Ogier claimed victory at Rally Finland in early August, becoming effectively Toyota’s only driver with a chance to fight for the drivers’ championship.
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala convinced the French star to compete in all remaining events of the season, giving Ogier a chance to put pressure on Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, while also contributing to Toyota’s fight for the manufacturers’ championship.
Since Rally Finland, however, Ogier has faced one disappointment after another. At Acropolis Rally in Greece, he rolled his car and lost a valuable haul of points.
At Rally Chile, he was forced to retire after hitting a loose rock, damaging his car. In the previous round in Central European Rally, he went off on the penultimate special stage, ending up with no points at all.
Following his retirement from the Central European Rally, it became clear that no Toyota driver could challenge Neuville for the drivers’ title. Additionally, Hyundai holds a solid 15-point lead over Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship before the final round of the season.
See the current WRC standings here.
Toyota boss Latvala received a call from Ogier after the accident, where the French driver was quite candid.
“He was very, very disappointed. I think this was hurting him a lot. He said it’s not been normal what’s happened to him, with three accidents in a row,” Latvala recounted to Dirtfish.
Ogier was absolutely correct in this regard. The last time he faced such misfortune in three consecutive rallies was 13 years ago. Ogier retired at the end of the 2011 season in both Rally Catalunya and Wales Rally GB while driving for Citroën, and again at the 2012 season opener, Rally Monte Carlo, in a Škoda.
This season’s errors have proved costly not only for Ogier but also for Toyota.
“He was already frustrated in Chile. After Greece he was still really happy with the fighting spirit, Chile was frustrating and then CER was really frustrating for him. I’ve seen him (frustrated before) but maybe this was one of the most difficult days for him for a long time,” Latvala speculated.
“But this is rallying and I said to him, we had to push, you had to push, we had to go for it, it didn’t work out. The speed is the most important thing. Without the speed then you have nothing,” Latvala reminded.
The manufacturers’ championship in the WRC will be decided in the season-ending Rally Japan, scheduled for 21-24 November.
