Now 41, Ogier has had a long career in rallying and has won eight world championships. The Frenchman has nothing left to prove to anyone, yet he still finds the motivation to compete at the highest level.
Ogier has consistently maintained his performance over the years. This season, he has contested only two WRC rounds so far – but with one victory and one second place, he currently sits fourth in the drivers’ championship standings.
January’s Monte Carlo Rally was a showcase of Ogier’s dominance, but last weekend’s WRC Rally Islas Canarias belonged entirely to his teammate Kalle Rovanperä. Rovanperä swept the event and claimed the maximum 35 points.
Ogier fulfilled his role and secured valuable points for Toyota. Losing out to Rovanperä didn’t seem to trouble him much.
“That’s motorsport sometimes. I think it never happened in history that even the best driver ever always won – everyone gets beaten at some point,” Ogier remarked.
Still, Ogier is used to winning. Continual losses could eventually take the joy out of driving.
“And the thing is, if it becomes a trend and it’s like this every race, then it can be a problem. For me, that would be a clear sign that, okay, maybe it’s time to do something else,” the French champion admitted.
“But so far, I think I still deliver, from my point of view, pretty strong performances for my team every time I show up. And that still makes me happy enough,” Ogier added.
Ogier also openly acknowledged that Rovanperä’s performance in the Canary Islands was something special – a level no one, including himself, could match.
“But no, this weekend was a performance (from Kalle Rovanperä) that we haven’t seen very often in the history of this sport. It was a clear domination – not just against me, but also against Elfyn and many other drivers who are also very competitive.”
“That’s the one you remember. And I’m not sure you’ll see that very often again. Now it’s a new cycle coming with the gravel rallies, so let’s see what happens on gravel,” Ogier concluded.
