Sébastien Ogier, the winner of Rally Finland, has acknowledged that his victory in the event has made it inevitable for him to commit to the rest of the World Rally Championship season. Ogier, who has not competed full-time since 2021, has found himself in the drivers’ title fight accidentally due to the advantage of a lower start position compared to the full-time drivers. While his main goal this season was to support Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship, the crashes of Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans in Finland have placed Ogier as Thierry Neuville’s closest rival in the standings. After securing his 61st career victory and second in Finland, Ogier expressed that he will likely participate in the remaining four events of the season as he is now Toyota’s leading contender in the drivers’ championship.
Jari-Matti Latvala, the team principal of Toyota, confirmed that there have been discussions with Ogier about his participation in the rest of the championship rounds. Latvala hopes to convince Ogier to continue for the remainder of the season. While Ogier’s success in Finland will be recognized as a significant achievement, the circumstances surrounding his victory have made it difficult for him to fully enjoy it. The accident of Kalle Rovanperä, who was leading in the second-to-last stage, has dampened Ogier’s happiness. He expressed empathy for his team and Rovanperä, acknowledging their exceptional performance throughout the weekend. Despite winning Rally Finland, Ogier admitted that he currently feels more bitterness than happiness.
Latvala, who also competed in the rally and secured a strong second place in WRC2, reflected on the mixed emotions of the event. He expressed satisfaction with his own performance and the enjoyable weekend, but also acknowledged the challenges faced by Toyota. Losing two cars on Sunday is a significant setback for the team, especially in terms of the championship standings. However, Latvala recognized that such circumstances are part of the nature of rallying.
Photo from Sébastien Ogier Instagram
