With two wins from four starts, and a greater contribution to Toyota’s manufacturers’ points than his full-time team-mates, Sébastien Ogier is carrying a larger load for his team this year than he might have expected. But the eight-time champion is more than happy to help.
When Ogier retired from full-time competition at the end of 2021, the plan was clear: do the rallies he enjoys and potentially add to his already incredible tally of wins. His days of being the driving force behind a team were over. Or so we thought.
Full-timers Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta have not been firing on all cylinders so far this season but, despite this, Toyota is just 13 points behind Hyundai in the manufacturers’ standings. With wins in Croatia and Portugal, along with second place in Monte Carlo, much of the credit for that belongs to part-timer Ogier.
When asked after Rally Italy Sardinia how he felt about carrying so much responsibility for the team’s performance, Ogier said: “Well, I must feel good about it, because it means aging isn’t really affecting me too much yet, so I can still be an asset for my team, and that’s good.”
The Frenchman clearly still relishes being part of the Toyota success story.
A narrow defeat in Sardinia followed back-to-back wins in Croatia and Portugal for the eight-time champion
“I guess that’s also the reason I’m still here, you know?” he continued. “I enjoy that. I enjoy to be part of this team still and make these races. So, yeah, I will carry on doing my best and helping them reach the target.”
Ogier sits fourth in the drivers’ standings despite not entering Rally Sweden or Safari Rally Kenya. He is just 12 points behind Evans and 40 ahead of sixth-placed Katsuta.
That may be further evidence of how significant his contribution has been, but the Toyota driver doesn’t believe it’s a burden that will continue to rest predominantly on his shoulders.
Ogier recognized Evans’ struggles in Sardinia, particularly given his challenging road position, but he believes that there is still plenty of time for his team-mate to get back into the fight.
He said: “You know, it’s far from over. He’s catching some points back in the championship this weekend and actually the top of the championship is getting closer, so it’s not even half-season yet.”
