Ogier spent Saturday locked in an intense battle with his teammate Elfyn Evans for the lead. The pair are also fighting for this year’s world championship, so every point now carries great importance.
Evans threw down a strong challenge to the eight-time world champion, but in the end, the fight turned in Ogier’s favour. The Frenchman heads into the final day with a 6.5-second lead over Evans.
Ogier improved as the evening went on and set an impressive fastest time on the final spectator stage of the day, giving himself a bit more breathing space.
“Well, I don’t know if we can talk about a big gap with six seconds, but for sure it’s better than it was at midday. That’s the way we can see it, and yeah, we can be satisfied with our afternoon,” Ogier said.
However, Ogier was not completely pleased with his overall performance.
“Still, overall, the day could have been a bit better. I could have pushed a bit more this morning, but okay, that’s how it is. Anyway, tomorrow morning will be important, like we say – that will be the day where we have to be on it all day, as everything is at stake, including the points,” Ogier continued.
The battle could gain an extra twist on Sunday morning, as the weather forecast predicts rain for the final day – something that could significantly shake up the running order. Ogier, however, wasn’t overly concerned in advance.
“We’ll have to deal with it. It’s not the most enjoyable thing on this road and with these tyres, but again, it’s the same for everybody. Let’s hope it’s not too bad and that we can still have a good day. Hopefully not too many issues for anyone, as we know these tyres are pretty weak. But let’s see,” said Ogier.
“Tomorrow morning, the conditions will be extra challenging, probably. I think it will be hard for everybody, and for sure we’ll have to be on it straight away this time – especially as tomorrow is money time. You know, it’s Sunday – that’s the moment when we need to be on it,” Ogier previewed.
At the end of Saturday, though, Ogier had something entirely different on his mind than Sunday’s action.
“I’m looking forward to my bed – just a bit of battery charging to be ready for the final day. But yeah, I always like challenges, so I’m sure tomorrow morning I’ll wake up ready for it,” he said.
