Ogier claimed a brilliant victory on the Portuguese gravel, marking his seventh career win at the event.
The French champion will soon need more fingers to count all his wins in Portugal.
“Yeah, I need one more. Actually. If someday it happens. But that’s the smallest of problems, you know,” Ogier laughed happily.
Ogier had long chased Finnish rally legend Markku Alén’s record in Portugal but has now surpassed it convincingly.
it’s great. It took me a while to beat the record of Markku, but I didn’t have to wait too long to improve. I’m very happy with this weekend. It’s been a tough fight. Physically, I was really on the limit, but it was worth trying to fight, as we got the big reward in the end,” Ogier said contentedly.
Ogier fought for victory throughout the rally with Hyundai’s Ott Tänak, but the Estonian’s power steering failure on Saturday evening turned the tide in Ogier’s favour. The Frenchman was pleased with how he managed the race – though he admits there’s always room to improve.
“We had good race management, but the pace was very high. It means we still need to keep working with the team, trying to see if we can extract a bit more performance. But yeah, it’s not only about speed to win rallies – we know that. And we proved once again that we have a strong ability to manage difficult conditions,” Ogier praised.
The long days in Portugal made for a physically and mentally demanding rally. Ogier clearly gave it everything.
“I’m just exhausted. But it was really worth it to fight for this, as we got the best reward with this win—for us, for the team. Personally, seven times here. It’s the kind of number you never imagine reaching when you start in any sport. So, I’m very pleased with that. Now it’s time to enjoy the win, celebrate, and I guess keep working straight away. We won this one with a clever approach again, but pure speed may have been missing a bit this weekend. So it’s a good reason and motivation to keep pushing,” Ogier reflected.
This year’s edition of Rally Portugal was one of the most challenging in a long time. It wasn’t just about who was fastest, but about managing the conditions effectively.
“Especially this weekend, the conditions were very rough. On the second pass, there was a massive entry list, so many cars running the stages – and the ground isn’t always hard here. I think we were reaching the limit of what the stages could handle. But in the end, it turned out to be a situation that worked in our favour and brought us the win. So we have to enjoy it.”
Toyota has completely dominated the early part of the WRC season. The team has won all five rallies so far. At one point, it looked like the streak might end in Portugal – but once again, fortune smiled on them.
“That’s five wins this season. And even with last year, it’s a few more – I don’t even remember the exact number. But anyway, it’s an amazing run. We need to be very happy with that, and also aware that the next one will be very tough. Three drivers are now leading the championship, which means we’ll have the hardest job of cleaning the road for our rivals. But we’ll keep fighting,” Ogier noted.
Usually quick to leave the rally venue, Ogier is staying in Portugal for the evening – and not entirely by design. But it means one thing: a celebratory evening with the team.
“I still feel very exhausted—maybe not as bad as yesterday afternoon, because now I know I can finally relax. But relaxing also makes me realise just how low my energy is. This has been one of the most physically demanding rallies I’ve ever done. I definitely need some time to recover—no doubt about that,” Ogier admitted.
“But first of all, I want to celebrate this win with the team. I don’t often stay with them after rallies, since I usually fly straight home. But today, with the travel situation being a bit tricky, I’ve got a good opportunity to stay for once. I’m really looking forward to having a drink with them, because they all work so hard,” Ogier revealed with a grin.
One thing’s for certain: there won’t be any shortage of smiles at Toyota’s celebrations tonight. Ogier may have driven the car to victory, but as always, it was a team effort.
“I mean, we talk a lot about us drivers, but what the mechanics and all the team members do – especially in terms of hours – is incredibly tough too. I’m sure we’ll have a great time together tonight,” Ogier smiled.
