Ogier: “Japan’s last stage was old throwback Séb”

Coming into the season finale the 40-year-old Frenchman found himself in a position he had not been in more than a decade – in need of a result. Starting the season on a tear on his then part-time programme with two victories and two second places, Ogier stunned the WRC world in June when he announced his part-time programme would become full-time.

Following the initial setback of an accident ruling him out of ORLEN 80th Rally Poland, it appeared to have been the right decision. A second place in Latvia to team-mate Kalle Rovanperä and victory just weeks later in Finland saw him move into second in the Drivers’ Championship and, just importantly, kept Toyota GAZOO Racing on the heels of biggest rivals Hyundai Motorsport in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

But it was at that point that the eight-time world champion might have started to question his own wisdom. What followed was the worst run of results in his storied career, with errors seeing him finish 14th in Greece, followed by 36th in Chile before crashing out at Central European Rally on Sunday morning whilst just 1.5sec behind rally leader Ott Tänak.

His own championship hopes were left in tatters and it put his team, in the words of Toyota GAZOO Racing team principal Jari Matti Latvala, needing a ‘perfect event’ on its season-ending home event in Japan. In simple terms, this realistically meant a perfect 1-2 finish to have any chance of overturning Hyundai’s 15-point advantage.

“I cannot say I had doubt, but of course I was really frustrated,” reflected Ogier, thinking back to October. “I was really seeing it’s a lot linked to misfortune but at the end of the day you always need to analyse what you can do better on your side to avoid that.”

In Japan, Ogier’s fortunes did not immediately change. Stopping to change a wheel on the rally’s first proper stage, he conceded more than two minutes to his rivals. It put the attention squarely on team-mates Elfyn Evans, who was still seeking his first win of the season, and the under pressure Takamoto Katsuta who, like Ogier, had been going through his own rough patch of form.

Evans completed Friday in second position behind Hyundai’s Tänak, with Katstuta back in fourth. But with Tänak’s team-mate Thierry Neuville forced to steer his Hyundai through Friday’s stages in road mode due to turbo issues and Andreas Mikkelsen crashing out, Ogier, remarkably, still found himself in fifth position at the end of the day.

The Frenchman then set about Saturday, hauling in Katsuta and M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux to move into third, a position behind Evans but with Tänak’s lead cut to 38sec, it appeared that Toyota GAZOO Racing would fall agonisingly short of the manufacturers’ title.

However, in one of the closest title races in recent memory, there was still time for one more twist in the tale. It came courtesy of rally leader Tänak on Sunday’s opening stage when the Estonian slid wide on a right-hander and crashed heavily, prematurely handing the driver’s title to his team-mate Neuville and leaving the manufacturers’ race square on points with three stages to run.

The equation became simple: outscore Hyundai on the rally and season-ending Wolf Power Stage and the title would be Toyota’s. First up on the stage was the restarted Andreas Mikkelsen. Pushing his i20 N to the limit however, the Norwegian slid wide on a left-hander, veering off the road and leaking crucial seconds. Next on the road, newly crowned world champion Neuville drove like a man worthy of his crown, blitzing Mikkelsen and setting a time that would take something incredibly special to beat.

Step forward Ogier.

“This last stage was old throwback Séb. There were some good stages this season, but it was one of the best for sure. Straight away, passing the line I watched my time, and I knew it was OK. It was confirmation of the feeling.”

The Frenchman blitzed Neuville by 1.9sec and the crown was Toyota’s by three points – the closest margin of victory in more than 40 years.

“I knew the best way to put that behind me is finally to have a clean run but let’s say after stage two it didn’t look so well to turn it around into a more positive end to the season, but at least we kept fighting and now we have been rewarded at the end by clinching this title on the very last stage of the season. [It] is a great feeling to see the happiness of the team.”

Looking back on what should have been a part-time season, Ogier insists there were no regrets to change his plans, despite the outcome in the driver’s championship.

“I think we had to play this card at that moment, for me and the team together,” he reflected. “I think that is why we decided to go for it. Even when it turned out to not be as positive as we were hoping, we never gave up and of course never stopped our engagement to the team trying to get the result in the manufacturers’ championship.

“I have no regrets regarding the drivers’ title. It became a target mid-season when we had the fantastic run through the first six events. I would do exactly the same again if I were to restart the season because, you have heard this many times from me, I am really happy with the life balance I have now, really happy with my eight titles and in my mind it does not change much if I have one more or one less. I definitely have no regrets and I am pleased to reach this target with the team.”

Having just witnessed Ogier produce arguably the best stage of the season, it is perhaps a naïve question to ask, but is the motivation still strong to keep going?

“Obviously if I am here, I will say yes but it is different. Of course, the hunger and motivation is always stronger when you start [your career] because you plan your future, your whole life.

“Now I just want to enjoy this and this adrenaline as long as I can, as long as I can perform at this level, I think it’s such a great opportunity for me to keep racing, to do what I love.”