Sébastien Eugène Emile Ogier[1] (French pronunciation: [sebastjɛ̃ ɔʒje]; born 17 December 1983) is a French rally driver, competing for the Toyota Gazoo Racing Team in the World Rally Championship (WRC). He is currently teamed with co-driver Vincent Landais.[2] He has won eight World Rally Drivers' Championship including six consecutive titles from 2013 to 2018, and in 2020, and 2021, and is the second most successful WRC driver after Sébastien Loeb (nine titles). He has achieved 61 rally victories and is one of the only two drivers (with Juha Kankkunen) to have won the World Championship with three different manufacturers. He holds various WRC records including the most drivers' championship points overall, biggest points gap with the championship runner-up, most stage victories and points in a single season.
.jpg) Ogier at the 2023 Central European Rally | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | French |
| Born | 17 December 1983 Gap, Hautes-Alpes, France |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 2008–present |
| Co-driver |  Vincent Landais Benjamin Veillas Julien Ingrassia |
| Teams | Citroën Junior Team, Citroën, Volkswagen Motorsport M-Sport Ford Toyota |
| Rallies | 192 |
| Championships | 8 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021) |
| Rally wins | 61 |
| Podiums | 105 |
| Stage wins | 746 |
| Total points | 2958 |
| First rally | 2008 Rally Mexico |
| First win | 2010 Rally de Portugal |
| Last win | 2024 Rally Finland |
| Last rally | 2024 Rally Japan |
| Last updated on: 24/11/2024. | |
Ogier started his rally career in France in 2005 and won the Peugeot 206 Cup in 2006. He won the title in his first season in the Junior World Rally Championship, driving a Citroën C2 in 2008. He debuted in the World Rally Championship at the 2008 Rally Mexico and scored a point in his first race after finishing eighth. He drove a World Rally Car for the first time, a Citroën C4 in 2008 Rally GB and was promoted to a full-time drive for the next season with the Citroën Junior Team. He got his first podium in the 2009 Acropolis Rally after securing a second place finish. He drove select races for the Citroën World Rally Team in the 2010 season and took his maiden WRC win in the 2010 Rally de Portugal.
Ogier secured a full time drive with the Citroën factory team for the 2011 season. Ahead of the 2012 season, he joined the Volkswagen and drove a Škoda Fabia S2000. He drove the Volkswagen Polo R WRC for the first time in the 2013 season, in which, he won his first WRC Drivers title with nine rally victories from 13 events. He won a further three consecutive titles in 2014, 2015, and 2016. He won a further two tiles in the next two seasons, driving the Ford Fiesta WRC before finishing third in the lone season back with the Citroën team. He moved to Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT before the 2020 season and won the two titles in 2020, and 2021 season while driving a Toyota Yaris WRC. Since the 2022 season, he has been competing in select rallies with the Toyota team.
Ogier has also competed in the International Rally Championship, and Porsche Supercup. Apart from rallying, he tested a Red Bull Racing RB7 Formula one car in 2007. He also took part in the Race of Champions in 2011, and drove a Ferrari F430 Scuderia in the 2011 French GT Championship. He participated in three races in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship including the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Richard Mille Racing Team.
Rally career
editEarly years (2005–2007)
editOgier's rally career began in 2005 when he won the French Federation's Rallye Jeunes and was rewarded with a place in the Peugeot 206 Cup for the following season. Teamed with co-driver Julien Ingrassia, he claimed a podium at Terre des Cardabelles and sixth place in the championship along with the Best Rookie award.
In 2007, Ogier won the Peugeot 206 Cup with four victories (Diois, Langres, Causses, Touquet) and two second places (Alsace-Vosges, Limousin). He also won the Rallye Hivernal des Hautes-Alpes. In April 2007, he took part in his first regional rally (Rallye du Quercy) placing third overall in a Peugeot 206 XS.
Ogier received the Espoir Echappement de l’année award, an honorific prize from professionals and fans, joining past winners Didier Auriol, François Delecour and Sébastien Loeb.
World Championship (2008)
editJWRC Champion
edit
In the 2008 season, Ogier moved to compete a full Junior World Rally Championship program, driving a Super 1600-class Citroën C2 for the Equipe de France FFSA team.
Ogier debuted in the World Rally Championship at the 2008 Rally Mexico, winning first in the JWRC class, and becoming the first JWRC driver to take a WRC point thanks to his eighth place overall finish. He won again in Jordan: after a four-minute loss due to mechanical failure, he stormed back, eventually taking the victory when the leader went off the road.
After this second successive win, he retired from Rally Sardinia with a broken steering rod. However, he restarted thanks to the SupeRally rule and finished fifth. Ogier went on to take further junior category victory in Germany. He then dominated his class at Rally Catalunya scoring most of the best times, but went off the road during the last leg.[3]
After a cautious start at his home event, the Tour de Corse, Ogier clinched the Junior world champion title by placing second.
