Rally Canarias – Sébastien Ogier finally present

At the end of a 2024 year that was much busier than he would have wished (9 rounds run) Sébastien Ogier had assured during the farewell to Pirelli in Monza that he would be more discreet in 2025. The Gapençais had also projected himself on the calendar, stating that after Monte-Carlo he did not think he would be able to return before Portugal.

With the presence of the Canary Islands, this was a surprise, but Seb had cited a family reason to explain his absence in Spain. A solution has apparently been found since he and Vincent Landais, his co-driver, will be at the start on the Spanish island off the Moroccan coast at the end of April.

Last year, the leaders of Toyota had asked the Frenchman to come more often so that he could help the team which was struggling in the championship against HyundaiThis year, the situation is very different. Toyota has won three races in three, and even though the Safari allowed Hyundai to come back to 3 points, the Yaris appears superior to the i3.

Landais, an asset for Ogier in the Canaries

This did not prevent the TGR from being persuasive in convincing Ogier to join his talent so that the series could continue. He will be new to the event, but he has often proven to be very efficient in this type of exercise. He will also be able to count on the experience of Vincent Landais who has already visited these roads twice with Pierre-Louis Loubet in ERC (2018-2019).

As with all Rally1 teams, the main challenge will be adapting to the Hankook tires, but here again, Sébastien Ogier has consistently demonstrated excellent handling of the tires. He will have a day to get a feel for how the South Korean tires perform.

In the Drivers' Championship, it remains to be seen whether this is good or bad news for Elfyn Evans, who is currently dominating the championship. The Frenchman could steal points from him, but he could also take some from his rivals. However, it's unclear whether this unexpected return will please Kalle Rovanperä.

During the three races that have been contested, the Finn has never seemed confident with the Hankook tires and there is no guarantee that he will finally find the right way around on the asphalt, which is not his preferred surface. It is undoubtedly no coincidence that the Toyota management insisted that Ogier come. To face the trio Neuville/Thank you/FourmauxEvans seemed a little alone with Takamoto Katsuta recovering from his final retirement at Safari and Rovanperä still finding the right pace. With Ogier, the match will be more balanced and the battle promises to be a great one.

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