Why Ogier has a good chance of being crowned in Spain

Sébastien Ogier has not won in Catalonia since 2016. At that time he was driving his Volkswagen Polo R WRC and won his 4th world championship title this season. His stable, Toyota Gazoo Racing has not won this Spanish round since 1998 and Didier Auriol's triumph. Considering his figures, we could expect a complicated weekend for the Frenchman and his team. And yet…

100% asphalt routes

Absent from the calendar in 2020 due to the health crisis, the rally from Spain returns with a route based solely on asphalt. A first since 2010. In difficulty in Finland where he could not do better than a fifth place, while his direct opponent, Elfyn Evans, won the event, the Haut-Alpin intends to take advantage of the return of the WRC to the tarmac surface for permanent shelter. Asphalt allows cars to benefit from better grip. The seven-time WRC world champion will not encounter any sweeping problems, as was the case in Finland. 

“I'm really looking forward to being in Spain and getting back on the asphalt, welcomes Sébastien Ogier. It will be good to have all three days of the rally on asphalt because these roads are really nice to drive. Also, for us it will be nice not to sweep the dirt on the first day of the rally like we did for much of the season. We are still in a strong position for the championship.” 

Photo Nikos Katikis / DPPI

Elfyn Evans, the only one who can spoil the party

The Frenchman has another big advantage in addition to the change of surface, and that is the number of opponents for the title. Only Elfyn Evans, his teammate at Toyota, can beat him. Breathtaking in Finland, the Welshman erased part of his delay on Sébastien Ogier, coming back to only 24 lengths. But the Cardiff native has never won on asphalt.

Came very close to a world title last season (an exit from the track in the last rally of the season in Italy deprives him of the greatest reward), he is aware that the world crown is almost inaccessible this season... to the point of already focusing on 2022? “The victory at Rally Finland was a great result, but the drivers’ title is still a long way off for us,” he confides before going to Catalonia.  

A comfortable lead

After the Catalan stage, there will only be one round remaining this season, in Monza (Italy). For the representative of Toyota Gazoo Racing to claim his eighth title this weekend, the condition is very simple: he must score seven points more than the Welshman. If the two men find themselves tied on points at the end of the season, the number of rally victories this year will decide between them. Currently, the Haut-Alpine has four (Monte-Carlo, Croatia, Sardinia and Kenya) while its rival has two successes under its belt (Portugal and Finland).

“Spain will be the first realistic chance to win the title and I know what I have to do to get there ». declares the Frenchman. “When I have the chance to win, I try to fight for it, and it will be the easiest way to achieve our goals ». The rest of the service fleet is warned: there is no question for the Gapençais to make calculations. A victory in Spain would be the best way to become an eight-time world champion.