First WRC rally and first stage win
editAfter winning the JWRC title, Ogier was rewarded with his first World Rally Car drive in a Citroën C4 for Rally GB. He surprised the more experienced drivers by winning the first stage on the ice and taking a shock lead[4] for his first WRC rally. With the advantage of his road position, he kept the lead until the fifth stage, before losing time with a mechanical trouble. He eventually crashed out from eighth place on day two.[5]
Citroën (2009–2011)
edit2009: 1st full WRC season (1st podium) and win in Monte-Carlo (IRC)
edit
In January 2009, Ogier made a one-off appearance in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, contesting the Monte Carlo Rally. He won the prestigious event for his first rally in a Kronos Peugeot 207 S2000.[6]
It was only a one-off participation in IRC: for the 2009 season, Ogier was signed in WRC to capitalize on his Junior title. At the start of the season, he was supposed to take part in the first six rounds of the world championship with a C4 WRC of Citroën's satellite team, and that the remaining rallies of the season would depend on his results. Despite a few mistakes, his performances pushed the squad to confirm him for the rest of the season.
At the Acropolis Rally, Ogier drove to his first podium place, finishing second to Ford's Mikko Hirvonen.[7]
2010: 2nd full WRC season (1st win)
editIn January 2010, Ogier took part again in the Rallye Monte-Carlo with a Peugeot 207 S2000. After losing two minutes going off-road at the start of the race (on snow put by some spectators), he then scored a lot of stage wins and came back 45 seconds off the leader Mikko Hirvonen, but eventually retired on the last day with an alternator problem.
As Monte-Carlo was still part of the IRC calendar, Ogier's 2010 season really started in Sweden with the first round of the WRC year. The Frenchman continued in the Citroën Junior Team with the 2007 Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen as his new teammate. He took fifth place in Sweden after a solid performance and clinched his second podium in Mexico after duelling against Petter Solberg until the last minute. In Jordan he took an excellent start and was lying second in the standings after the first two legs, however team orders forced him to take several minutes of penalty at a time control. He still ended in sixth position. In Turkey, Sébastien led during eleven stages, before losing three minutes with a puncture in SS15, eventually finishing fourth. At the Rally New Zealand, he came even closer to his maiden win as he was leading before the final stage, but spun three corners before the finish and lost the win to Latvala by 2.4 seconds (third smallest gap in the history).
Ogier went on to take his debut WRC victory in the next event, the Rally de Portugal. Keeping the momentum from his performances in Turkey and New-Zealand, he took 45 seconds from road-sweeper Sébastien Loeb on day one. Although Loeb came back, Ogier made no mistake and eventually beat him by 8 seconds. He went on to win Rally della Lanterna in Italy, a guest appearance he made to gain experience on asphalt as he had always been more confident on gravel.
Given his solid results, his team spirit and Dani Sordo’s disappointing performances, Citroën promoted Ogier to the factory team for the remaining three gravel rounds of the season. Subsequently, Sordo replaced Ogier in the manufacturer's junior team.[8] It proved to be a judicious decision as Sébastien Ogier took a solid second place in Finland, in front of Sébastien Loeb, whereas he was 4th and 3rd behind Sordo and Loeb on asphalt (in Bulgaria and Germany). He took his second WRC win in Japan after a thrilling duel against Petter Solberg and impressed by his capacity to quickly adapt himself to a rally he had never raced before.
He was just 43 points behind teammate Sébastien Loeb with three events to go, therefore still having a chance for the title. However, in the last three rallies he would only score nine points, making him lose two positions to Jari Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg and finishing the season in fourth place.
2011: Citroën official driver
editOgier continued his progression in 2011. Given his performances in 2010, he was given a drive with Citroën's factory team for the full 2011 season, replacing Dani Sordo. As he was promised to be treated equally with Loeb, the fans awaited a great battle for the title.
The DS3 WRC didn't make the expected debut in Sweden, however Ogier (4th) beat Loeb (6th), and also became the first driver to win a Power Stage. Their battle turned out to a duel in Mexico where Ogier started the last day as leader before going off the road. He went on to win the next two rallies in Portugal and Jordan: with two-tenth on Jari-Matti Latvala, he beat the record of the smallest winning gap. 4th in Sardinia, Ogier came close to another victory in Argentina: while he started the last leg with a 43.7s advantage on Hirvonen, he rolled; this led him to finish with no steering wheel and cost him the win in the last stage. He ended in third position behind Sébastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen.
Ogier went on to claim victory on the Acropolis Rally, but his relationship with Sébastien Loeb deteriorated. Following a classic WRC strategy, the Frenchman slowed down on the Saturday evening to force his teammate to open the road the day after. To do so, he based himself on Loeb's times sent by his team, while a technical problem prevented Loeb from receiving the same information. The rally ended in a controversial atmosphere as Loeb had difficulty accepting to sweep the road on these gravel stages. Loeb bounced back in Finland, while Ogier ended in third position after a puncture during the last day. The tension between the two Citroën drivers knew their peak in Germany, where Sébastien Loeb had never been beaten. Before the start of the race, the reigning World Champion announced the extension of his contract with Citroën until the end of 2013. In that media context, the brand imposed team orders at the end of the first leg, while Loeb and Ogier were separated by only 7 seconds, with a big margin over their rivals. It was a beautiful battle and Sébastien Ogier didn't accept to be sacrificed so early and in such a disrespectful way. This is what he publicly said, giving rise to a huge controversy.[9] The win eventually went to him, as Loeb punctured a tyre.
