Ogier quips after his defeat by two tenths in Sardinia: “Now I can share this feeling with Jari-Matti! »

Beaten at the very end of the Sardinia Rally by only 0", due to a puncture in the Power Stage, Sébastien Ogier took his defeat with fatalism and irony... he who had already beaten Jari-Matti Latvala with the same gap, 2 years ago!

Published 03/06/2024 à 08:46

Dorian Grangier

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Ogier quips after his defeat by two tenths in Sardinia: “Now I can share this feeling with Jari-Matti! »

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

The fifth victory of Sébastien Ogier au Rally from Sardinia will be waiting. The Frenchman, co-record holder of the event with Sébastien Loeb (4 victories each), was however a few kilometers from reaching his goal on Sunday. At the start of the Power Stage, the last special stage of the rally, the eight-time world champion had a six-second lead over his main (and only) opponent of the weekend, Ott Tänak. But on arrival, amazement: when the Toyota n°17 crosses the finish line, it is indeed the Estonian who is announced the winner… by two tenths!

A narrow defeat for Sébastien Ogier, victim of a puncture at the worst time, three kilometers from the goal. At the finish, there was no anger and barely more frustration at the announcement of his time and therefore, of Ott Tänak's victory: aware of having lost the Sardinia Rally, the Habs took this mishap with fatalism. “Puncture. I can't do much, observed the Gapençais at the stopping point of the Power Stage. It's not a rally, it's like cross-country. I couldn't do much. That's life, I think we deserved more than that, but Ott also had a good rally. » 

Ogier – Latvala, same fight

After the podium ceremony, Sébastien Ogier reacted coldly to his rally and the cruel result that resulted from it with a touch of irony. Indeed, the gap of two tenths at the finish of the Sardinia Rally is the smallest ever recorded in WRC tied with the 2011 Jordan Rally… won by Sébastien Ogier, already. At the time, the Frenchman had beaten Jari-Matti Latvala, who is today his team principal at Toyota.

“It's always easier to take when you're on the right side of those two tenths... at least now I can share that feeling with Jari-Matti, where we already had the experience of a gap of two tenths to the arrival, in 2011 at the Jordan Rally, recalls the 40-year-old pilot. Back then we were on the good side and in this case you have a big smile! But that's how it is, it's bad luck. »

“Another puncture, one too many, but I think we did the best we could this weekendhe adds. We can be proud and happy with our performance. It's hard not to get the reward for this, but at least even if I lose it, I'm happy that it goes to my friend Ott. He had a very good rally. You can lose because of bad luck, but you don't win because of luck. Well done to them and now, we're going to try to bring down the house in Poland in three weeks! »

An almost unchanged balance sheet

Sébastien Ogier also underlines that the result would have been almost similar from an accounting point of view, he who respects a partial program and who therefore mainly plays the points for the Manufacturers' championship. “The conditions were very extreme in this Power Stage, even worse than what we had seen before, and I don't think there was much I could have done differently. It's never easy to take, but in the end it doesn't change much in terms of points for the team. I think I can still be happy with the weekend I had, and sometimes motorsport doesn't go your way. » The Frenchman leaves Sardinia with 22 additional points, the best representative of the Japanese firm in Italy.

ALSO READ > 2024 WRC Championship – The rankings after the Sardinia Rally

Dorian Grangier

A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.

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