Ogier: It’s not so bad

Defending champion Sebastien Ogier says he is pleased with what he achieved at Rally Argentina, even though the victory he sought went to his Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala.

Ogier led the rally after the opening stage but Latvala was never far away and after a tense duel on Friday the Finn moved ahead. Latvala stretched the lead on Saturday and Sunday to take the win by 1m26s.

Ogier made no secret of his dislike for the event’s rough and muddy roads, but overcame the conditions on Sunday to take maximum points on the El Condor Power Stage, and leave Argentina with a championship lead of 24 points.

“Let’s say it’s the second best result I could have hoped for,” Ogier joked. “It is not bad to score 21 points here. I lost only five to Jari. So thinking about the Championship, it is really not bad.

"Of course I came here like always with the target of victory but, as I have said before, I don’t like the rough rallies too much. I think now this is the roughest rally in the Championship, so it is not a big deal for me to not win this one.”

Ogier was quick to offer his congratulations to his team-mate. “He deserved the victory with Miikka. They did a fantastic job. I’m actually pleased that people are realising it’s not as easy to win as it might sometimes look.”