In Australia, Ogier didn't make the most of Sébastien Loeb going off the road as he made a mistake as well during the first day. After a thrilling climb in the standings that brought him up to ninth place and close to eighth, the team asked him to slow down at the end of the rally to let his teammate pass and score one point for the championship: he took a voluntary penalty and stopped on the side of the road for around ten minutes. Also helped by team orders, Mikko Hirvonen won the rally and therefore became a serious title contender, 8 points off Loeb. Ogier took a convincing win at the Rallye de France Alsace: after Loeb retired because of a technical problem, he resisted Dani Sordo’s and Petter Solberg’s pressure and went on to take the maximum points for the team. He also made a good operation for the Drivers’ championship and left Alsace 3 points off the co-leaders Sébastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen. Two rounds before the end of the season, the championship seemed to be wide open, but Loeb did eventually clinch the title. After an engine problem in Spain and an accident in Great-Britain, Sébastien Ogier ended the championship in third position with five wins (as many as Sébastien Loeb) and four Power Stages’ best times (the best rate of the season). His tense relationship with Citroën management led to his discharge, which was officially announced on 16 November. He was then replaced by Mikko Hirvonen.
Volkswagen (2012-2016)
edit2012
editOn 23 November 2011, Volkswagen subsequently announced a three-year contract with Sébastien Ogier and his codriver Julien Ingrassia. They became the official crew of the team to spearhead Volkswagen's WRC assault, planned for 2013. In 2012, they contested the championship in a Škoda Fabia S2000 whilst developing the new Polo R WRC for a full-time WRC season in 2013.[10]
Ogier's 2012 season started with Rallye Monte-Carlo, where he set some good times although his Škoda Fabia S2000 was less competitive than the WRC that were battling for the win. But in the 10th stage, he went off the road in a sixth-gear sector. Ogier was unhurt, his codriver was slightly injured. Before the crash, Ogier was 6th in the overall rally standings.
In the Rally Sweden, Ogier took 11th place with four minutes of margin on Per-Gunnar Andersson, the official winner in S2000. Sébastien Ogier took his first points of the season and the very first ones for Volkswagen Motorsport with an eighth place at the Rally Mexico.
In Sweden and in Mexico, he had to compose with a superior status compared to the other S2000 drivers and therefore had to sweep the roads for them. This changed at the Rally Portugal and the situation became more equitable. He then scored a series of points scorings and regularly battled against WRC drivers. His best result came in Sardinia, where he took the fifth place – the best result of a S2000 car.
2013
editIn parallel to his 2012 season with the Škoda Fabia S2000, Sébastien Ogier followed an intense testing programme developing the Volkswagen Polo R WRC and preparing its debut in the championship.
Launched at Monaco at the end of 2012, the car was ready for the first round of the season, the 2013 Rallye Monte Carlo. Despite the youth of the car and some treacherous weather conditions, Sébastien Ogier finished in second position. It sounded like an ideal start, a proper relief that confirmed the promising level of the Polo.[11]
The 2013 season went ahead with Rally Sweden, where Ogier became the second non-Nordic winner since its creation in 1950, after Loeb's victory in 2004. His win in Sweden was also the maiden one for the Polo R WRC. He added the 3 bonus points of a Power Stage win and took the lead of the championship. And this was only the beginning. Ogier then took the victory in Mexico, winning 16 stages out of 23 and another double rally – Power Stage success. Same again in Portugal where he finished with more than 3 minutes of margin over Mikko Hirvonen, second.
In Argentina, the handbrake gave problems and Sébastien Ogier lost time with a straight on the mud, which cost him the lead of the rally. As Sébastien Loeb won, Ogier secured some valuable points with second place. Bad luck struck again in Greece, where he lost his chances of winning as soon as in the SS1, with a puncture and a fuel alimentation problem. Thanks to the Rally 2 rule, he managed to save the tenth position and took the three bonus points of the Power Stage.
Sébastien Ogier made his comeback on the top spot of the podium in Italy, beating Thierry Neuville and Jari-Matti Latvala. For the first time in his career, he dominated a rally from the first stage to the last one. He also took another win in the Power Stage.
His winning series went on in Finland, despite his co-driver's shoulder injury. He took the first victory of his career in this rally by winning more than half of the stages – and in particular the legendary Ouninpohja of which he beat the record. With two more points in the Power Stage, he extended his lead at the top of the world championship standings.[12]
In Germany, Sébastien Ogier already had an opportunity to secure the title. However he broke his front-left suspension missing a braking point during the first leg. Back on the road the following day, he climbed from 47th to 17th in the overall standings and took another Power Stage win. With Thierry Neuville second and Jari-Matti Latvala seventh, Sébastien Ogier came closer to the title. In Australia he had real chances to become champion. However, despite a thrilling race, 19 stage wins out of 22, he lost the title in the last stage: as Hirvonen punctured a tyre, Neuville took second place and Ogier therefore missed the title for one point.[13]
Sébastien Ogier eventually won the 2013 championship in the first stage of Rally France (which happened to be the bonus-points-rewarding Power Stage) because second-placed Thierry Neuville couldn't catch Ogier anymore even with rally wins.[14] The Frenchman ended the season with some more victories in France, Spain and, for the first time in his career, Wales.
