Ogier: “Of course I would like one last title”

Sébastien Ogier will begin a new adventure next year in WRC by joining the Toyota Gazoo Racing which won the Drivers' title this year with Ott Tänak. The six-time WRC champion caused the departure of Citroën after prematurely ending his contract and will thus operate on a 5th model at the highest level of the rally after the DS 3, the Volkswagen Polo, the Ford Fiesta and the C3.

“Of course I would like one last title, admits the Frenchman, but that's not really what I have in mind when starting the season. I remain a fighter, a winner, and I begin a competition to win it. I don't tell myself that this will be my last chance or anything like that. I've already had an incredible career and whatever comes next will be wonderful. We have already been used to changing mounts in recent years. I was able to get used to my new environment quickly and I hope it will be the same this time. »

Sébastien Ogier will discover his Yaris WRC in competition at the Monte-Carlo Rally, a challenge which does not frighten him after winning this year's edition for his first start in the C3 WRC.

“It may seem harder, but in reality the characteristics of this event are so particular, so difficult and so different from others that the most important thing is to have a car where you feel comfortable, explains the Gapençais. If you don't know the car, it's harder to find the car's limitations. But this is a race where it is not necessary to extract 100% of the performance from the car. »

“You have to be smarter when it comes to tire choices and adapt to the conditions. In a sense, it is perhaps better to start with a new team and a new car in this type of event. It would perhaps be harder to start in an event like Finland where you have to fight for every tenth of a second”, adds the new Toyota recruit.

Sébastien Ogier will evolve within a brand new team by reuniting with Elfyn Evans with whom he defended the interests of M-Sport.

“I was happy to learn that the team had chosen him, it was deserved for him after many years in the sport, comments the former champion. It's a good thing to have him but we both have a lot to learn. The first discussions with the team were constructive and the engineers were interested in our initial feedback on the car. It can get difficult after a while to move in new directions when you've been working with the same drivers for a while. Everyone seemed happy with the car, but they are struggling to find a new direction to progress. Having new drivers could help the team improve this. »

With the presence of WRC 2 Pro champion Kalle Rovanperä to complete the squad, Sébastien Ogier naturally appears as the leader. The French pilot, however, refuses to assume this status.

“We have to leave Kalle, the best thing for him is to give him time to learnhe says. I never start a season thinking, “How can my teammate help me?” "My goal is always to try to focus on myself and do the work that is asked of me, that's the most important thing. For the rest, I never asked at the start of the season to have a special status in the team. As the season progresses, certain strategies can be put in place in the second half, but we must focus on ourselves in the first part and offer the best to the team. »

Sébastien Ogier in any case seems impatient to defend the colors of Toyota under the orders of Tommi Mäkinen, an icon in the discipline.

“I'm looking forward to working with the team, but it's true that Tommi has been my childhood hero since the late 1990s. He's my first memory of rallying and Monte-Carlo, recognizes the former Citroën driver. I can't wait to work with the guy who dominated this race with his red car. I am also excited to work for a brand like Toyota. They have a great history in rallying and I have a lot of respect for the Japanese mentality and the way they do it. They are very respectful and I am interested in learning Japanese culture. »

Sébastien Ogier remains undefeated at the Monte-Carlo Rally since 2014 and has 7 victories with his success in the IRC in 2009.