Citroen Racing World Rally Team’s Sébastien Ogier says that he and co-driver Julien Ingrassia are “very proud” after their victory in Monte-Carlo in their first appearance after they returned to the French manufacturer over the winter.
Ogier won the opening round of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship by just 2.2 seconds, the closest in Monte-Carlo history, from Hyundai Shell MOBIS World Rally Team’s Thierry Neuville, with Ogier holding on despite suffering throttle problems on the final set of stages on Sunday morning.
Speaking after the event, Ogier said: “We certainly weren’t taking anything for granted. The final leg, in particular, was really stressful and difficult with our minor throttle issue, which meant the car kept on accelerating, even under braking.”
“It was an incredibly intense weekend. It was a non-stop battle, but we managed to come away with the win. Obviously, we’re very proud of this result in our first race with the C3 WRC, especially because, as I’ve often said, this rally is the one that is the most special for me.”
The win was Ogier’s sixth straight Monte-Carlo victory and also Citroen’s 100th in the WRC and he added on the achievement: “It also means we can celebrate Citroën’s centenary in style. In other words, we couldn’t have hoped for a better start on our first race back with the team!”
Round two of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Sweden, takes place next weekend between February 14-17.