He ended the season with 9 wins, 11 podiums, 111 special stages wins (46,83% of the season), 7 Power Stages wins and a total number of 28 points grabbed in these particular stages, and a total of 290 points in the championship, a record for WRC.
2014
edit
Sébastien Ogier cautiously considers that a title is harder to defend than to win. However his victory in the Rallye Monte-Carlo confirmed his leading position in WRC at the start of the 2014 season.[15] Unlike in 2009 this legendary rally was part of the WRC, which made it a very special moment for the reigning World Champion. Despite a wrong tyre choice on day one, he impressed with his climb in the standings and entered Monaco as a winner. Icing on the cake, the start was given in his native town of Gap and the first part of the race was back in the Hautes-Alpes.
Ogier made a mistake during Rally Sweden hitting a snowbank while leading and retrograded to the 20th position. His determination eventually led him to the 6th final place. His revenge came as soon as Rally Mexico: he took the lead in the first leg and increased his margin until finishing with a big margin on his opponents. He also won the Power Stage and was back at the lead of the championship in front of Latvala.
Sébastien Ogier managed to increase his overall lead on his teammate on the next round, Rally Portugal. He took the overall victory and won the Power Stage again, while Latvala went off the road. Rally Portugal was again synonymous of a win for the Frenchman - the fourth one for him on this round, which brought him closer to Markku Alen's record of five successes. Conversely Rally Argentina is one of the rare rallies of the season (with Rally Poland) where Ogier never won. In very hard conditions, he took second place and the Power Stage win. He was back on the top step of the podium in Italy,[16] despite a tough first leg in which he had to open the road and sweep a slippery sandy surface. In Poland, he won both the rally and the Power Stage, to get a 50-point lead in the championship.
In Finland, Ogier scored the points of the second place and took another Power Stage win. His lead in the championship was unchanged after the next round, Rally Germany, where Ogier and Latvala both retired going off the road. However Volkswagen was assured that the Drivers' title would go to one of the team's drivers (Ogier, Latvala or Mikkelsen). The German squad secured the Manufacturers' title on the following round, in Australia, as Ogier was back on the top step of the podium. His first attempt in securing the championship failed though, as he was hit by a gearbox sensor failure at the start of Rally France. Despite the time lost, he managed to secure the Power Stage points. The relief came on his second try, in Catalonia. As they won the penultimate round of the season, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia secured their second title.[17] Ogier became the eighth driver to take a second crown, the fourth to do so two years in a row. Ingrassia is the sole French codriver crowned twice. The Frenchman ended the season in style with a win in Wales. With 8 wins, 10 podiums and 94 stage wins, Sébastien Ogier had a 49-point margin in the final standings.
Volkswagen renewed the contract of Sébastien Ogier and their other crews.[18]
2015
edit
In 2015, Sébastien Ogier stayed involved in WRC with the Volkswagen Motorsport team, codriven by Julien Ingrassia. Together, they won the first round of the season, the Rallye Monte-Carlo. The new Polo R WRC was immediately successful and so was the world champion crew despite the rivalry of Sébastien Loeb, who made a punctual comeback to rallying.
Ogier went ahead with another win in Sweden, where he came out as the winner in the very last stage, when Andreas Mikkelsen made a late mistake.[19] Three out of three: it was a hat-trick for the Frenchman who also won Rally Mexico.[20] This was his fifth consecutive win since 2014 Rally Catalunya and the third in a row in Mexico.
Rally Argentina marked the end of the series, as mechanical problems pushed him to retirement. He ended in 17th position and added the three bonus points of a Power Stage win. He won the Power Stage again on the following rally, in Portugal, while climbing the second final place. In addition to the disadvantage of sweeping a very sandy surface, the Frenchman lost time with a puncture before producing an impressive comeback to end 8.2s off the winner. This enabled him to confirm his leading position in the championship.
Ogier managed to come back to victory in Italy. Hayden Paddon produced his best performance to date and led the rally for a long time, but Ogier eventually took the win in the last leg and added again the Power Stage victory to his tally. Another rally and Power Stage double win came in Poland, while in Finland he had to settle for the second place overall. He took another Power Stage success though (the 7th successive) to leave Finland with an 89-point lead in the championship. He led VW to a 1–2–3 finish on Rally Germany, and went on to take the title on the next round with a win in Rally Australia. After taking the lead, Ogier and Ingrassia won all the remaining stages to take their 31st WRC win and their 3rd title. At the same moment, Volkswagen secured the Manufacturer title.
Rally France was not so lucky as Ogier suffered a gearbox failure at the end of day one. Despite a ten-minute penalty which relegated him to 55th position, he managed to end in 12th and won three more stages including the Power Stage. Sébastien Ogier then led Rally Spain for the last two legs but made a mistake in the very last stage. He was forced to retire after hitting a guardrail, a crash in which he and his codriver were unhurt. The season ended with a soaked Wales Rally GB where the Frenchmen won again. They dedicated their victory to the victims of Paris's attacks occurred on 13 November, during the rally weekend.
