World champion Sebastien Ogier has pulled out of the Rally of Germany after writing off his Volkswagen.

The Frenchman, who also exited the road into a vineyard on Friday, crashed his car heavily into a roadside barrier on Saturday shortly into Stage 8, which was then cancelled for safety reasons.

“We were in sixth gear on a long straight,” Ogier said. “Then there was a slight corner to the right on a ridge.

“The jump was a little longer than we thought, the back took off when we touched down and I lost control of the car.

“Then we hit the roadside barrier and we landed in a ditch.

“The most important thing at the moment is that Julien (Ingrassia, the copilot) and me are both okay.”

Ogier’s teammate Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland was leading the rally, which ends Sunday.