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SS7: Ogier’s winning march resumes

After leaving a stage win to team-mate Elfyn Evans in SS6, Sébastien Ogier’s festival resumed with a vengeance in SS7, the second passage of the day between Puget-Théniers and Saint-Antonin (19.79km). Best time again for the eight-time world champion, the sixth in seven stages, 1.6 second quicker than the Welshman and 3.1 over Kalle Rovanperä, the reigning world champion. And a 1-2-3 for Toyota Gazoo Racing, still 100% in terms of stage wins in this 91st edition, ahead of the one and only notable driver able to resist the Japanese domination since Thursday evening, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Motorsport).

The Frenchman, an 8-time World Champion and very able mechanic, managed to have his faulty hybrid system repaired by his engineers during the midday break in Puget-Théniers: “The guys did it during the pause with their laptop”, Ogier said. “It’s much better with the hybrid system, it allows me to focus on my driving,” he added a bit later, on the SS7 finish line. He only had one stage left to negotiate, SS8, before returning to the service park for a good night’s rest.

Published on:20 January 2023