Ogier restart in doubt

Sébastien Ogier may sit out Saturday’s second leg of Neste Rally Finland following fitness concerns over co-driver Julien Ingrassia following the pair’s accident on Friday.

The WRC leader’s hopes of a fifth consecutive title suffered a blow when his Ford Fiesta smashed into trees in this morning’s Jukojärvi special stage after incurring suspension damage earlier in the test.

Although neither crew member was injured, a shaken Ingrassia later reported feeling unwell. A decision on whether they will continue under Rally 2 rules will be left until Saturday morning after Ingrassia has had the opportunity to recuperate overnight.

“We just need to wait a bit because Julien got a bit shaken in the crash,” explained Ogier. “We’ve done all the tests at the hospital and there was nothing that came out of them, but still at the moment Julien is not feeling super good.

“So I want to wait and give him the chance to decide. He is OK, nothing really special just a bit dizzy I think.”

If Ingrassia is unfit, it is likely the pair would restart from parc ferme before retiring again in service. That would allow them to rejoin on Sunday to chase vital bonus points in the live TV Power Stage and salvage something from the weekend.

A heavy landing over one of Finland’s many jumps damaged Ogier’s rear suspension and affected his Fiesta’s handling. The crash happened later in the same stage.

“When I reached the corner, I just braked slightly late, not so much, but the combination of that and the broken damper meant I lost the rear. I had quite a big side impact with a tree and that was game over,” he explained.