Although Ogier is only seventh in the rally at the moment, he is nevertheless firmly ahead of his team-mates Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä.
Evans, who made a driving error on the final stage of the morning loop, is eighth in the rally and already 22.7 seconds behind Ogier. Rovanperä, meanwhile, suffered yet another puncture in the morning, leaving the Finn only tenth overall – and well over a minute off the lead.
Ogier drove the morning loop sensibly, avoiding any unnecessary risks at any point. And it was wise, because especially on the first stage of the morning it would have been all too easy to make a mistake.
“I think the challenge we expected after seeing the stage during recce… it’s tough. There’s obviously a massive cleaning effect this morning, but at the same time we maybe have a little bit fewer loose rocks in the front so far. But the second part is going to be, anyway, the biggest challenge of the day. The grip should be better for us at the front, and so far, all good. I mean, the rhythm is okay, still, regarding my position, I believe. And anyway, we are not here to take full risk. We need to stay out of trouble. That’s the main target,” Ogier explained.
The Saudi Arabian conditions have caught everyone by surprise. Especially the opening stage of the morning was something that has never been seen before in the World Rally Championship.
“It’s very untypical for sure. This kind of landscape, we are not used to it. But somehow it was nice in the sand, in the dunes. It gave me a bit of a taste of Dakar. I always say I’m not so interested in doing Dakar, so at least I’ve tested it a bit. And yeah, that’s enough for me,” Ogier noted.
Even bigger challenges are expected on the afternoon loop – and even major turning points in the title fight are possible.
“The ground is pretty soft, so for sure rocks are going to be in places we don’t necessarily expect them this afternoon. The middle stage, though, is a bit different – it’s very sharp, very abrasive. So that’s going to be also a big, big test for the tyres,” Ogier predicted.
Evans made a mistake and was bitterly disappointed
If Ogier succeeded in staying out of trouble, the same cannot quite be said of World Championship leader Elfyn Evans. The Welshman made a driving error on the final stage of the morning loop and lost seconds worth more than gold. It was no surprise that the Toyota driver was extremely disappointed after the morning’s running.
“I was far too conservative on the first stage there. I got caught napping a bit by everyone else. So of course I’m a bit disappointed to give away so much from the start. After that, obviously the cleaning effect is quite dramatic on the next two. I felt actually that to set my pace wasn’t so bad in terms of driving to where it’s been in that condition in the past. But obviously I made a small mistake – quite a clumsy one – in this third stage of the loop, which cost another few seconds,” Evans lamented.
The mistake wasn’t big, but it was costly.
“I think it was just a bit of a mistake on the pace note. Maybe not to have a little bit of extra detail. It seemed quite obvious where to go on the recce, but when I arrived there at speed I got a bit too eager to turn in,” Evans explained.
Evans also predicted that the afternoon loop would be extremely challenging. The conditions remain a big question mark.
“That’s the big question, I think. Quite difficult to know. Obviously each stage is quite different as well in terms of surface. So we could see something a bit different from all three,” Evans anticipated.
Evans’ situation is not ideal, but luckily for him the rally is still only beginning.
“Of course I’m disappointed with my morning, but you know, it’s a long way to go and we’ll keep doing what we can,” Evans stressed.
Four more special stages will be run on Thursday at Rally Saudi Arabia. The event finishes on Saturday.
