Sebastien Ogier couldn't hide his frustration after a drama-filled morning loop at the fourth round of the World Rally Championship. The Frenchman started the day well, setting the second-fastest time on the opening stage, but a puncture on the next stage dropped him from the overall lead to eighth.
Ogier recovered to fifth on the stage before service, now sitting 23 seconds behind rally leader Adrien Fourmaux of Hyundai. He admitted the only positive from the morning was the extended four-minute starting intervals. Dust left by the first cars made visibility extremely poor, especially in corners with no wind.
“Honestly, we can only be happy that the decision to give us four-minute intervals was accepted in the end, because even with four minutes it was challenging in places,” Ogier said. “Luckily, it was not over long sections, but isolated corners. In some isolated corners, you really had a wall of dust in front of you and you just had to trust your notes, because you did not really know where you were going.”
Ogier added that the rough and dusty conditions were expected to be tough even on the first pass. “We knew this one would be challenging because of the dust and the roughness, even on the first pass. I do not really know what to expect from the second one. Maybe the dust will be better, but the roughness will be on another level.”
The Toyota driver also pointed out the limited options available. He needed to maintain a strong pace but did not want to suffer any more punctures. “What can we do? We are not here to go on a road trip, so we still need to keep some rhythm. But like I said, this will probably happen a lot.”
Looking ahead to the afternoon loop, Ogier was pessimistic. “I think there are many reasons to be worried. There was already an incredible number of punctures on the first pass this morning. From the few pictures we have already seen, the road looks really destroyed. So you can expect the worst for the afternoon.”
With conditions deteriorating, Ogier and his team must find a way to stay competitive without taking excessive risks. The rally is still long, and every second counts in the title chase.
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Hyundai memimpin 1-2 di Rally Italia Sardinia setelah Ogier puncture di SS3. Fourmaux dan Neuville di depan, Evans terpuruk, Solberg dan Pajari bersaing ketat.
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