Ogier had to settle for second place as the star of the rally, Kalle Rovanperä, delivered stage wins like clockwork. Rovanperä claimed every possible championship point, and Ogier could only admire the performance.
“I’m not fully happy, but I have to say I’m still happy. It’s been a strong weekend on my side too. But of course, if you compare it to someone who was on a different planet this weekend, it can still look a little bit pale,” Ogier said.
“Without him, I would have won a lot of stages – won the rally, you know? So no, it’s been an enjoyable weekend.”
Ogier realised already on Friday that Rovanperä was in a league of his own. From that point on, the Frenchman focused on collecting as many points for the team as possible.
“Of course, I prefer races where I’m able to fight and really challenge for the win. But sometimes it’s just not possible. Therefore, I did the job I had to do for the team,” Ogier summed up.
Toyota secured maximum team points for the third time this season. This time the feat was even more impressive, as the team locked out the top four positions. Behind Rovanperä and Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta completed the clean sweep.
“It’s a perfect result for Toyota, locking out the top four of the rally. It’s really amazing. Even this year, I think it’s the third time we’ve secured maximum points. That’s also really good. Still a lot of positives to take from this weekend,” Ogier said.
Ogier admitted that Hyundai’s lack of pace came as a surprise. Toyota drivers dominated the special stages all weekend.
“That was a bit of a surprise, for sure. We always give our best during testing and preparation to be ready. And recently, it’s often been very intense and very close on the stages, but I think the main factor this weekend was the tyres. It looks like we’ve understood something better than them so far,” Ogier reflected.
“You have to use this kind of advantage, because you never know how long it’s going to last. But for sure, we need to congratulate our mechanics and engineers for the hard effort they’ve been putting in.”
