Sébastien Ogier survived a heart-stopping final stage scare to clinch a record fifth Rally Italia Sardegna victory, fending off a charging Ott Tänak to win by just 7.9sec on Sunday afternoon.
Twelve months on from a final-stage puncture that cost him victory to Tänak by just 0.2sec – the joint closest finish in WRC history – Ogier was again at the centre of late drama on the Mediterranean island.
The Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver appeared set for a relatively calm run to the finish after building a 17.1sec buffer ahead of the Wolf Power Stage, but an overshoot in the final kilometres saw that gap slashed by more than half. Ogier was forced to stop and reverse after his car failed to turn into a tight corner carved with deep ruts.
“In the ruts, I just couldn’t turn the car,” Ogier explained. “There was no speed at all, so I didn’t try to force it and hit it – I preferred to stop and reverse. But yeah, not ideal. Still, it was enough to win.”
It was a victory built on persistence and poise rather than outright dominance. The eight-time world champion moved to the front during Friday’s brutal opening leg – one that saw multiple Rally1 crews fall by the wayside – before carefully managing the gap to Tänak across the weekend.
“There are many places I’ve won several times,” he added. “It’s just a type of rally I like – where precise driving is needed, but also smoothness for tyre management. Thanks to the team – great turnaround after Portugal in terms of speed and set-up, so good job.”
It marked back-to-back wins for the Frenchman following his Rally de Portugal triumph last month, and his third victory of the season from just four starts—propelling him firmly into the title fight.
Elfyn Evans, who ended the rally fourth, saw his championship lead trimmed to just 17 points over team-mate Ogier, while Kalle Rovanperä—42.6sec behind Tänak in third overall – dropped to third in the standings. Tänak and Thierry Neuville remain fourth and fifth respectively after round six of 14.
Toyota ace Rovanperä delivered a measured drive to complete the podium after climbing from fifth during Saturday’s drama-filled stages. The Finn also netted maximum Super Sunday points, including the Wolf Power Stage win.
Evans’ fourth place came after recovering from a wheel change delay on Saturday, while Takamoto Katsuta and Oliver Solberg rounded out the top six.
Sami Pajari sustained a damaged rear driveshaft after a spin on Sunday’s opener and slipped from fifth to seventh by the finish. Nikolay Gryazin was eighth, while Roberto Daprà and Kajetan Kajetanowicz capitalised on a final-day crash for Emil Lindholm to fill out the remainder of the top 10 and the leading two positions in WRC2.
The WRC continues later this month at the legendary EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, based in Lamia from 26 – 29 June.
Rally Classification:
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 3h 34m 24.5s
2. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +7.9s
3. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +50.5s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +5m 05.7s
5. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +7m 29.6s
6. O Solberg / E Edmondson SWE Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +8m 32.9s
