Victory in Portugal for Volkswagen Motorsport and its star driver Sebastien Ogier has put the squad on course for a sensational double WRC title win in its debut season.
Despite declaring modest expectations before its first appearance on Rallye Monte-Carlo, Ogier’s third win of the season helped move Volkswagen top of the FIA Manufacturers’ standings, 14 points clear of defending champions Citroen.
Ogier now has a comfortable 54-point lead over Mikko Hirvonen in the Drivers’ title race.
After the podium celebrations, Volkswagen’s motorsport director Jost Capito revealed that the team’s earlier target for the year - of learning and building experience - was under review.
“In terms of pace, we are among the front-runners and appear to be able to force our rivals to make mistakes, without making any ourselves. With that in mind, we might just have to change our goals for the season,” he said.
Ogier meanwhile denied that his commanding lead in the Drivers’ standings meant he could relax on the remaining nine rounds.
“Maybe it looks easy for me, but Mads [Ostberg] and Dani [Sordo] were very, very fast before the mistakes. It will be a big fight to keep this kind of result all the year,” he said.
“Now we have the good advantage. Now we don’t need to win the rallies, but this is not my plan: I am a competitor and I like the taste of victory. But I know I have to be clever for the rest of season.”