“Unbelievable. What a rollercoaster ride here in Portugal! I am overjoyed with the win.”

Those were the words of an overjoyed Sébastien Ogier as he drove to his third consecutive victory at the Rally of Portugal this weekend.

“First the illness, then the brutal stages, which really push a rally car to the very limit,” he continued. “When we had the problem with the power transmission on this morning’s opening stage, I thought: ‘That’s it Séb. The rally is over.’ Fortunately we made it to the service and the guys did a fantastic job there.

“I think we really deserved the win. The rally was extremely demanding and difficult, for the car, the entire team, and particularly for me.”

The fine team performance at the fourth round of this season’s FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) sees Volkswagen move to the top of the Manufacturers’ Championship. Sébastien Ogier also extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship, courtesy of his third win of the season.

Andreas Mikkelsen and his co-driver Mikko Markkula, made a great start at the wheel of the third Polo R WRC, which was making its first outing of the season. Mikkelsen did exactly what the team had asked of him, gaining valuable experience in the World Rally Car under competitive conditions and crowning his reliability with sixth place overall and eighth World Championship points.

Ogier added: “When I arrived in Portugal on Monday evening, I was not certain whether I would be able to start. I was always tired and my energy reserves were completely empty. I was largely able to blank it out whilst I was driving, as the body is running on adrenalin then – but I certainly did not feel top fit.

“Fortunately my condition improved considerably over the last two days. I will now try to get as much rest and regain as much strength as possible in time for Argentina.”