2016
edit
Still teamed up with Julien Ingrassia in the Volkswagen Motorsport squad for the fourth successive year, Ogier started the season with his third successive win on Rally Monte-Carlo. He then took another success on Rally Sweden, which had been shortened due to a lack of snow. In Mexico, Ogier had to sweep very dusty roads again but still took second place behind Latvala, also winning his third Power Stage out of three rallies. His first place in the championship penalized him again in Argentina, where he took second place, and then again in Portugal and Italy where he finished third. Rally Poland was even more difficult and ended up with a sixth place, before a small mistake cost him a lot in Finland, with no points scored.
He was back to the win in Germany, on Volkswagen's home soil. First full-tarmac rally of the season, it was won by the French pair for the second year in a row as they managed in the best way some very changeable road conditions. Ogier went on to win in Corsica after dominating the rally from start to finish. He was again on the top step of the podium in Spain and clinched the world champion title for the fourth time. His victory at Wales Rally GB brought the Manufacturers' title to Volkswagen, this also for the fourth successive year.
In the days following this success, Volkswagen announced its withdrawal from WRC.[21]
M-Sport Ford (2017–2018)
editOn 12 December 2016, Ogier announced he would be driving the new Ford Fiesta WRC for M-Sport Ford during the 2017 season.[22]
On the first rally of the championship, Monte-Carlo, Ogier brought M-Sport Ford back to victory for the first time since the 2012 Wales Rally GB, taking the 39th victory of his personal career and the fifth one on this rally (including one not counting for WRC) with three different manufacturers.
The following months were made of highs and lows, with two wins and less special stage victories than in the past but nine podiums (after Wales Rally GB) that enabled him to score regular points. The second win came in Rally Portugal, where he equaled Markku Alén five victories and reached win number 40 in his career. Thanks to his consistency, he managed to clinch his fifth successive title, celebrating the success at Wales Rally GB,[23] while M-Sport Ford also secured the manufacturers title.
It’s been an incredible [2018] season, so close. Not so long ago we were thinking it was going to be tough to grab this title but we never gave up. We gave everything, with a fantastic team behind us who kept fighting and in the end we grabbed it in the last rally. It’s so emotional.
2018 started very well, but turned out to be a gruelling year for Ogier. He won Monte Carlo to take the lead of the WRC drivers championship, but a lowly 10th position in Sweden opened the door for rival Thierry Neuville; who lead the championship for most of the year. Two more wins followed for Ogier, but a retirement in Portugal meant Neuville took the advantage.
The second half of the season saw mixed conditions, leaving the championship contenders struggling for points, particularly in Turkey.[25] A commanding win for Ogier in Wales finally broke the deadlock, and he began to win back points towards Neuville. Three successive wins for Ott Tänak, and a continued resolve by the Estonian, meant the drivers championship depended on the final result of the season finale in Australia. Ogier remained in good humour, and gained the advantage as rivals went off in muddy conditions, ultimately winning the 2018 WRC Drivers Championship.[26] Ogier and co-driver Ingrassia had successfully defended their championship titles for the sixth consecutive year.
2019
editOn 28 September 2018, it was announced that Ogier and Ingrassia will rejoin the Citroën World Rally Team for the 2019 season. This will mark the return of the six-time world champions to the French manufacturer after seven years.[27] Ogier claimed his sixth consecutive win at Monte Carlo, which also marked the 100th world rally success for Citroën. After an early retirement in Sweden, he won at Mexico and climbed to the podium at the next three rounds.
Although winning in Germany, and gaining second place in Spain, Ogier had been unhappy with his car during the season. On 30 November he told Autosport he planned to leave Citroën for Toyota with a year left on his contract.[28] He blamed mixed results in the latter half of the season on slow development, a lack of performance, and a lack of communication in the team. Citroën responded by immediately withdrawing from the WRC from the date of Ogier's departure.[29]
Toyota Gazoo Racing (2020–)
edit2020
editAmid speculations and statements about his retirement from the sport, Ogier signed for Toyota for the 2020 season, with an option for 2021. The six-time world champion claimed second place at his home town event of Monte Carlo, and claimed the podium four further times during a shortened seven event championship. Contender Elfyn Evans took the lead for most of the season, but skidded on ice at the final event at the Monza race track, with only two stages still to go. Evans waved Ogier's car to slow down at the same corner where his car had floundered off the road. Ogier later remarked that this action saved his car from a similar incident. Ogier and co-driver Ingrassia lifted their seventh world titles at this event. Former teammate Jari-Matti Latvala became Team Principal at Toyota in 2021.[30]
2021
editIn 2021, Ogier picked up an option on his contract, but announced plans to retire at the end of the season. He began the season as the six-time defending winner in Monte Carlo.[31][32] He started off the season with a seventh victory in Monte Carlo, which was also his 50th career victory. Next month, however, he had a poor showing in the snowy stages of the 2021 Arctic Rally Finland, including a crash near the end of stage eight cost him almost 10 minutes.[33] He claimed wins at Croatia, Italy, Kenya and Monza, and finished third at Portugal and Greece, earning his eighth title over teammate Elfyn Evans.
