Volkswagen takes WRC title as it completes its 13th over all win of the year in Wales

• Eighth victory of the season for world champions* Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia
• Record number of wins in one WRC season for Volkswagen
• Latvala and Mikkelsen recover well from set-backs

The icing on the cake at the end of the season – the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) saw Volkswagen set a new record for the number of wins in one single season. Win number eight of the year for newly-crowned World Rally Champions* Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) presented the Wolfsburg-based manufacturer with its twelfth victory from 13 rallies. 

Ogier/Ingrassia raced into a commanding lead of over a minute on day one of three in Wales, and were then able to pace themselves intelligently on Saturday and Sunday. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) ended the Rally Great Britain in eighth place, having lost more than three minutes after a mistake on Saturday morning. 

The extremely difficult conditions in Wales also took their toll on the third Volkswagen duo of Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (N/N): they had offs resulting in early retirements on both Friday and Sunday. However, their fightback on Saturday was emphatic proof of what might have been, consisting as it did of five stage wins and four second places in nine stages.

A superlative season in figures

The final round of the year also brought the curtain down on what has been a fairy-tale season for Volkswagen. A series of records went to the Wolfsburg-based manufacturer in 2014. The twelfth of a possible 13 wins saw Volkswagen eclipse the previous record of eleven, held by Citroën. Volkswagen also equalled the record eight one-twos in a season, set by Peugeot back in 2002. 

And there’s more: Volkswagen also wrapped up the title in the Manufacturers’ Championship at the earliest point of the season for 25 years, as well as becoming only the second manufacturer in WRC history to provide all of the top three drivers in the Drivers’ World Championship. Only Lancia had achieved this feat before them – in 1987 and 1988. 

Not only were Volkswagen’s achievements impressive, but also the manner in which they were achieved: in 2014, Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen added a further 197 of a possible 249 stage wins to the success story of the Polo R WRC. In total, 23 podiums went to Volkswagen over the course of the season’s 13 rallies. Since the Polo R WRC made its World Rally Championship debut in January 2013, the powerhouse has racked up 22 victories and 41 podiums in 26 rallies. The Volkswagen drivers clocked the fastest time on 345 of the 486 special stages over the last two seasons.

XXL mud pack: extremely difficult conditions in Wales

The Rally Great Britain is not only the “Rally of Legends”, but is a legend in its own right. The ubiquitous rain and menacing fog hanging over the forests make for perilous Welsh gravel stages, the likes of which are not experienced anywhere else on the WRC calendar. Smooth in places, mostly muddy, but always slippery, the 70^th staging of this classic once again posed an extreme challenge to driver, co-driver and World Rally Car alike.

Disappointment for Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila

About halfway into the 305.64 kilometres against the clock, a mere 6.6 seconds separated the world champion* and the man who finished runner-up* in the World Championship – the rally in Wales was initially shaped by the same duel that had dominated the 2014 WRC season. The battle between Ogier and Latvala produced no fewer than three of the ten closest WRC finishes in World Championship history, with a fourth only prevented by a slight mistake. 

Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila fell victim to the perilous Welsh mud on Saturday morning, sliding into a ditch on the ninth stage of the rally – and lost over three minutes in the process. They fought back strongly on Sunday, however, winning four of the final day’s six special stages – including the closing Power Stage – to climb from tenth to eighth place.

Highs and lows: set-backs and stage wins for Mikkelsen and Fløene

The rally was to prove an emotional rollercoaster for Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene. Five stage wins and four second places on Saturday were unfortunately offset by crashes on Friday and Sunday. Mikkelsen and Fløene were always one of the cars first onto the route – no easy task at the Rally Great Britain. 

As such, a dream season ended in disappointment for Mikkelsen/Fløene. However, this does not detract from an otherwise impressive record: Andreas Mikkelsen made five appearances on the podium in 2014, including second places on three different surfaces: ice and snow (Sweden), gravel (Poland) and asphalt (France).

Power Stage: bonus points for Latvala

Volkswagen continues to dominate the Power Stage, in which extra points towards the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championship are awarded to the fastest three cars. For the eleventh time in the 2014 season the fastest time was set by a Volkswagen driver. In Great Britain it was the turn of Jari-Matti Latvala to pick up the three bonus points. 

