Instead, the French superstar’s current co-driver Vincent Landais is chasing the first crown of his career. Of course, he already has a WRC2 title from the 2019 season under his belt, but a world championship trophy is still missing from his cabinet.
Landais read the pace notes for Pierre-Louis Loubet from the 2015 season right through to the end of 2022, when Ogier asked him to join alongside. With Ogier, Landais has already claimed 11 rally wins and stood on the podium a total of 19 times.
The move to sit beside Ogier was truly eye-opening for Landais.
“I had a long spell with Pierre-Louis Loubet, whom I appreciate enormously. We had some very good moments together, but also some much less good ones. At the time, we thought we were meticulous and doing things well, but by joining Sébastien and Toyota I changed a lot of things,” Landais told the French website Rallye-Sport.
“I strengthened myself in many areas, especially in the work to be done on the road sections between stages. Pierre-Louis wasn’t the type to work much on the car during those times, unlike Seb. To help him change set-up quickly, I had to progress technically and mechanically. Even if he still makes the bigger changes, I can assist him better, and that gives him more free time for other things”
In practice, then, Landais has in just a few years learned why Ogier is one of the greats of the rallying world – if not the greatest of them all.
“Over time, I’ve fine-tuned many things working with him. Nothing is left to chance – not a single corner, not even a cut. Another typical thing is that we work with two different cameras in the car, which I didn’t do with Pierre-Louis. We also use different tools, and we are lucky to have very strong support from the team. At the slightest question or problem, we get a quick and efficient response,” Landais says.
“Overall, the workload is greater, especially in rally preparation.”
Ogier and Landais have already won a lot together, but that shared championship title is still missing. Before the final three rounds of the season, the French duo hold a two-point lead in the standings over their team-mate Elfyn Evans. Ogier and Landais have skipped three rallies, but five victories have lifted the pair to become the strongest title contenders.
Landais recognises what makes Ogier such a formidable driver. Even with a hefty collection of championships and wins already under his belt, the 40-year-old French ace still finds excitement in every single second fight.
“Seb really has that in him. His fuel is the ability to fight to the second against other guys, whatever the rallies and conditions. He remains capable of producing big attacks when needed and when he feels it’s right,” Landais thinks.
“We are having some wonderful moments in the car. He has quite a free schedule, knows the car and the team perfectly, so he can do quite a lot outside of the championship.”
Landais does admit, however, that this year luck has also been on the Frenchmen’s side. They have not been troubled by the biggest setbacks.
“Since 2023, the outright pace has always been there. After Finland last year the speed was very high as well, but I’d say this year there’s another small step up in terms of attack. He has always driven flat out, but we were missing a bit of luck. This year everything is perfect. No crashes, no mechanical issues, hardly any punctures. The level is pretty amazing,” Landais sums up.
“This season reminds me of the Polo years when Sébastien and Julien (Ingrassia) won everything. At that time, I was discovering the world championship in a Suzuki Swift Sport Group N at Rally France Alsace, while he was in a Škoda Fabia S2000. The next year he was winning in the Polo while I was in a Renault Mégane RS N4. It’s crazy to think back to those times and to realise I’ve now reached this level.””
