Solberg Calls Ogier a 'Monster' in Tight Rally Chile Battle

Oliver Solberg heads into the final day of Rally Chile with a lead of around 20 seconds over his Toyota teammates Elfyn Evans and Sebastien Ogier. But it was his praise for Ogier that caught the eye.

On Saturday, Ogier closed to within ten seconds of Solberg, but the Swedish driver was able to raise his pace as the day progressed. The Swede had every reason to be pleased with his performance.

"I think we really found a good balance between risk and reward with tyre management and choosing the right time when to push. Today was tricky because it was my first time on these stages with this car," Solberg said.

Baca JugaSolberg Puji Ogier 'Monster' di Rally Chile yang Ketat

"It's tricky to know exactly how to manage your tyres when 'Seb' is a monster at it. So I tried my best to just follow my gut and what feels best."

Despite Ogier's strong charge, Solberg ultimately emerged as Saturday's fastest driver. He beat the nine-time world champion by a slender 0.7 seconds across the day's stages.

"After such a long day, it's pretty crazy. But at least we extended our lead over Elfyn, which was very nice. It's a little bit more comfortable than yesterday," Solberg smiled.

Ogier adopted a slightly risky strategy on Saturday's stages, carrying only one spare tyre on both the morning and afternoon loops. Solberg, meanwhile, carried two spares.

"Seb had a small advantage today with only five tyres. So I carried an extra 24 kilos in the boot. Sometimes it felt a bit like driving a Volvo," Solberg laughed.

Rally Chile concludes on Sunday with four stages on the schedule. A close battle is expected, with valuable Super Sunday bonus points on offer.

Solberg could certainly use those points, as he still has a theoretical chance of winning the championship. A big haul on Sunday would allow him to make significant ground on Evans and Sami Pajari, who are ahead of him in the WRC standings.

Solberg has been a strong Super Sunday performer this year, but he may hold back from an all-out attack this time.

"I'll just do my best and hopefully try to take as many points as we can. But Seb is always very strong on Sundays too. We always fight very hard against each other, but let's see. Maybe I won't go 100%, but I'll do my best to take good points at least," Solberg said of his plans.