A Volkswagen driver has picked up at least one extra point on 24 occasions this year. Volkswagen can point to a proud record since joining the championship in 2013: of the 25 Power Stages held in that time, the fastest man was at the wheel of a Polo R WRC on 19 occasions, while the Volkswagen drivers finished in the top three 44 times.

Three titles*, twelve wins – the conclusion of a demanding season

The Volkswagen team can look back on what was not only a successful, but also a demanding season, with the three World Championship titles* in the Drivers’, Co-drivers’ and Manufacturers’ competitions as a reward. The 2014 FIA World Rally Championship took team members from 20 nations to 13 rallies in 15 different countries. 

4.2 million fans now follow the works team from Wolfsburg on social networks, 101,647 fans were delighted to get their hands on signed autographs of the Volkswagen drivers, while journalists were supplied with information via 703 pages of press releases and 322,488 text messages.

In extreme conditions, from sea level up to altitudes of 2781 metres, the temperatures on the special stages ranged from minus 12 to plus 34 degrees Celsius. The turbo chargers in the three 315-hp engines completed 1.3 billion revs between the Rally Monte Carlo and the Rally Great Britain. Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen changed gears in their Polo R WRCs 73,211 times. Using muscle power alone, the mechanics lifted a total of 265 tons moving the roughly 1,100 tyres used. 

The engineers evaluated about 17.9 gigabytes of data from the year's 249 special stages – roughly the same as 3.2 million pages of pure text. The team members covered a total of 96,845.99 kilometres as the crow flies between the service parks and the team HQ in Hannover. The equipment for the overseas races travelled a further 46,202.62 kilometres by sea.

All with 100 percent team work.

Quotes after day three of the Rally Great Britain

Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1

“That is obviously the best way to end a season: with a win. We were under no pressure, as the World Championship was no longer at stake, and just wanted to enjoy the Rally Great Britain. We really had to go flat-out on Friday and had a close battle for the lead with my team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala. That allowed us to open up a big lead over the rest of our rivals. When Jari-Matti made a mistake on Saturday, it obviously completely changed the character of the rally for us. I just had to get the car to the finish line. 

However, that is anything but easy given the typical conditions here in Wales. All in all, it has been another magnificent season for Julien and me, with a fantastic team behind us. We now have a few tests and official parties before the Christmas holidays begin. A quick word on Mikko Hirvonen: I am delighted for him that he ended his final WRC rally on the podium. He has had a great career, and we will miss driving against him.”

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2

“I can look back with great satisfaction on the 2014 season: I mounted my first serious challenge for the World Championship title, and kept the title race alive for a long time. I also won my first rally on asphalt, which was an important milestone for me. The duel with Sébastien Ogier was extremely exciting. I will carry on where I left off next season. The Rally Great Britain did not pan out as I had hoped. My goal was definitely to go for the win here in Wales. Apart from the slip-up, our pace was good. As such, I am already looking forward to next year.”

Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9

“Unfortunately that was not the end to the season I had hoped for. I would have liked to have given the team something better than two offs. However, the conditions were particularly difficult and mistakes happen quicker at the Rally Great Britain than anywhere else. I am disappointed, but I believe we matched the pace of our team-mates and could have challenged for the win. Despite this disappointment, we can still be proud of what we have achieved this season. With five podiums we have exceeded our own expectations. 

Third place in the Drivers’ Championship is the best result of my career. I am looking forward to a bit of a rest over the coming weeks, but also to the 2015 season. We are determined to be challenging for victories and podiums right from the word go. That is my goal.”

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director

“Twelve wins in one season – we really can look back on a successful year. We can be proud of what we have achieved, and enjoy every moment in the World Rally Championship. The Rally Great Britain has also been a great success, and Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia did everything right en route to their eighth win of the season. 

Respect to them. In contrast, Jari-Matti Latvala, Miikka Anttila, Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene did not end the season the way they had hoped. However, they can also be proud of what they have achieved. There is no chance of us resting on our laurels. The 2015 season gets underway with the Rally Monte Carlo in just 65 days, and we want to be as well prepared as possible again. Preparations have already been in full swing for a while now.”

And then there were ...

... Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen. The two Finnish M-Sport Ford drivers were contesting their final WRC rally in Wales after a career spanning 13 years. Volkswagen would like to thank them for some exciting battles and two years of fair competition.

* Subject to the official publication of the results by the FIA.

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Great Britain – Final Results

01. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen 02. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN/FIN), Ford 03. Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (N/S), Citroën 04. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai 05. Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (GB/GB), Ford               06. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (GB/IRL), Citroën 07. Ott Tänak/Raigo Mõlder (EST/EST), Ford 08. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen 09. Martin Prokop/Jan Tománek (CZ/CZ), Ford     10. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (NZ/NZ), Hyundai

3h 03m 08.2s + 37.6s + 1m 03.6s  + 1m 14.9s + 1m 24.3s + 2m 03.0s    + 2m 29.7s + 2m 47.5s + 3m 43.3s + 3m 48.5s

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Great Britain – Power Stage Results

01. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen    02. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai             03. Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (N/S), Citroën

7m 04.7s + 2.3s + 3.1s

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Overall Standings*

Drivers’ Championship

1. Sébastien Ogier, 267 points; 2. Jari-Matti Latvala, 218; 3. Andreas Mikkelsen, 150; 4. Mikko Hirvonen, 126; 5. Mads Østberg, 108; 6. Thierry Neuville, 105; 7. Kris Meeke, 92; 8. Elfyn Evans, 81; 9. Martin Prokop, 44; 10. Dani Sordo, 40; 11. Henning Solberg, 26; 12. Bryan Bouffier, 20; 13. Juho Hänninen, 20; 14. Hayden Paddon, 19; 15. Ott Tänak, 17; 16. Robert Kubica, 14; 17. Benito Guerra, 8; 18. Chris Atkinson, 7; 19. Pontus Tidemand, 6; 20. Dennis Kuipers, 4; 21. Jaroslav Melichárek, 4; 22. Nasser Al-Attiyah, 4; 23. Lorenzo Bertelli, 2; 24. Matteo Gamba, 2; 25. Craig Breen, 2; 26. Yuriy Protasov, 2; 27. Jari Ketomaa, 1; 28. Karl Kruuda, 1; 29. Khalid Al-Qassimi, 1

Manufacturers’ Championship

1. Volkswagen Motorsport; 447 points; 2. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT, 210; 3. M-Sport, 208; 4. Hyundai Motorsport, 187; 5. Volkswagen Motorsport II, 133; 6. Jipocar Czech National Team, 49; 7. Hyundai Motorsport N, 28; 8. RK M-Sport WRT, 26

* provisional

Toyota's dominance in WRC celebrated with a 20th anniversary event.

The era of Toyota’s dominance in the World Rally Championship were recalled on Sunday (1 June) when the GT-Four Owners Club marked the 20^th anniversary of the Celica GT-four ST205, the last in a great line of competition-bred four-wheel-drive sportscars.

Around 50 cars gathered at the Prescott Speed Hill Climb in Gloucestershire and took the opportunity to demonstrate the Celica’s turn of speed and handling on the challenging course. Versions of the ST205, based on the sixth-generation Celica, were joined by the earlier ST165 and ST185 GT-Four models.

The ST205 was a true competition-bred car, developed with help from Toyota Team Europe, the then reigning World Rally Champions. The Celica’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-cam 16 valve engine was substantially modified with a larger, water intercooled turbocharger and reworked valves and ports, increasing maximum power to 239bhp. With permanent four-wheel drive, it could accelerate from nought to 62mph in 6.1 seconds and reach a top speed of 153mph.

It proved a winner at the highest level, driven by Didier Auriol to Toyota’s third successive WRC manufacturers title.

Toyota helped the UK owners club celebrate with a guest appearance from the Lexus LFA, a giant cake and commemorative GT-Four stickers. A prize draw for passenger rides up the hill climb in the LFA raised £400 for charity.

Ferdy Gottschall, committee member for the club said: “We would like to thank Toyota for their support. It’s not every manufacturer who would support a bunch of die-hard enthusiasts, but their contribution to the event  was fantastic, not least bring the LFA and giving members the chance of a once-in-a-lifetime passenger ride.”

