Ogier had said before the event that he was aiming to win the asphalt rally – and the Frenchman kept his word.
He beat his Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans by 11.6 seconds and didn’t lift off even in Sunday’s rainy conditions, collecting the maximum bonus points from Super Sunday.
That perfect haul brought Ogier to within just three points of championship leader Evans ahead of the season finale.
“This was a perfect result. It’s been a challenging weekend because of the rain today. Nothing was certain – it was like the start of a new rally this morning. We made a big setup change in the car, and it felt good very quickly,” said Ogier.
“There were a lot of question marks. But it was money time, and in money time there’s no time to calculate too much. You just have to go for it. I’m happy to come away with the maximum points, and now it looks like the last one might be even more exciting,” Ogier added.
Check the full World Rally Championship standings here!
Toyota sealed a brilliant 1-2-3 finish in its home event, with Sami Pajari taking the final podium spot. For Pajari and his co-driver Marko Salminen, it was their first time on the World Rally Championship podium.
Eight-time world champion Ogier congratulated the Finnish pair on their impressive achievement.
“That’s well done to them. Honestly, it’s a good step in a career to be on the podium for the first time. They’ve been setting great times all weekend, so it’s well deserved,” Ogier praised.
The final round of the World Rally Championship season will take place in Saudi Arabia at the end of November. The rally stars will face a completely new challenge, as no WRC event has ever been held on Saudi Arabia’s desert roads before.
Early information suggests the event could feature extreme conditions – and certainly some surprises.
“Let’s hope the last one is not a lottery,” Ogier said.
Rally Saudi Arabia will run from 26 to 29 November.
