The French driver Ogier had already mentioned at the start of the round that he had a difficult week. At the finish line of Rally Monte Carlo, he revealed that he had lost a close person who had introduced him to motorsport.
Despite the sad news, Ogier honorably completed Monte and fought for the win against Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. In the end, Neuville managed to beat the nine-time Rally Monte Carlo winner by 16.1 seconds.
“I tried my best all weekend, but this was not an easy week for me. I did everything I could to manage my emotions and do my job as well as possible. I’m glad it’s over. I’m quite exhausted,” Ogier confessed.
“Now, I get to be with my family, and we’ll try to process things.”
It was close that Ogier might have skipped the round entirely. However, the eight-time world champion fulfilled his commitments to Toyota, bringing good points in the manufacturers’ championship.
“Last weekend, I wondered whether to start this rally or not. I decided to come because I have commitments to the team, and I need to act professionally.
“It wasn’t easy. My wife told me it was strange to see me like this, as I normally can control my emotions. This was a tough spot,” an emotional Ogier stated.
Ogier will only participate in part of the WRC rallies this year. He will skip the next round, but he might be seen in action again at the end of March.
“Maybe I’ll come to Safari Rally. As is known, I won’t be in Sweden, but let’s see what happens after that,” Ogier said.
