WRC '16 - ¡Ay Caramba! in Mexico...

First points, first podium, first win for Jari-Matti in 2016

 The sun is going down over Guanajuato as I begin to type this, the dust has already settled, the post-rally fiesta has begun in earnest. And the man with the biggest grin is Jari-Matti Latvala. After two disastrous previous events where the Finn failed to score a solitary point, the win in Mexico has turned his fortunes around - with the second placing on the power stage, a nice little bonus. Latvala is back in the game.

He drove what is as close to a faultless rally as it's possible to humanly do, and he deserved the top podium step. Sébastian Ogier, coping as usual with road-sweeping duties, took as many risks as he was reasonably able to, but with Jari's optimal road position, it was always a tall order for the World Champion to beat the Finn. That needed mistakes from Latvala that for once in quite a while he simply didn't make. This was as close to the perfect drive as one could ask for and bodes well for his remaining performances in 2016.

Volkswagen B team driver and emerging ace Mikkelsen suffered a series of errors that in the end culminated in the major crash that took him out of the event. It was really quite a flawed performance from the usually steady Norwegian, a setback that results in his losing second place in the championship, in fact. Despite his apparent ability to score podiums almost every time he competes, Mexico has shown itself to be an event that's not to be taken lightly. Andreas will be looking very hard at the timesheets and on-boards before the Argentinian round.

Despair for Volkswagen's Andreas Mikkelsen

For the third event on the trot, Hyundai was represented on the podium in Mexico, with Dani Sordo having his turn in the limelight, a fine third overall to his credit. Hyundai team boss Nandan must have been feeling very satisfied with that string of results - a third in Monte Carlo from Neuville, Paddon's second overall in Sweden and now this podium. But a technical breach over tyre allocation robbed the team of third spot and their hat-trick of podiums.

Dani Sordo suffered from car trouble and broken rules but still finished 4th

Nandan was guarded before the season opener when asked about the hopes for the evolution NGi20, declaring that he wasn't expecting to see the car's true potential until Rallye Argentina. So I imagine he's quietly optimistic having got runs on the board early in the season, in spite of the lost podium in Mexico. The next round, in Argentina, was also going to be a bit of a "suck it and see" event for the Korean team but the performances so far might have given rise to an expectation within the team that a Hyundai may reappear on the podium there.

Hayden Paddon overcame problems to bag 5th and pick up valuable experience

With Paddon's accidents on last year's Rallye Argentina, and his attendant limited recent stage mileage there, it would seem prudent for the main team to again have Sordo and Neuville as nominated A team drivers, with Hayden in the B team once more. But Thierry's accident in Mexico coupled with Paddon's fine fifth overall despite the adversity he encountered, could possibly cause a re-think about that. However the teams are made up though, there's a real hope, if not an expectation, of another good result in Argentina.

Thierry Neuville's error under Rally 2 meant his retirement from Rally Mexico

Over in the M-Sport camp, Mads Ostberg put in another virtually-mistake-free performance in his Fiesta WRC - something that just adds to his reputation for consistency - his only error of note being the choice of hard rubber on the first full day of the rally, something that cost him considerable time. From his comments during the event, it's clear that he was driving as fast as he felt able, and he repeatedly stated that apparent lacklustre times aside, he was actually quite content with his efforts. Ultimately, Mads's finishing position showed he deserved to feel that way.

Consistent performance from Mads saw him 3rd overall, 2nd in championship

The mistakes of others including Mikkelsen, HMSG, Neuville and Paddon allowed the Norwegian to climb the leader-board to his second podium of the season - a well-judged third overall that delighted Mads, Ola and the rest of the M-Sport team and Mads now holds second place in the WRC Drivers Championship. Sadly, M-Sport teammate Eric Camilli suffered his third crash in as many starts which has set back his learning progress considerably and must also have dented the Frenchman's confidence. Time for a reset prior to Argentina.