2022
editOgier had announced his intention to retire from the sport at the end of 2021.[34] Later he decided to only contest selected events of the 2022 season.[35] Benjamin Veillas became Ogier's new co-driver as Julien Ingrassia, who's co-drived Ogier since the beginning of his career in 2005, decided to retire.
Rally1 hybrid era started well for Ogier. His first event was the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally. For the whole event, he's been fighting with Sebastien Loeb and his new co-driver, Isabelle Galmiche. He took the lead on SS10 following Loeb's wrong tyre choice, but a puncture on the penultimate stage dropped him to 2nd. Then he competed in 2022 Rally de Portugal but it was a weekend to forget. An early puncture forced him to use the Rally 2 system on the first leg. He later went off the road on SS11, losing over 50 minutes and using Rally 2 again, eventually classifying in 50th place. In 2022 Safari Rally, he was leading but a puncture dropped him from 1st to 6th. He eventually managed to come back to 4th and give Toyota its first ever 1-4 finish. He later competed in 2022 Rally New Zealand and finished 2nd behind freshly crowned champion Kalle Rovanperä.
Sebastien Ogier managed to get back on the top spot in 2022 Rally Catalunya (World Rally Championship), giving Veillas his first win as a co-driver. He later hired a new co-driver, Vincent Landais for 2022 Rally Japan, in which he collected a puncture on the second stage but managed to come back up to 4th.
Sebastien Ogier classified 6th in 2022, with 97 points.
2023
editOgier decided to continue to contest selected events in 2023, with Vincent Landais remaining his co-driver. Ogier's first event was the 2023 Monte Carlo Rally, which he led from start to finish, despite Rovanpera's late push. He won the rally for the ninth time, becoming the most successful driver in the event's history. He later competed in 2023 Rally Mexico, which he also won, leading the rally since stage SS11 after the accident of his main rival Esapekka Lappi.
Statistics
editTitles
edit| Season | Title | Car |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | French 206 Cup winner | Peugeot 206 |
| 2008 | Junior World Rally Champion | Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 2013 | World Rally Championship | Volkswagen Polo R WRC |
| 2014 | World Rally Championship | Volkswagen Polo R WRC |
| 2015 | World Rally Championship | Volkswagen Polo R WRC |
| 2016 | World Rally Championship | Volkswagen Polo R WRC |
| 2017 | World Rally Championship | Ford Fiesta WRC |
| 2018 | World Rally Championship | Ford Fiesta WRC |
| 2020 | World Rally Championship | Toyota Yaris WRC |
| 2021 | World Rally Championship | Toyota Yaris WRC |
Victories
editWRC victories
edit
Number of WRC wins per rally
edit- 9 wins:
- 7 wins:
- 6 wins:
- 5 wins:
- 4 wins:
- 3 wins:
JWRC victories
edit| # | Season | Rally | Country | Co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008 |  22nd Rally Mexico
|
Mexico | Julien Ingrassia
|
Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 2 | 2008 |  26th Rally Jordan
|
Jordan | Julien Ingrassia
|
Citroën C2 S1600 |
| 3 | 2008 |  27th Rally Germany
|
Germany | Julien Ingrassia
|
Citroën C2 S1600 |
IRC Victories
edit| # | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  77è Rallye Monte-Carlo
|
2009 | Julien Ingrassia
|
Peugeot 207 S2000 |
Other victories
edit| # | Season | Rally | Country | Co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010 | 26th Rallye della Lanterna | Italy | Julien Ingrassia
|
Citroën C4 WRC |
| 2 | 2011 | 26th Rallye National Vosgien | France | Julien Ingrassia
|
Citroën DS3 WRC |
World Rally Championship records
edit- Champion with the biggest points gap over his teammate: 128 points on Jari-Matti Latvala in the 2013 World Rally Championship
- Champion with the biggest points gap: 114 points on Thierry Neuville, in the 2013 World Rally Championship (290 pts for Ogier against 176 pts for Neuville)[36]
- Win with the slightest margin: 0.2 seconds on Jari-Matti Latvala at the Rally Jordan, 16 April 2011[37]
- Second place with the slightest margin to winner: 0.2 seconds to Ott Tänak at the Rally Sardegna, 2 June 2024[37]
- Wins at Rallye Monte-Carlo: 9 (1 in the IRC and 8 in the WRC)
- Wins at Rally Mexico: 7
- Wins at Rally Portugal: 6
- Shared record of wins at Wales Rally GB (5) and Rally Italia Sardegna (4).
- Number of manufacturers with whom he has won Rallye Monte-Carlo: 5 (Peugeot in 2009, Volkswagen in 2014, 2015 and 2016, Ford in 2017 and 2018, Citroën in 2019 and Toyota in 2021)
- Stage wins rate in one season: 46.25% (111 wins out of 240 stages)
- Stages as a leader in one season: 62.92% (151 SS as a leader out of 240 stages)
- Points scored in one season: 290 pts in the 2013 World Rally Championship[36]
- Most drivers' championship points overall: 2958 (2008–)[38]
- Power Stage wins: 45[39]
- Power Stage wins in a season: 9 in 2015
- Ratio of Power Stage wins in a season: 69.23% in the 2015 World Championship, with 9 Power Stage wins out of 13 rallies
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit† As Ogier was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.