Volkswagen get 1, 2 and 4 in Argentina, making it VW;s best EVER Rally results.

• First, second and fourth – Latvala, Ogier and Mikkelsen triumph in Argentina
• Outstanding result: Volkswagen’s best team finish in the World Rally Championship
• Record-breaking run continues: ninth WRC win in a row for Volkswagen
• Top three places in the championship occupied by Volkswagen: Ogier leads ahead of Latvala and Mikkelsen

It was nothing less than Volkswagen’s greatest single victory in the history of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). In extremely difficult external conditions, Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) and Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) celebrated a hard-fought one-two victory in the Polo R WRC at the Rally Argentina. Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN) completed the German factory team’s triumph by claiming fourth place. Crowds of enthusiastic fans lined the route of SS 14, holding their breath as Latvala and Ogier repeatedly fought it out to win the fifth round of the season. Mikkelsen also helped to make the event a resounding success for Volkswagen by doggedly working his way up the leader board. Taking first and second place further extends Volkswagen’s lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship. Following the Rally Argentina, the three Volkswagen duos are now also at the top of the table in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championship. The event marked Jari-Matti Latvala’s tenth win in the World Rally Championship and his third in Volkswagen’s colours.

Latvala vs. Ogier, Ogier vs. Latvala – a duel to win the rally, a duel for the WRC crown

Right from the word go, spectators were treated to a thrilling duel for first place in Argentina – despite punishing external conditions. The current World Champions, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, got off to the better start, claiming the first two Special Stages. Then Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila launched their counterattack during the rally’s longest stage. The pair took the overall lead by putting in the best time on the “Ascochinga–Agua de Oro” section, which is almost 52 kilometres long. Before the first day’s rallying had finished, first place changed hands twice more between Latvala and Ogier. Latvala dominated on Saturday and Sunday, gaining the upper hand in the duel with eight wins to Ogier’s one over the two days. Following five of the season’s 13 rallies, the battle between Ogier and Latvala is also dominating the battle for the WRC title. With his win, Latvala closed the gap in the World Championship standings to 24 points.

A setback and a fightback: Mikkelsen plays catch-up

The weekend’s most impressive fightback came from Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula. The Norwegian–Finnish Volkswagen duo suffered a setback on the very first day of the Rally Argentina when a belt flew off their alternator – sheer bad luck. They finished seventh rather than third and were hit by a five-minute penalty instead of vying for the lead. However, Mikkelsen/Markkula didn’t give up. On Saturday, they overtook three of their rivals by setting the best time on one stage and bagging two other top three times. This halved the gap to second place to less than two minutes. A conservative but successful strategy came into play on Sunday: Mikkelsen/Markkula cleverly secured fourth place with good results on the two classic stages “Mina Clavero” and “El Condor” and managed to finish just 23.6 seconds shy of a podium place rather than their original 3:21.3 minutes. It is interesting to note that Mikkelsen/Markkula would easily have secured a spot on the podium with their performance alone, had it not been for the time penalty.

The backbone of the team: Volkswagen’s service mechanics are the key to success

The Rally Argentina is not just a WRC classic – it also has a reputation for being the toughest test of both man and machine. In 2014, heavy rain and storms in the weeks leading up to the event meant the tracks were badly eroded and very rough. Countless cross-ditches and deep potholes put all of the teams’ World Rally Cars to the test. However, the Volkswagen drivers’ equipment remained in great shape throughout the competition, thanks to the team’s service crews. Volkswagen’s experienced mechanics used the three services on each day of the rally – one in the morning (15 minutes), one at lunchtime (30 minutes) and one in the evening (45 minutes) – to make sure the three Polo R WRCs were always ready to face the forthcoming stages.

