The mere insinuation that Sébastien Ogier would have made such a statement would have been comical. Until he actually did.
You don’t achieve a third of the World Rally Championship events you’ve entered without being the ultimate competitor. Just to clarify, that’s 61 triumphs out of 188 starts. As for second places? Who cares? Certainly not the eight-time world champion.
Or at least, that’s what we believed. On Sunday night in Jyväskylä, there was something different about him. Anyone who thought that the initially subdued response to a second victory in the Secto Rally Finland would change by the time Ogier reached the city and faced the waiting press, was mistaken.
He empathized with his teammate Kalle Rovanperä’s disappointment after the rally leader collided with an unavoidable rock and crashed out on the second-to-last stage. He had respected the 23-year-old throughout the event, acknowledging that battling with him was not part of his plan. He couldn’t do it. For the second rally in a row, finishing as the runner-up was the best outcome he could hope for.
Ogier is an uncompromising victor, but he would have been content with second place in Finland.
Even with all of that taken into account, Ogier’s words still caught you off guard.
What did he say? Consider this: “I honestly would have preferred to come in second”
“The team provided an incredible car and dominated the entire weekend. Kalle and Jonne were in a league of their own compared to the rest and were extremely unlucky with this rock on the track. I sympathize with my team because we deserved a much better result.
“I lost a victory in Sardinia earlier this season due to luck, and now I’ve gained one back here. I’ve been in the sport long enough to experience various outcomes and emotions, and I’ve been fortunate to be on the winning side most of the time – but not today. Motorsport can be unfair at times.”
His triumph was greatly appreciated by the rest of the team, with Toyota Gazoo Racing chairman Akio Toyoda promptly expressing his gratitude to Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais.
Toyoda stated: “Séb, Vincent, congratulations on the victory. Throughout this season, whenever they’ve taken part in a rally, they’ve always come back with a win or a second-place finish. The team has truly relied on their consistency, and I sincerely appreciate it.”
Before we conclude, if you’re interested, Ogier has achieved second place on 26 occasions. Additionally, he has stood on the third step of the podium 17 times. That’s a total of 104 podium finishes out of 188 starts.