Complete WRC results
edit* Season still in progress.
Complete J-WRC results
edit| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | JWRC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Equipe de France FFSA | Citroën C2 S1600 | MEX 1 |
JOR 1 |
ITA 5 |
FIN | GER 1 |
ESP Ret |
FRA 2 |
1st | 42 |
WRC summary
edit| Season | Team | Starts | Victories | Podiums | Stage wins | DNF | Points | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Private | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21st |
| 2009 | Citroën Junior Team | 12 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 24 | 8th |
| 2010 | Citroën Junior Team | 10 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 124 | 4th |
| Citroën Total WRT | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 43 | ||
| 2011 | Citroën Total WRT | 13 | 5 | 7 | 56 | 2 | 196 | 3rd |
| 2012 | Volkswagen Motorsport | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 10th |
| 2013 | Volkswagen Motorsport | 13 | 9 | 11 | 110 | 0 | 290 | 1st |
| 2014 | Volkswagen Motorsport | 13 | 8 | 10 | 94 | 1 | 267 | 1st |
| 2015 | Volkswagen Motorsport | 13 | 8 | 10 | 95 | 1 | 263 | 1st |
| 2016 | Volkswagen Motorsport | 13 | 6 | 11 | 72 | 0 | 268 | 1st |
| 2017 | M-Sport | 13 | 2 | 9 | 22 | 1 | 232 | 1st |
| 2018 | M-Sport Ford | 13 | 4 | 6 | 38 | 1 | 219 | 1st |
| 2019 | Citroën Total WRT | 13 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 0 | 217 | 3rd |
| 2020 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 7 | 2 | 5 | 25 | 1 | 122 | 1st |
| 2021 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 12 | 5 | 7 | 43 | 0 | 230 | 1st |
| 2022 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 6 | 1 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 97 | 6th |
| 2023 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 8 | 3 | 4 | 37 | 0 | 133 | 5th |
| 2024 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 10 | 3 | 7 | 52 | 0 | 191* | 4th* |
| Total | 192 | 61 | 105 | 746 | 15 | 2958 | ||
IRC results
edit| Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | BF Goodrich Drivers Team | Peugeot 207 S2000 | MON 1 |
BRA | KEN | POR | BEL | RUS | POR | CZE | ESP | ITA | SCO | 8th | 10 | |
| 2010 | Sébastien Ogier | Peugeot 207 S2000 | MON Ret |
BRA | ARG | CAN | ITA Ret |
BEL | AZO | MAD | CZE | ITA | SCO | CYP | – | 0 |
Porsche Supercup results
edit| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Porsche AG | ESP | MON 13 |
GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | ABU | ABU | NC† | 0† | |
| 2014 | Team Project 1 | ESP | MON | AUT Ret |
GBR | GER | HUN | BEL | ITA | USA | USA | NC† | 0† |
† As Ogier was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Richard Mille Racing Team | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SEB 12 |
SPA 8 |
LMS 6 |
MNZ | FUJ | BHR | 16th | 20 |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Richard Mille Racing Team
|
Charles Milesi Lilou Wadoux
|
Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 366 | 13th | 9th |
Other races
editIn July 2017 he tested a Red Bull Racing RB7 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.[40]
- 2011: Champion of Champions. For his ROC debut, he took the top step of the podium in the finals against Tom Kristensen (8-time winner of the 24 Heures du Mans), winning both heats at the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf. He became the fourth Frenchman to win the title Champion of Champions.[41]
- 2012: He reached the Nations' Cup's finale with Romain Grosjean and the quarter-finals in the individual race.
Other
edit- 29–30 October 2011:
He took part in the last round of the French GT Championship at the Paul Ricard circuit. In these 2 GT Tour races he drove a Ferrari F430 Scuderia of the team Sport Garage, as the teammate of Lionel Comole, President of the Fondation Arthritis and amatorial driver. Ogier also contested the finale round of the F4 French Championship with a single-seater of the Auto Sport Academy (i.e. the car that helped him to improve his late braking in corner entering on asphalt during his summer tests).
- 16 July 2011:
He took part in the Moscow City Racing with Citroën. The Race of Stars (as it was called) was held close to the Kremlin.
- 11 December 2011:
He took the 9th place of the ERDF Master-Kart of Paris-Bercy, against drivers coming from all kind of motorsport series.
- 24–26 May 2013:
He contested the Monaco round of the Porsche Supercup, the series that is traditionally held before the Formula 1 Grand Prix. After a 14th place in qualifying, he ended 13th out of 26 drivers in the race.
- 23–25 May 2014:
He took part in a round of the ADAC GT Masters, on the Lausitzring circuit. He drove an Audi R8 LMS Ultra of the Prosperia C. Abt Racing team, together with Markus Winkelhock. Together, they took the 13th place in Race 1 and the 8th in Race 2.