Team successes, winning streaks and milestones: facts and figures from Argentina

By claiming first, second and fourth place in Argentina, Volkswagen celebrated its greatest success to date in a single round of the WRC. This win thereby replaces the team’s previous milestone at the Rally Great Britain in November 2013, when the three Volkswagen pairings secured first, second and fifth place. As well as claiming impressive positions, the team did it in style. The Rally Argentina is made up of 14 Special Stages covering a total of 405.10 kilometres. Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen set the best time on ten of them, finished second eleven times, and took third place on ten stages. This meant that Volkswagen claimed 31 of the 42 possible top three times. With this performance, Argentina remains the most successful motorsport host country for Volkswagen. In 2005, Volkswagen bagged its first overall victory for the Volkswagen Race Touareg at the Rallye por las Pampas. Then in 2009, 2010 and 2011, the make celebrated three marathon wins at the legendary Dakar Rally with Giniel de Villiers, Carlos Sainz and Nasser Al-Attiyah at the wheel.

Jari-Matti Latvala’s victory at the Rally Argentina in 2014 also saw the team continue a winning streak in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) which started last season: Volkswagen has now taken the top spot nine times in a row. The marque finished the 2013 season with wins in Australia, France, Spain and the UK. It has followed this with success in Monte Carlo, Sweden, Mexico, Portugal and Argentina so far in 2014. This means that Volkswagen remains unbeaten to date in 2014 and is celebrating its third double victory in the space of five rallies and its fifth overall.

The icing on the cake: extra points for Ogier and Latvala in the Power Stage

Once again, Sébastien Ogier was all over the final Power Stage, when extra points are awarded for the three best pairings in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championship. On the second run-through of “El Condor”, the ruling World Champion finished 10.5 seconds ahead of Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) and another tenth of a second in front of his fellow Volkswagen driver Jari-Matti Latvala. Four of the six extra points went to the Wolfsburg-based team as a result. Volkswagen’s drivers and co-drivers have now bagged extra points 27 times already in the course of 18 rallies.

Volkswagen occupies the top three places in the WRC standings with a comfortable lead

First, second and third – the Volkswagen duos have a firm grip on the top of the WRC drivers’ and co-drivers’ leader board. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia are in the lead with 112 points, followed by Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila who have notched up 88 points. Having finished the latest rally fourth, Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula are now in third place overall with 48 points. Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (Citroën) are fourth in the overall standings with the same number of points as Mikkelsen. Volkswagen has further extended its lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship thanks to Ogier and Latvala’s one-two win, giving them the maximum point score of 43. The works team will go into the next round in Italy (05–08 June) 97 points ahead of second-placed Citroën.

Quotes after day three of the Rally Argentina

Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1

“The conditions at this Rally Argentina were the most difficult ones I’ve experienced for a long time. The road conditions were incredibly tough on the drivers and the cars, so I’m very happy with second place. I’d like to congratulate Jari-Matti, who put in a strong performance and deserved to win. I’m actually pleased that people are realising it’s not as easy to win as it might sometimes look. Julien and I gave our all throughout the weekend, but especially at the end the gravel tracks were so slippery and muddy that our only objective was to make it across the line. Mastering ‘El Condor’ in particular was a real adventure. Nevertheless, it’s always overwhelming to tackle the stage in front of so many frenetic fans. I’m looking forward to next year, when I’ll have another go at making it to the top of the podium in Argentina.” 

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2

“Of course I’m absolutely thrilled to have won the Rally Argentina. It’s been quite a few years since a Finn won this rally. Fighting it out with Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia was great. My co-driver Miikka Anttila contributed enormously to our success because his instructions safely guided us through some extremely difficult sections. We have done of lot of analysing and working on ourselves over the last few weeks and months, and it paid off here. Huge thanks go to the whole Volkswagen team too, because our Polo was always perfectly prepared and withstood the immense strain right until the end. This victory means a lot to me personally because we won this tricky rally on our own merit, which shows that we’re still a force to be reckoned with in the World Championship.”

Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9

“I’ve never been so delighted to finish fourth. After we failed to finish the last stage on Friday because of a technical glitch and were hit with a five-minute penalty as a result, we tried to make the best of things. We simply couldn’t have done any more and I’m really pleased with our performance. After gaining fourth place even quicker than we’d hoped on Saturday, we were a bit more cautious on Sunday. Lots of mud, thick fog – the last Special Stages were a real challenge. Nevertheless, we managed to make good a lot of time and shorten our gap to third place. All in all, we’re very satisfied.”

