prioritizing points for the manufacturers’ championship. His conservative approach allowed Ogier to leapfrog into second place. Sordo, struggling with a sluggish Hyundai i20 N Rally1, lamented the car’s lack of responsiveness and a distracting early-stage mishap.
“I feel like I’m not good at rally today,” Sordo admitted, clearly frustrated by his performance.
Ott Tänak, holding fourth overall, also faced mechanical woes, citing an engine issue that had plagued him since Saturday night. Despite these challenges, Tänak managed to keep pace, remaining second in the Sunday points classification.
As for Neuville, the Belgian driver’s strategy was clear: finish safely and protect his lead. But the rough conditions on the Eleftherohori stage threatened that plan, with Neuville describing the stage as “a nightmare” after falling behind Tänak in the day’s standings.
“The road is destroyed,” said Neuville, who opted for extreme caution in a bid to avoid further complications.
Elsewhere, Elfyn Evans, who had been forced to retire after a dramatic roll on Saturday, returned under super rally rules. He quickly climbed the Sunday standings, overtaking Adrien Fourmaux on the brutal Eleftherohori stage. Takamoto Katsuta and Sordo rounded out the day’s points scorers, while Grégoire Munster remained sidelined after his Saturday crash.
With Ogier making his charge and Neuville sticking to a conservative plan, the WRC title race remains wide open. Ogier’s tenacity on Sunday proves he’s not ready to back down, as he continues to keep his championship dreams alive heading into the final rounds.