- 20–22 June 2014:
Ogier took part in a second Porsche Supercup race, this time at the Red Bull Ring. Just like in 2013 at Monaco, he joins the Deutsche Post Project 1 team to drive a Porsche 911 GT3.
- 21-23 September 2018:
After a test in August, he competed in the DTM round at the Red Bull Ring in a Mercedes-AMG C63, finishing 12th in Race 1 and 17th in Race 2.[42]
Personal life
editOgier is married to German television presenter Andrea Kaiser. Their son Tim was born on 13 June 2016.[43] In 2021 he donated $10,000 of his winnings from the 2021 Safari Rally to each of two charities, the Nakuru Children's Project which focuses on children's education in Kenya and the Ol Pejeta Conservancy which protects Kenyan wildlife.[44]
References
edit- ^ "Décret du 13 juillet 2022 portant promotion et nomination à titre exceptionnel dans l'ordre national de la Légion d'honneur" (in French). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "What's it like working with Ogier?". Dirtfish. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "JWRC: Prokop wins in Spain after Ogier's error". Crash.net. Retrieved 11 October 2008.
- ^ Beer, Matt (5 December 2008). "Ogier takes shock lead in icy GB". Autosport. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ Beer, Matt (6 December 2008). "Ogier rolls out in Resolfen". Autosport. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ "Ogier secures Monte Carlo win". Autosport. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ Beer, Matt (15 June 2009). "Ogier: Podium will ease pressure". Autosport. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
- ^ "Citroen promotes Ogier for gravel events". Crash.net. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ Evans, David. "Why it's war between the two Sebs". Autosport. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ^ Elizalde, Pablo (23 November 2011). "Sebastien Ogier joins Volkswagen's WRC team". Autosport. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ "Sébastien Ogier's blog after 2013 Rally Monte-Carlo". www.sebastien-ogier.com.
- ^ "Ogier wins Rally of Portugal". 3 News NZ. 16 April 2013. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ "Only one point missing". www.sebastien-ogier.com.
- ^ "Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia crowned World Rally Champions!". www.sebastien-ogier.com.
- ^ "Ogier and Ingrassia take dream start to the season with Monte-Carlo win". www.sebastien-ogier.com.
- ^ "Sébastien Ogier finishes on the top step of the podium again!". www.sebastien-ogier.com.
- ^ "Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia retain their World titles!". www.sebastien-ogier.com.
- ^ "Sébastien Ogier and Volkswagen Motorsport extend their cooperation". www.sebastien-ogier.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Sébastien Ogier secures a thrilling last-gasp victory!". www.sebastien-ogier.com.
- ^ "A hat-trick for Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia in Mexico!". www.sebastien-ogier.com.
- ^ "Volkswagen pulls out of WRC - wrc.com". www.wrc.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "Ogier joins M-Sport - wrc.com". www.wrc.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "BREAKING NEWS: Ogier seals title - wrc.com". www.wrc.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "Sunday in Australia: Six of the best for Ogier - wrc.com". www.wrc.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "Turkey Debrief: Part Two - wrc.com". www.wrc.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "BREAKING NEWS: Ogier claims sixth title - wrc.com". www.wrc.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ Racing, Citroën (28 September 2018). "@SebOgier & Julien Ingrassia to return to Citroën Racing for 2019!". Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ Evans, David (20 November 2019). "Sebastien Ogier explains decision to leave Citroen World Rally team". Autosport. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ^ Racing, Citroën (30 November 2019). "Citroen leaves World Rally Championship and blames Ogier's exit". Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Latvala named Team Principal of Toyota - wrc.com". www.wrc.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ Gover, Paul (15 January 2021). "Ogier Is First WRC Casualty Of 2021". Race News. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ Thukral, Rachit (20 November 2020). "Ogier delays his WRC retirement plans and will stay at Toyota for 2021". Autosport.com. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ^ "Tänak stretches Arctic Rally lead amid Ogier's despair". www.wrc.com. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
- ^ Craig, Jason (20 January 2021). "Ogier expects his final WRC season to be the most open yet". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ Baldwin, Alan; Lawson, Hugh (7 October 2021). "Lappi to step up in 2022 as Ogier steps back". Reuters. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ a b "juwra.com - Statistics - Timeseries - Closest titles". juwra.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ a b "juwra.com - Statistics - Closest wins". juwra.com. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "juwra.com - Statistics - Driver points scored". juwra.com. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "juwra.com - Statistics - Stage wins". juwra.com. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "Rally champion Ogier tests Red Bull F1 car". racefans.net. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Ogier wins Race of Champions". news24.com. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Ogier completes fighting maiden DTM run with Mercedes at Spielberg". formularapida.net. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Sébastien Ogier papa : Sa femme, Andrea, a mis au monde un petit garçon". www.purepeople.com. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "Safari Rally winner Ogier donates towards education, conservation". citizentv.co.ke/. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
External links
edit
- Official website
- Sébastien Ogier at DriverDB.com
- Sébastien Ogier at Rallye-info.com
- Sébastien Ogier at eWRC-results.com
