Lappi "surprised" Ogier didn't retire after 2019
M-Sport World Rally Championship driver Esapekka Lappi was "surprised" that six-time champion Sebastien Ogier elected to continue after losing the 2019 title to Ott Tanak.
Ogier had rejoined the Citroen team last season after two years driving M-Sport's Ford Fiesta WRC car, but Tanak's title victory ended Ogier's streak of six titles in a row.
Amid rumours that Ogier would consider retirement from the championship, he instead upped sticks to join Toyota, prompting Citroen's withdrawal from the WRC after 21 years in the category.
Although Ogier announced that he would retire at the end of 2020, Lappi expressed his surprise that his former teammate had decided to continue for one more year.
"I was surprised that Seb continued this season; I was kind of thinking he might stop," Lappi told the WRC.
"It seems that [losing the title to Tanak last season] was a boost for him. I don't know what he wants to do after the rallying apart from Extreme E. For sure, he will keep driving something."
Lappi also explained that he had learned a lot from Ogier during their time together at Citroen last year, having observed his working methods close-up.
The Finnish driver hailed Ogier's attention to detail when working with his engineers, which was something Lappi "hadn't seen before."
"I have been lucky to work with several top drivers in the past three years and top of the cake was Seb last year.
"The biggest difference was how much he was concentrating on the small details.
"Not really in terms of the set-up of the car, but all the other things like what is happening outside the driving; the crews, information and tyre choices.
"That is something that was good information for me and something that I haven't seen before."
Previous article
FIA reveals exclusive supplier for WRC's hybrid move
Next article
Solberg in talks with manufacturers to start WRC team
About this article
| Series | WRC |
| Drivers | Esapekka Lappi , Sébastien Ogier |
| Author | Jake Boxall-Legge |
WRC: Multi-year deals for Neuville & Tanak
Croatia 'deserves' calendar slot - Hyundai
Croatia Rally Wolf Power Stage
Why there's no easy fix for Hyundai's operational Achilles Heel
Hyundai Motorsport boss Andrea Adamo was vocal in his criticism of his team's tyre choices on Rally Croatia and declared that he "had better move my ass and solve it". Doing so will be vital to getting Hyundai's 2021 WRC title hopes back on track, but finding the root of the problem won't be the work of a moment
How Ogier survived road crash drama to triumph in Croatia
Sebastien Ogier was already in an incredibly tight fight at Rally Croatia before a surprise collision with public road traffic at the start of the final day. But the defending champion held his nerve to take a narrow victory and create further World Rally Championship history
Why WRC's hybrid path could leave it at a crossroads
With all three major manufacturers committing to the World Rally Championship’s hybrid era from 2022, the future of the series is assured for now, but it could lead to trickier twists and turns further down the road
How Tanak froze out the competition at the Arctic Rally
Ott Tanak made up for a disastrous Monte Carlo Rally by leading all the way on the snow-kissed stages of the Arctic Rally Finland and in the process hit back at an event Toyota had been expected to dominate…
What to look out for in the 2021 WRC
As the 2021 World Rally Championship prepares to launch amid tight COVID-19 restrictions in Monte Carlo, here are the eight things unrelated to the pandemic that you should keep an eye on this year
Evans on the talking points of WRC 2021
He came close to the title last year, and now Toyota's Elfyn Evans gives his verdict on what to expect from 2021 as the World Rally Championship prepares to reconvene for the Monte Carlo season opener.
Why Britain's continued WRC absence is a wake-up call
With Rally GB dropping off the World Rally Championship calendar for the second year in a row, one of Britain's best-attended sporting events faces an uncertain future. It's an unfortunate situation that points to troubling times ahead
The Top 10 WRC drivers of 2020
A drastically-shortened 2020 season gave the World Rally Championship protagonists precious little stage mileage to strut their stuff, but as ever the cream rose to the top across the seven events. We rank the year's best performers
