Ogier speaks to AUTOhebdo: “I plan to do one more season”

Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) s’exprime dans les colonnes du n°2269 d’AUTOweekly, read now digitally and on newsstands Thursday. The six-time world rally champion (WRC), discreet since his last competition in Mexico at the end of March, had a few topics to discuss in this context of gradual deconfinement.

Happy to be back in the #YarisWRC after 3 months! It felt so good to drive again today, and especially such an amazing car on the Finnish roads Now let's see what's coming next for our season #WRC @TGR_WRCpic.twitter.com/Bf26MqpCx2

- Sébastien Ogier (@SebOgier) June 16, 2020

The Frenchman does not hide his desire to extend the adventure beyond the 2020 campaign, which was not initially planned when joining Toyota Gazoo Racing! “This year 2020 is complicated (three rounds played since January. Editor’s note), as a result I plan to do one more season. It is not yet completely acquired.

I only have a one-year contract at the moment, but we have started to discuss the subject with the team. I also want to look at how 2021 is likely to be organized because if we may have doubts about what we can do in the next five months, I am convinced that the upcoming championship will also be different from what we have known until now. 'here. »

The direction its future takes is also linked to the organization of the WRC in the coming months. The least we can say is that the man with 48 World Cup successes does not mince his words.

“The situation with Covid will probably not end on December 31, 2020! We will certainly have to deal with changes. For now we cannot say that with the news we are getting, both from the FIA ​​or the promoter, is very reassuring.

No, it's not that they aren't reassuring, it's that there aren't any! In comparison with certain professional disciplines around us, there are times when we wonder if the rally is truly a professional sport. »

This lack of seriousness is reflected, according to him, through the lack of communication between the players in the discipline. " It's still a shame that the drivers or teams have not heard from anyone for weeks, months, while everyone else was trying to organize themselves, to work on a health concept, to put things in place to try to get going again... »

The WRC has planned as a reminder uend of season consisting of five rounds between Estonia at the beginning of September and Japan at the end of November. 

Find the interview with Sébastien Ogier in full in issue 2269 of AUTOweekly, available now digitally and on newsstands Thursday.