Sébastien Ogier has conceded defeat in his quest for a record-equalling ninth World Rally Championship drivers’ title, admitting that his retirement from Rally Chile has effectively ended his hopes of catching points leader Thierry Neuville.
Running wide on stage three of the rally and clattering a bank forced Ogier to stop and change a de-beaded wheel, costing him 1m45s and dropping him down to 15th place.
Though Ogier had already recovered to ninth place, aided by two stage wins on Friday afternoon, clipping a rock on Saturday morning then broke the suspension on his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, sending him into a bank and forcing him to retire.
If Neuville finishes Saturday in fourth position, the placing he currently occupies in the overall classification, his gap over Ogier would grow to 48 points, with only 60 available to score across the final two rallies.
Ogier has now accepted that his Saturday retirement, coupled with turbo problems in Greece that cost him a shot at victory on the previous round, have curtailed any hopes of a ninth world title.
“Yeah, it looks like it for sure,” he said.
“At least on this side I’m not really disappointed because it just became a target two rallies ago and it wasn’t really one [beforehand].”
“Many people have told me I would not have done a favour to the championship if I won it not competing all the season. So in that way it is positive. But at the end of the day, I’m a competitor. As long as the opportunity came up I tried to fight for it.
“I’m pleased with the speed I had on the last two rallies, I did everything that I could. But let’s say, on the team side in Greece with the turbo issue and here on my side, we have both done some mistakes which were too costly.”
Ogier is expected to return for the final day’s action, with the possibility of adding Sunday classification and powerstage points to Toyota’s manufacturers’ championship account.
Though he admitted that title was also an unlikely outcome, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä running first and second at the rally’s halfway point is at least keeping Toyota’s slim title hopes alive.
“Unfortunately in the manufacturers’ championship we are not in a great position but at the moment my teammates are doing well this weekend,” added Ogier.
“I really cross my fingers they can carry on like this and it would be nice to keep it alive as long as we can. I will do my best to bring some more good points to the team.”
