WRC Argentina: Sebastien Ogier insists he won't chase Sebastien Loeb
Sebastien Ogier says he will not take any risks to try and get back past Sebastien Loeb in Rally Argentina
The Volkswagen driver lost his lead on the second stage of Friday morning, when he slipped off the road on a muddy right-hander. The Frenchman blamed a faulty handbrake mechanism on his Polo R WRC for the incident.
"It was a slow corner, a long right tightening at the exit," said Ogier. "It was full of mud.
"I didn't arrive too fast, the handbrake was not working. I wanted to use the handbrake at the end of the corner and, if it worked, it would have been good.
"But it didn't. It locked the front wheels and made me understeer more and I had no option except to go off the road."
Ogier will resume in third place, 26 seconds behind Loeb - a gap he described as "a bit too big."
"We will drive as fast as we can and see what happens," said Ogier.
"From the beginning we said that the target is the championship and the position is not so bad for that.
"We will see if we can catch Mikko [Hirvonen, in second place] at least, but for Seb, he's not the main target."
Loeb laughed off Ogier's stance, saying: "He said that? That's shit!"
The Citroen driver leads Hirvonen by eight seconds, with Ogier a further 18 behind.
"Nothing is done," said Loeb. "Ogier had an 18s lead, now he is 26s behind, because he still had to push hard - because I was pushing him hard.
"Now we will be in the same situation. Hirvonen is only nine seconds behind me, it's far from being finished."
Argentina WRC: Loeb takes lead after Ogier mistake
WRC Argentina: Sebastien Loeb breaks away from Sebastien Ogier
Ex-F1 racer Kovalainen plans Japan WRC entry, eyes European outings
Ex-Formula 1 racer Heikki Kovalainen is pressing ahead with preparations for a one-off WRC outing in Japan in November and plans to contest more events in Europe in the near-future.
Hyundai cautiously optimistic after shock Finland WRC win
An unexpected victory in Finland has left Hyundai Motorsport cautiously optimistic it has turned a corner after a difficult start to the World Rally Championship's new hybrid era.
Rally legend Kankkunen to drive hydrogen-powered Toyota at WRC Ypres Rally
Four-time World Rally Championship title-winner Juha Kankkunen will drive a hydrogen-powered Toyota GR Yaris in stages at next week’s WRC Ypres Rally.
Gronholm hopeful protege Huttunen can secure more WRC Rally1 outings
Rally legend Marcus Gronholm is hopeful his young protege Jari Huttunen will receive another shot in the World Rally Championship’s top tier after scoring points on debut in Finland.
How Rovanpera has reignited Finland's rallying obsession
Finland may have a small population, but it has long enjoyed rallying success. Now that the nation has a new star to cheer in the form of Kalle Rovanpera, interest in the discipline is surging once again
How Tanak spoiled Rovanpera’s Finnish homecoming
Kalle Rovanpera and Toyota went into Rally Finland as overwhelming favourites but came away as runners-up to a resurgent Ott Tanak and Hyundai. While it may have dampened the homecoming party, it still moved the Finn closer to the ultimate World Rally Championship prize
Inside Hyundai’s F1-spec mobile WRC home
Hyundai is one of the World Rally Championship's big three, and has a brand-new travelling facility befitting of that status. The team invited Autosport for a behind-the-scenes look at its state-of-the-art HQ, which comes complete with all the bells and whistles you'd expect of a top Formula 1 outfit
How Rovanpera's latest Estonia masterclass left his WRC rivals stumped
After trailing Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans for much of Rally Estonia's opening day, WRC points leader Kalle Rovanpera took advantage of a change in the weather and never looked back afterwards. Winning for a fifth time this year at the scene of his 2021 breakthrough, and with a breathtaking powerstage bonus for good measure, his advantage is already looking difficult to topple
How the WRC captures its stunning visuals
Whether it’s the mountains of Monte Carlo, the snow of Sweden or the Kenya Savannah, the World Rally Championship is able to beam some of motorsport’s most spectacular footage to television screens while operating in the harshest of environments. Autosport went behind the scenes to unearth the secrets that make this logistical challenge possible
Why WRC's Safari tour is more than just a rally
OPINION: A source of national pride in Kenya, the Safari Rally is also a sporting, cultural and economic phenomenon. And as last weekend's World Rally Championship round reminded us, it's a key driver in establishing Africa’s place in world motorsport
How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause