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Four winners in five rounds of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship – that was the result of the 2016 Rally Portugal, at which Citroën’s Kris Meeke reigned supreme. That of course means one thing: victory escaped Volkswagen Motorsport’s three-time world champion Sébastien Ogier.

But, it wasn’t all bad news: although Ogier finished uncharacteristically on the last step of the podium, his finish and Andreas Mikkelsen’s second place shored up the Volkswagen Motorsport points tally in the overall championship standings.

Mikkelsen and co-driver Anders Jæger’s finish benefitted them in particular, with the Norwegian pair leapfrogging two places up the Drivers’ Championship table, now just 47 points behind their leading French team-mates. Whatever the outcome, the podium places in Portugal were the 318bhp Polo R WRC’s 75th and 76th top three results in the car’s 44th competitive event. What of Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila? The Finnish duo came home sixth.

‘Cautious approach’
Ogier claimed he was close to both his and the car’s limits in Portugal: ‘That was certainly one of the toughest and most physically demanding rallies I have ever driven at in Portugal. Julien and I were once again right on the limit this weekend. As such, I am very happy with my performance. I would obviously have liked to have stayed ahead of Andreas. However, after the slow puncture on Sunday’s first stage, we had to take a slightly more cautious approach.

‘Without another spare tyre it would have been too risky otherwise with these route conditions. I would like to say an extra big ‘Obrigado’ to the many Portuguese fans. The crowds here are simply fantastic. It is great to see that the entire country is supporting rallying – whether the police, fans or the president himself, who popped in to see us in the service park.’

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Portugal: Ogier/Ingrassia

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Portugal: Ogier/Ingrassia

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Portugal: Ogier

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Portugal: Ogier/Ingrassia

2016 Rally Portugal podium winners

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After an eventful three days, Volkswagen Motorsport’s Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen stood on the second and third steps respectively of the 36th Rally Argentina podium. Hyundai Motorsport’s Hayden Paddon emerged victorious after an incident-packed fourth round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), which ran around the gravel tracks surrounding Córdoba from 21-24 April.

Second-fastest time
After a six-week break, the Volkswagen team were all ready for the 364.68km Argentine event and, along with Hyundai, set the pace on Shakedown. Recording the second and third fastest times, the Hannover-based outfit Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila were in the leading Polo R WRC, with Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia third. Norwegians Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger were fifth.

Going into the action proper on the first special stage – a 1.5-km long spectator-lined spectacle in the centre of Córdoba – Volkswagen’s Ogier was keen to clinch victory as the South American round is the only one on the current WRC calendar the Frenchman is yet to win. It started well, with the Gap-born driver clocking the fastest time along with Hyundai’s Dani Sordo. Latvala finished twelfth, while Mikkelsen was just one place below his Finnish team-mate.

The first full day of action delivered action aplenty. Latvala and Anttila stormed ahead after 152 kilometres of stages to take the lead, leaving Ogier and Ingrassia trailing over seven seconds behind. Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon and John Kennard were an impressive third in the i20 WRC, one place ahead of Mikkelsen and Jæger.

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Argentina: Ogier/Ingrassia

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Argentina: Ogier/Ingrassia

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Argentina: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Argentina: Mikkelsen/Jaeger

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Argentina: Service

Spectacular crash
Still on a high after their victory at Rally Mexico last month, Latvia and Anttila were on a charge. Sadly, it wasn’t to last. On stage 14 of day two, the Finns spectacularly crashed out after hitting a rock at the side of the road. The number ‘2’ Polo R WRC rolled several times, and the damage to the car was so severe, the pair were forced to retire. The Finns’ exit was great shame, as Latvala had finally seemed to have broken his 2016 start-of-season run of bad luck.

Almost unbelievably, Latvala’s departure handed the rally lead to young Paddon, who was 29.8 seconds ahead of world champion Ogier. Going into the last four special stages and 55.28 kilometres of the final day, it was a David and Goliath battle to play for. Mikkelsen and Jæger had kept up the pace, too, and finished the day 14.5 seconds behind Ogier and Ingrassia.

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After a disappointing start to the season, Jari-Matti Latvala staked his intent on the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and put in a dominant drive to cross the finish line first at Rally Mexico. It was sigh of relief for the Finnish Volkswagen Polo R WRC driver and his co-driver Miikka Anttila: the pair suffered retirement in the season-opening Rally Monte-Carlo and setbacks during Rally Sweden which resulted in a 26th-place finish.

French Polo R WRC crew and reigning world champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia once again put in a storming drive and did all they could to temper Latvala’s indomitable spirit. However, the pair had to relinquish the win this time around, coming home on the second step of the podium. Ogier and Ingrassia won the event in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Latvala and Anttila’s win meanwhile was their Rally Mexico first, and the 16th of the pair’s careers.

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Mexico: Latvala/Anttila

Huge challenges
Held around the city of León on 3-6 March, Rally Mexico temperatures can reach 30 °C and the event also has the season’s highest point at 2,746 metres above sea level, creating huge challenges for both drivers and their cars. It also has the longest stage: at 80km (49 miles), ‘Guanajuato’ tested both the endurance and the concentration of man and machine.

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Fresh from victory at the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship’s (WRC) opening round last month, Sébastien Ogier lifted the trophy at the series’ second event, the 12-14 February Rally Sweden. Aided by his loyal and equally talented co-driver Julien Ingrassia, Ogier finished the shortened 331.21km-long event almost 30 seconds ahead of Hyundai Motorsport’s Hayden Paddon. It was the third time the French duo had taken the Swedish spoils.

Shaky start
The 64th running of the Swedish WRC event got off to a shaky start with unusually temperate weather melting ice from the traditionally slippery stages. Insufficient snow and ice jeopardised the whole event. Soft ground saw the event cut from 21 to just 13 stages, but studded tyres were still used on the rally which is based around the town of Karlstad, west of Stockholm, and also slips into the Norwegian forests for a short time.

Despite protestations about the non-cancellation of the event, Ogier and Ingrassia once again put on a masterful display, clearing the stages of snow for the following pack. By the end of the first day, the Frenchmen were 26.9 seconds ahead of New Zealander Hayden Paddon in the new Hyundai i20 WRC, who in turn led Mads Østberg’s Ford Fiesta RS by 6.8 seconds.

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Regulation limitations meant that defending 2015 FIA World Rally Champion Volkswagen Motorsport may not have changed much about its all-conquering 2016 Polo R WRC or its driver line-ups, but there was evidently little need to – reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier took his third win at this season’s opener, the 2016 Rally Monte-Carlo from 21-24 January.

Legendary event
Ogier’s win at the legendary event meant that it was his and co-driver Julien Ingrassia’s 33rd career victory – they join an esteemed line-up of three-time Monte winners including Sébastien Loeb, Tommi Mäkinen, Sandro Munari, and Walter Röhrl. The 318bhp four-wheel drive Polo R WRC meanwhile takes it place among the Monte’s three-win great cars, the Citroën Xsara, Lancias Stratos and Delta, Mitsubishi Lancer, and the Porsche 911.

The Polo R WRC is also the most successful car in rally history, thanks to its impressive win ratio of 87.5 per cent – that equates to 35 victories from 40 rallies. The 430Nm motorsport supermini which accelerates from 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds has minimal changes for 2016, with only a stronger front sub-frame and suitably beefed-up rear axle wishbones, along with modified engine pistons.

The 2016 Rally Monte-Carlo started well for Ogier, the Frenchman coming second in the shakedown, his team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Jari-Matti Latvala fifth and sixth respectively. Notching up the fastest time on stage one, Ogier and Ingrassia ended the first day in second place, behind the trailblazing British Citröen driver, Kris Meeke.

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