Ogier decided to end his full-time WRC career at the end of the 2021 season after securing his eighth world championship title. Since then, Ogier has continued as a part-time driver for Toyota, but he has consistently avoided the Rally Finland.
This year, however, the situation is different. Ogier’s decision to compete in Finland came as a slight surprise, as the rally was not expected to be part of his calendar this season either.
Earlier this week, Ogier geared up for the Rally Finland by testing the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 car at the team’s test area in Central Finland.
“I’m happy to be back on the beautiful Finnish roads. It’s been three years since my last Rally Finland, so I’m enjoying it,” Ogier told RallyJournal.com.
“It’s always been for me one of the most fun rallies to drive in the calendar. And it is also one of the most difficult ones to win because, of course, the local drivers or Scandinavian drivers have always been fast here. But I like challenges, so that’s one of the reasons why we had this one as an option,” Ogier explained the reasons behind his decision.
Ogier has only celebrated victory at the Rally Finland once, in 2013. During previous visits, he has often had to act as a road sweeper, but this year he won’t have to start the stages among the very first drivers.
Ogier still has the pace for fast gravel rallies, as he demonstrated in the previous round in Latvia. The Frenchman finished second in the competition and secured the largest points haul of the weekend.
“Latvia was nice for me to see that we can also still be competitive on fast rallies. Honestly, personally, I didn’t have real doubt about it, but, of course, it’s been still a bit of time,” Ogier said.
“That was best and I guess a good preparation to come here in Finland. Even if Finland is still a different type of road with much more jump, much more crest. So I think that the driving is not necessarily exactly the same, but of course, having this reference from Latvia is good,” Ogier noted.
Ogier has participated in five WRC rallies this year, securing two wins and three second places. The driver’s plan is to be on the podium again this coming weekend.
“I’m always trying to to fight for the top position, so I don’t expect it to be easy. I know it’s a tough challenge here, but that’s the reason I’m here to prove myself that I can be competitive in Finland,” Ogier concluded.
