Rally Mexico: Ostberg urged to stay calm about losing to Ogier
M-Sport team boss Malcolm Wilson has urged his lead driver Mads Ostberg not to be downcast despite seeing Sebastien Ogier pull away in the Rally Mexico lead
Ostberg led the event for two stages and posted fastest times on four to bring his Fiesta RS WRC home 33.0 seconds adrift of Ogier's Volkswagen.
Wilson insisted Ostberg had over-achieved on Friday.
"Mads has been incredible," said Wilson, "this is way more than I expected from him. We came to this event hoping we could be fighting for a podium place and look at what he's achieved.
"He's sitting here with his head down because he's not leading the event and that's a pretty incredible position to be in."
Ostberg admitted he was frustrated at losing time in the high-speed sections of the Cubilete and El Chocolate stages, but was pleased to at least be 'best of the rest' after Ogier.
"We're only losing to him," said Ostberg, "we're ahead of the rest, which is pretty good. But Ogier certainly understands what he's doing around here."
Wilson added that on Ogier's current form there was no shame in being slightly off the VW's pace.
"Mads is right, he is ahead of the rest and the guy that he's losing to is the same guy who was beating Sebastien Loeb in the same car a couple of years ago - and just dominated Rally Sweden, something Loeb never did," said Wilson.
Previous article
Rally Mexico: Sebastien Ogier leads into Saturday
Next article
Rally Mexico: Volkswagen insists Latvala's weekend not a disaster
Vodafone Rally de Portugal Friday afternoon recap
Croatia Rally SS5-SS8
WRC Croatia Rally 2021 Teaser
TOP 5 reasons to watch Croatia Rally 2021!
How Hyundai's broken record gave Toyota a special Sardinia 1-2
For the second WRC gravel rally in a row, a promising Friday for Hyundai turned into desolation as Toyota gratefully picked up the pieces. This time it was championship leader Sebastien Ogier who took full advantage after Ott Tanak and Dani Sordo retired to score a memorable victory, having swept the road on the first two days
How Hyundai's latest self-destruction handed Evans Portugal victory
At one point Hyundai held the top three positions in Portugal, but when trouble struck the Korean marque's two leading chargers, a grateful Elfyn Evans was on hand to see off Hyundai third man Dani Sordo and become the third different winner in four rallies
Why the success of AVB's WRC debut won't be defined on the stages
Three years after a Dakar Rally crash resulted in him being airlifted to hospital, Andre Villas-Boas is preparing to make his debut on his home round of the World Rally Championship later this month. His goals for the event are modest, but the same cannot be said for the charities he plans to promote where his true impact could be felt
Why there's no easy fix for Hyundai's operational Achilles Heel
Hyundai Motorsport boss Andrea Adamo was vocal in his criticism of his team's tyre choices on Rally Croatia and declared that he "had better move my ass and solve it". Doing so will be vital to getting Hyundai's 2021 WRC title hopes back on track, but finding the root of the problem won't be the work of a moment
How Ogier held on after a shock bump in the road to triumph in Croatia
Sebastien Ogier was already in an incredibly tight fight at Rally Croatia before a surprise collision with public road traffic at the start of the final day. But the defending champion held his nerve to take a narrow victory and create further World Rally Championship history
Why the casualty of rallying's evolution should still be cherished
The WRC's support categories are in a process of streamlining that will spell the end of a formalised 2WD world championship-level category. While its relevance to the top level has been questioned for some time, that doesn't mean it should be swept quietly under the carpet
Why WRC's hybrid path could leave it at a crossroads
With all three major manufacturers committing to the World Rally Championship’s hybrid era from 2022, the future of the series is assured for now, but it could lead to trickier twists and turns further down the road
How Tanak froze out the competition at the Arctic Rally
Ott Tanak made up for a disastrous Monte Carlo Rally by leading all the way on the snow-kissed stages of the Arctic Rally Finland and in the process hit back at an event Toyota had been expected to dominate
