Sebastian Ogier quickly regained his form by setting the fastest time in the warm-up stage of the Croatia Rally. The eight-time WRC champion made a triumphant return to action after a long break since the Monte-Carlo Rally in January. Ogier wasted no time in gaining speed on the dry roads near Zagreb, the capital. Initially, he was in third place in the 3.65 km Okic test, but significantly improved on his second attempt to claim the top spot on the leaderboard. His teammate Elfyn Evans closely followed, while Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak posted identical times to secure third and fourth place, respectively. Ogier’s Toyota Gazoo Racing team has a strong track record at the Croatia Rally, having won the event in 2021 and in every edition since its inception.
“It’s great to be back,” expressed Ogier. “Being away for two and a half months is a significant period, but the pre-event test last week was beneficial and I’m enjoying my time here.” M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux had a good start to the rally and is aiming for his third consecutive WRC podium. He finished just 2.5 seconds behind the leader in fifth place. Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen closely followed, with Takamoto Katsuta and Grégoire Munster securing the seventh and eighth positions, respectively. Citroën WRC2 teammates Nikolay Gryazin and Yohan Rossel had a close battle, with only three tenths of a second separating them. Both finished in the top ten with their identical C3 Rally2 cars.
