SS17 - Mikkelsen on a charge

On the final morning, drivers tend to relax and accept the position they are in but not Andreas Mikkelsen. The Volkswagen Motorsport driver continued his push, claiming the stage win to extend his advantage over team-mate Sebastien Ogier to 8.1s and close the gap to leader Kris Meeke to 35.3 seconds.

Ogier admitted that, since he had already picked up a puncture in the previous stage, he now had no spares and had to avoid damaging any more tyres.

Meeke was happy with the stage and his performance, despite only being third fastest. He admitted that, with a margin of more than 30 seconds for the lead, he was prepared to use the cushion to safeguard his potential win.

He also admitted that he would not be challenging for the additional points on the second run of the stage, forming the Power Stage to finish the event.