Latvala admits he tried too hard to copy Ogier at Volkswagen

The Finn's 2016 campaign was the worst of his professional career: he finished sixth in the WRC standings, 156 points behind title winner Ogier.

Latvala identified the Frenchman as a major part of his own problem within the German team.

"Everything went wrong and it was a different situation at Volkswagen," Ogier told Motorsport.com's sister publication Autosport.

"I didn't win [the title] because I tried to drive like Sebastien. I was so confused in my driving, I was trying to do everything like him all of the time.

"I was looking at the data from my engineers and looking at how he was using the brakes – I tried to change everything and do the same. I even had brake support under the pedals like he had. I was trying everything.

"At the end of last year, I was so confused, everything was so difficult. I just didn't know, I was asking: 'How should I drive?' I was going over everything. I had tried to copy everything Seb was doing and this is why, when I was in Volkswagen, I had no chance.

"I couldn't concentrate on the job I was supposed to be doing because all of the time I was looking at what he was doing. I forgot about my own driving style and I totally focused on doing the same as him."

Hirvonen helped at Ford

Prior to his arrival alongside Ogier at Volkswagen, Latvala had partnered countryman Mikko Hirvonen at Ford.

Latvala missed the team approach he and Hirvonen had engendered in the fight against an all-conquering Citroen and Sebastien Loeb combination.

"When I was at Ford, Sebastien Loeb was so dominant. Mikko and I had to work together to try to beat him, we couldn't do it on our own," he said.

"When I went to Volkswagen, it was different. There was nobody there to help me try to beat this new Sebastien. When you are in the same team as a four-time world champion, you are alone and I had to fight against him in a different way with a different philosophy."

Since departing Volkswagen, Latvala says he has rekindled that team approach at Toyota with countryman Juho Hanninen.

"I feel the same now as when I was at Ford," said Latvala. "Juho and I are working together to won, it's different now."