Citroen Total World Rally Team’s Sébastien Ogier admitted after Rally Portugal that he was surprised with his strong result on the event after having to be the first car on the road on the opening day of action.
Ogier finished the seventh round of the 2019 season in third place behind championship challengers Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville but claimed five bonus points after winning the rally ending Power Stage on Sunday afternoon.
The defending world champion also continues to lead the standings after Portugal as a result and said on his performance last weekend: “I didn’t think we could score twenty points this weekend. Although we never had a chance of winning the rally with our position in the running order, we gave it absolutely everything, regardless of the situation. So, to that extent, this result is just rewards.”
He continued: “In truth, I was hoping not to be first on the road in Sardinia, but every point counts at the end of the season. I’m pleased to see that we were competitive on the Power Stage, which was more or less the only stage of the weekend where we had the same grip conditions as our rivals.”
“That means we have also progressed in terms of performance although it was difficult to show it, given the circumstances.”
He leads the championship by just two points over Toyota driver Tänak, with Neuville in third a further eight points adrift going into the second half of the season.
