Ogier's 4th 2016 WRC win in France

Sébastien Ogier won the 10th round of the 2016 WRC by 46.4sec in his Volkswagen Polo R and in doing so requires just 16 more points from the next round in Spain to become only the fourth person to win four drivers' titles. Thierry Neuville finished second in his Hyundai i20 with Andreas Mikkelsen third in a Polo R, a further 23.6sec back following 390.92km of gruelling asphalt mountain roads on the Mediterranean island of Corsica.

Ogier stamped his authority on the rally with a clean sweep of stage wins on Friday's opening leg, enabling him to measure his pace through the final two days, when wet roads made conditions tricky, to secure his fourth win of the year. Neuville held second from midway through the opening leg, despite worries over his car's handling. Mikkelsen was hot on his heels until improvements to Neuville's differential enabled the Belgian to pull clear and climb to third in the drivers' standings.

Mikkelsen was one of many to struggle with overheating tyres and brakes in the high temperatures but the Norwegian eased to his first podium since winning in Poland in July. Latvala, who won in Corsica in 2015, finished a frustrated fourth. Brake problems hindered the Finn for the opening two days and it was only when new pads and changes to his Polo R's set-up were introduced today that he felt comfortable in the stages.

Craig Breen excelled on his asphalt debut in a World Rally Car to finish fifth in a Citroën DS 3 ahead of Hayden Paddon, inexperienced on sealed surfaces and disappointed with his driving. A first day puncture hampered Dani Sordo, relegating him from third to an eventual seventh. The Ford Fiesta RS trio of Eric Camilli, Mads Østberg and Ott Tänak filled the rest of the leader board.

Kris Meeke won both Sunday's tests, taking maximum bonus points in the live TV Power Stage, but finished 16th after crashing late on. Round 11 of the WRC is in Spain, the only mixed surface rally of the year, Rally de España based in Salou is on 13 - 16 October.

4th October, 2016