Video: Sébastien Ogier's career in five highlights

1. First steps in 206

Before becoming a professional pilot, Sébastien Ogier works as a ski instructor in winter and mechanic in a dealership Peugeot summer. Winner of the Youth Rallies operation in 2005, Sébastien Ogier then completed two campaigns in Cup 206 in the French Rally Championship events. Best rookie in 2006, the native of Gap (Hautes-Alpes) won the title twelve months later. At the end of the season, the magazine Exhaust sniff out talent by awarding him the Hope of the Year award. As he explains in the video above, his role model in motorsport is a certain Sébastien Loeb : “My grade system (With Julien Ingrassia his co-pilot) is copied to his. »

2. Flash passage in J-WRC

The French Motorsport Federation (FFSA) entered a Citroën C2 Super 1600 in the Junior World Rally Championship (J-WRC) in 2008. Despite unknown locations for the French crew, the performances continued: three successes and the world title at the end. The FFSA offers him a first gallop in the higher category, at the wheel of a C4, at rally from Great Britain (a best scratch time, 26th after going off the track).

3. A stormy collaboration with Loeb

Promoted to the Citroën factory team thanks to leading performances in the Junior WRC team (winner of two rallies in 2010), Sébastien Ogier was quick to assert himself despite the presence of the star Sébastien Loeb. Neck and neck (five victories each), the two drivers fell out during the German rally, when management issued team instructions. At the start of the season in Australia, Sébastien Ogier had a golden opportunity to climb back into the general classification when the seven-time champion crashed, but he also destroyed his DS3 a few stages later. He will finish the year in third place, 26 points behind Loeb.

4. Consecration with Volkswagen

Having left for the German manufacturer to have a more serene environment, Sébastien Ogier carefully developed the Polo throughout 2012. From his first participation in Monte-Carlo 2013 (2nd), opponents wondered how to beat such an association. . The answer will not be found for four years; with so many titles in his pocket, Sébastien Ogier becomes the figure of the 2010 WRC decade.

5. A new adventure with M-Sport

As a result of the Dieselgate scandal, “VW” prematurely withdrew from the discipline at the end of 2016, leaving Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia without a contract for the following season. However, an agreement was reached with Malcolm Wilson to drive a Ford Fiesta inflated and made aggressive by the application of the new 2017 regulations. In a private structure, the French pair was put under pressure by the speed of the Hyundai i30 Thierry Neuville et Nicolas Gilsoul. But, by counterbalancing a slight deficit in pure speed with regularity, the Ford No. 1 only signs a retirement in Finland, where the Hyundai is less solid. With a fifth star on their combination, Ogier-Ingrassia will be back for 2018.