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director

“Simply outstanding. We had set ourselves ambitious targets for this rally, but in the end we exceeded our own expectations by far. Finishing first, second and fourth is Volkswagen’s biggest success at a WRC rally to date. It might look like it was easy when you see the results, but it was hard work. Every single driver and co-driver did a fantastic job and all of them could rely on their Polo R WRCs leaving the service area in top shape every time. I’m particularly pleased about Jari-Matti Latvala’s win. It took great mental strength for him to wrestle this win away from Sébastien Ogier, who’s the reigning World Champion with good reason. He put in a fantastic performance as well. And we’ve signed a great up-and-coming driver too in the shape of Andreas Mikkelsen. We’ve known that for a long time, but he proved it to everyone at this event with the best gravel rally of his career.”

And then there was ...

... one of the keys to Volkswagen’s success: team spirit. Unlike some of their rivals, Volkswagen’s Motorsport department has sole responsibility for developing and competing with the Polo R WRC. The dedicated crew behind the works team has grown over the years and consists of mechanics, logistics experts and engineers with permanent contracts. Almost half of the team members scheduled to travel to the rallies in 2014 were involved in the three “Dakar” wins in South America. To be precise: 48.35 per cent of the crew were also behind the Volkswagen 2009, 2010 and 2011 triumphs in Argentina and Chile with the Race Touareg.

And then there was also ...

... the Special Stage “Giulio Césare–Mina Clavero”. In 2014, the drivers completed the last 22.07-kilometre stage going from 1,993 to 1,022 metres above sea level in the opposite direction to the previous year. A few figures provide an interesting comparison of the uphill and downhill versions: in 2013, the World Rally Cars completed 32 per cent of this classic stage at full speed and braked 29 per cent of the time. In 2014, just 17 per cent of the course was at full throttle. The drivers had to brake over 45 per cent of the total distance to master the slalom.

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Argentina – Final Results

01. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen	4h 41m 24.8s
02. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen	+ 1m 26.9s
03. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (GB/IRL), Citroën	+ 5m 54.7s
04. Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula (N/FIN), Volkswagen	+ 6m 18.3s
05. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai	+ 8m 25.8s
06. Robert Kubica/Maciej Szczepaniak (PL/PL), Ford	+ 10m 08.0s
07. Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (GB/GB), Ford	+ 10m 32.2s
08. Martin Prokop/Jan Tománek (CZ/CZ), Ford	+ 12m 03.9s
09. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN/FIN), Ford	+ 19m 54.8s
10. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Giovanni Bernacchini (Q/I), Ford	+ 23m 10.2s

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Argentina – Power Stage Results

01. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen	8m 41.7s
02. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN/FIN), Ford	+ 10.5s
03. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen	+ 10.6s

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Overall Standings*

Drivers’ Championship

1. Sébastien Ogier, 112 points; 2. Jari-Matti Latvala, 88; 3. Andreas Mikkelsen, 48; 4. Mads Østberg, 48; 5. Mikko Hirvonen, 40; 6. Kris Meeke, 32; 7. Thierry Neuville, 31; 8. Elfyn Evans, 26; 9. Martin Prokop, 22; 10. Bryan Bouffier 18; 11. Henning Solberg, 16; 12. Ott Tänak, 10; 13. Benito Guerra, 8; 14. Robert Kubica, 8; 15. Chris Atkinson, 6; 16. Pontus Tidemand, 4; 17. Juho Hänninen, 4; 18. Jaroslav Melichárek, 4; 19. Nasser Al-Attiyah, 3; 20. Matteo Gamba, 2; 21. Craig Breen, 2; 22. Yuriy Protasov, 2; 23. Jari Ketomaa, 1; 24. Dani Sordo, 0 

Manufacturers’ Championship

1. Volkswagen Motorsport, 187 points, 2. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT, 90; 3. M-Sport, 68; 4. Hyundai Motorsport, 55; 5. Volkswagen Motorsport II, 52; 6. Jipocar Czech National Team, 24; 7. RK M-Sport WRT, 12; 8. Hyundai Motorsport N, 0

* provisional