WRC Central Europe Rally
Ogier needs "reset” after costly WRC Central Europe exit
The eight-time world champion was locked in the fight for victory before it unravelled in spectacular fashion in the penultimate stage
Tom Howard
Edited: Oct 20, 2024, 5:32 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Sebastien Ogier says he needs a “reset” after a third consecutive incident cost Toyota valuable points in its bid to defend the World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title.
The eight-time world champion was in the box seat to deliver a fourth victory from his partial campaign at the Central European Rally, having ended Saturday with 18 provisional points after building a 5.2s lead over Hyundai’s Ott Tanak.
However, his rally began to unravel when he overshot a left-hander in Sunday’s first stage, dropping the Frenchman 1.9s behind the 2019 world champion.
That gap was shortened to 1.5s heading into the penultimate run, where Ogier’s rally came to an abrupt halt six hundred metres into a stage where route note crews were unable to traverse beforehand to pass on crucial road information to drivers.
Ogier ran wide into a fast right-hander, clattering the trees and causing terminal damage to his GR Yaris, and was unusually visibly angry in the aftermath of the incident that threw away the 18 points earned on Saturday.
Read Also:
The accident is the third incident in a row for Ogier after crashing on the final stage in Greece, while in Chile he clipped a rock that sent him into retirement on the Saturday.
"It was another example that the gravel crew are doing a crucial job for us. It was the only stage of the weekend where they were not allowed to go through and basically we didn’t have the information of the road evolution," said Ogier at the scene of the crash.
Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
"This first long corner under the trees people have been cutting more [than we were] anticipating. The corner was becoming very greasy and at the end I couldn’t turn basically and I understeered and went wide at the exit and hit the trees on the outside.
"I feel angry with myself in the moment and I’m very sorry for the team. I tried my best. It was really my main target to help them achieve the manufacturers’ title.
“I think I was doing a good job so far but unfortunately it is a third weekend in a row that has not gone my way. It is a tough time."
Reflecting on the incident hours later, Ogier added: “I need a reset for sure. Right now I feel very disappointed for the team as it could have been another strong weekend for us.
“In France, we say 'never two without three' and now it is three rallies in a row that we have really tough luck. I’m very happy with the speed obviously but unfortunately, again this was even worse than the last weekends as we didn’t score any points this time. Let’s hope we still have some in Japan.”
Despite the crash, Toyota reduced the deficit to Hyundai to 15 points in the manufacturers’ race thanks to points scored by Elfyn Evans, who finished the rally third overall, while Takamoto Katsuta picked up the maximum 12 Super Sunday points.
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala admitted that it had been strange to see the mistakes from Ogier, but also believes safety note crews must be allowed to pass through each stage in the future.
“It was looking very good after Saturday and I thought we would be able to catch back on points and take it closer for Japan, but it has unfortunately changed quite rapidly,” Latvala told Motorsport.com.
“It’s strange [to see these errors from Seb] and he has apologised.
“This time, what he told me [is] they didn’t allow the safety crews to go through because of the timetable so there was more mud on this corner and he anticipated higher grip and he lost control of the car.
“With these cars, we should always have the safety crews going on stage. It is a different story with the slower cars but when the speeds are higher the risk levels are higher.
“I think it has hurt him quite hard because he had done a great fight and tried to help the team but when the accidents happen in a row… it starts to affect your confidence and everything it is not easy to handle that kind of thing.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article WRC Central Europe: Tanak wins after Ogier crash as title fight heads to Japan
Next article Tanak: If Neuville is “smart" there is "no chance" to win WRC title
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Tom Howard
Sebastien Loeb tests again as Project Rally One submits WRC homologation papers
WRC
WRC
Sebastien Loeb tests again as Project Rally One submits WRC homologation papers
New WRC constructor offers update on 2027 car development
WRC
WRC
Rally Saudi Arabia
New WRC constructor offers update on 2027 car development
More from
Sébastien Ogier
Sebastien Ogier tipped for partial WRC 2027 programme
WRC
WRC
Sebastien Ogier tipped for partial WRC 2027 programme
Sebastien Ogier’s 2027 WRC future is undecided, but he won’t be at Monte Carlo
WRC
WRC
Rally Italy
Sebastien Ogier’s 2027 WRC future is undecided, but he won’t be at Monte Carlo
More from
Toyota Racing
The new records set by Toyota's Hypercar trio with WEC 2026 title
WEC
WEC
Monza
3 h
The new records set by Toyota's Hypercar trio with WEC 2026 title
Toyota “sad” WEC drivers' title was effectively decided before Monza finale
WEC
WEC
Monza
Toyota “sad” WEC drivers' title was effectively decided before Monza finale
Latest news
John Klausmeier joins 23XI Racing as technical director
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
24 min
John Klausmeier joins 23XI Racing as technical director
Mercedes explains "unusual" car behaviour behind Kimi Antonelli's costly Interlagos spin
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
36 min
Mercedes explains "unusual" car behaviour behind Kimi Antonelli's costly Interlagos spin
Chip Ganassi Racing signs Alessandro de Tullio for 2027 Indy NXT Season, adds IndyCar reserve role
Indy NXT
IndL Indy NXT 1 h
Chip Ganassi Racing signs Alessandro de Tullio for 2027 Indy NXT Season, adds IndyCar reserve role
Jorge Lorenzo describes Marc Marquez as “the Ayrton Senna of motorcycling”
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
2 h
Jorge Lorenzo describes Marc Marquez as “the Ayrton Senna of motorcycling”
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe