The win marked Ogier’s ninth WRC victory at Monte and his tenth overall, as he also won the event once when it was part of the IRC series. With this latest triumph, Ogier has now surpassed his compatriot Sebastien Loeb in Monte Carlo WRC wins.
Ogier’s career is inevitably heading toward its final chapters. During the post-rally press conference, the host made a direct appeal to Ogier, asking him not to retire just yet – after all, Monte wouldn’t be the same without him.
“Thank you for that. Thank you, everybody, for the support the whole weekend. It’s been amazing,” Ogier said.
“Obviously, in my hometown (Gap), every year is also very special, having, I don’t know, thousands of fans pushing for me, thinking that I’m going to win again every time, and putting a lot of pressure on my shoulders. But, so far, it works. I don’t know – this weekend, there were definitely some emotional moments on my side, as I mentioned before,” Ogier continued.
Ogier was referring to his late uncle, who passed away a year ago. He dedicated his tenth Monte-Carlo victory to his uncle’s memory.
“I’m sure that somewhere, he is very proud of me,” Ogier said, visibly moved.
Ten is a nice round number. It would be a fitting milestone to end on.
But was this truly Ogier’s last Rally Monte-Carlo?
“For the future, we will see. I don’t want to make any plans, but right now, I just want to enjoy this moment,” Ogier stated.
This season, Ogier is only contesting selected WRC rounds. Despite taking near-maximum points from Monte, his teammate Elfyn Evans – who scored 26 championship points – will be the first driver on the road in Sweden.
Rally Sweden takes place from 13th to 16th February.
