The Toyota driver defeated Hyundai’s Ott Tanak in a thrilling conclusion to Rally Italia Sardegna, which puts him just 19 points off the lead of the drivers’ championship.

Ogier led going into the Power Stage by 17.2s but came out the other side with a slender 7.2s lead after a mistake meant he was only seventh fastest. Still, it was enough to clinch victory.

In what was a bruising rally for Ford and Hyundai, the Japanese manufacturer locked out all but one of the top seven spots.

Kalle Rovanpera was third, 50.5s back of his teammate Ogier. Championship points leader Elfyn Evans was a distant fourth while Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five.

“I’m very happy to secure this win,” said Ogier.

“It was a close fight until the end with Ott and this morning I had the opportunity to build a bit of a margin. Therefore in the Power Stage I was not pushing for the full points, but we still had to fight with the ruts and I got caught in a tight corner and preferred to stop and reverse the car.

“It wasn’t ideal and cost us some Sunday points, but we had enough in hand to achieve our main target which was to win.

“It’s a very satisfying win for myself and the team, which did a great job after Portugal to improve the car setup and the speed even without a test; the car was enjoyable to drive and the times were coming more easily.”

Evans leads the drivers’ championship on 133 points while Oiger trails on 114 points. Just one point back is Rovanpera on 113.

Oiger has the most wins of any driver this season with three despite having only contested four events. He was second in Spain.

Rally Sardegna Italia runner-up Tanak said he didn’t feel he could compete for the win on the final day due to set-up issues.

“We didn’t come into today feeling comfortable to push the limits, as we were struggling to find a good rhythm and balance in the car, but we did our absolute maximum,” said the Estonian.

“It has been a very demanding rally, and it’s frustrating to finish second to Seb again.

“He has been strong this weekend, and at the moment we just don’t have the full package to beat the Toyotas.

“It was extremely punishing on the stages, and we knew we had to push for as many points as possible but also be very clean and neat, which was a challenge.”

The FIA World Rally Championship continues on June 26-29 with the Acropolis Rally Greece.

Results: FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Italia Sardegna (top 10)