Argentina WRC: Motorsport.com's driver ratings

Sebastien Ogier, 2nd - 9

You almost never see Ogier beaten by a non-VW car these days, but that once-in-a-lifetime event happened this time around. Just as in Mexico, he was hampered by having to run the stages first, but still managed to remain close to the lead. It was more or less a faultless performance and he took another fine result for the championship, his lead now up to 39 points.

Jari-Matti Latvala, 16th – 6

It looked like Latvala could take advantage of the running order and wrap up his first-ever back-to-back wins as he finally started to build a gap over Ogier. Then a piece of bedrock came up and it was all over. Beating Ogier after starting the year with two non-scores already seemed a long shot, but now it looks straight-up impossible. Still, running order rules mean he is likely to be the favourite in Portugal next time out.

Andreas Mikkelsen, 3rd - 7

The Norwegian was somewhat anonymous during the event, which he spent well behind his teammates even though he suffered no major issues. However, he extended his lead over Latvala to 21 in the standings, having taken the podium after the Finn’s crash. Whether he should get the nod as the VW team's second-best depends on whether the marque values his consistency or Latvala's out-and-out pace more.

Thierry Neuville, 6th - 6

For the third time in a row, Neuville’s rally was pretty much over after the first couple of stages and, just like in Sweden, it was due to a mechanical problem. Although he had a trouble-free run for the rest of the event, the Belgian just did not have the pace of his fellow Hyundai drivers and fifth would have probably been the best result possible. Considering he finished sixth, he did well to minimise the losses.

Dani Sordo, 4th – 7

Another consistent rally from Sordo, resulting in his fourth top-six finish of the year. While he didn’t have the pace of star teammate Paddon, he was only 12 seconds behind Mikkelsen in the end, another positive sign of the new Hyundai’s competitiveness. His second place in the Power Stage - ahead of Ogier - was the icing on the cake.

Hayden Paddon, 1st – 10

The first non-VW driver to beat Ogier in a straight fight in a long time. The rising Kiwi star has already produced several standout rallies during his rather short WRC career so far but this - keeping up with Latvala and Ogier - might have been his best performance yet. To win, he did absolutely need Latvala to retire, but he didn't put a foot wrong and was there to capitalise. That Hyundai didn’t pick him as one of its two drivers scoring points for the manufacturers' standings is hard to explain.

Mads Ostberg 5th – 6

Even though Ostberg continued to have a consistent and mature campaign, he arguably had his weakest rally of the year so far. While he fought and beat Sordo for a podium spot in Mexico, he was three-and-a-half-minutes behind the Spaniard here. His position was always going to rely on how many VWs and Hyundais hit trouble, and another top-five finish was probably as good as it was ever going to get.

Eric Camilli, 8th - 6

Camilli’s rookie season is slowly but surely getting on the right track. He had his first finish in Mexico and now his first points, which, in only the ninth gravel rally of his career, is a fairly positive result. Probably the best we can expect from him this year, at least on this surface.

Ott Tanak, 15th - 8

Although Tanak suffered his first non-score with his brand new team DMACK, the Estonian was the strongest Ford driver during the event - and was ahead of Ostberg when an alternator problem forced him out of five stages on Friday. He returned to place in the top six in every stage on Saturday and then impressively won the opening run on Sunday under difficult foggy circumstances. A superb performance means he can justly feel robbed of a fifth-place finish.

Marcos Ligato, 7th - 8

Although his first WRC event was back in 1998, Ligato's turn in Kris Meeke's winning car from last year was actually his debut in the main class of the category. Thanks to his extensive experience in his home rally, he ended up confidently beating the likes of Camilli or Henning Solberg. He was as high as sixth at one point but fell behind Neuville - and while Ligato matched the pace of the Belgian on Sunday, he couldn't beat him, settling for a still impressive seventh.