Ogier says goodbye to his “hardest” competitor

Sébastien Ogier wasn’t having it. He wasn’t prepared to stand by and watch his friend suffer.

Putting the hood of his coat on his head, he strode through the rain and across the field looking like a schoolyard superhero with his jacket flowing behind him.

Superhero was about right.

Moments earlier, Ott Tänak had stepped out of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC and slammed the door. He was done with Rally Poland. The inconsolable Estonian sought solace from his wife Janika. Such was Tänak’s frustration and vexation he didn’t notice the rain.

He wanted to be elsewhere in the world. Anywhere but that field at the finish of the World Rally Championship he’d seemingly held in the palm of his hand. We all know the story: an 18-second lead with two stages to run, then a DMACK is knocked off the rim and the race is run. The chapter closed. The record states, Ott Tänak and Raigo Mōlder finished second behind Andreas Mikkelsen’s Volkswagen.

Ironically, Mikołajki nine and a half years ago was, at the time, Tänak’s best result. There would be no celebrating.

Until Ogier arrived. The Frenchman caught up with the Tänaks. What did he say? Nothing to do with us. They hugged together and slowly heads rose, lifting chins from the floor. The shift in mood at the finish was quite remarkable. Watching from a respectful distance, a silenced crowd began to clap. Ogier looked at his friend and rival, crouched down and lifted him high into the air.

His coat fell to the ground, but Sébastien couldn’t have cared less as he settled Ott on his shoulder. The crowd responded and emotion charged the atmosphere. Nobody noticed the rain.

One moment in time.

Already close, Ogier and Tänak grew ever closer as they shared the M-Sport team through 2017. There might only be four years between them, but by the time Sébastien landed at Dovenby Hall he had already stood on top of the world for four years. He had a huge amount of knowledge, experience and understanding to share.

Tänak benefited from that. It’s little surprise that 2017 was a breakthrough year for him. He came out of his season with Ogier a different driver. He was ready to be a world champion. And soon would be.

Ogier was never going to give up his crown easily, but when it was lifted from his head and passed to Tänak, it was done without a hint of bitterness, not a trace of resentment. He helped grow a worthy rival, a true adversary.

From then on, the pair have shared plenty of moments, podiums and private jets. They’ve become the best of pals. But when the moment came to say goodbye, there simply wasn’t that moment. The end of the season got busy with the logistical complications accompanying the communication of a ninth world title. While we’d gone through the motions of asking Ogier for a response to Tänak’s decision to walk away from the WRC after Saudi, there wasn’t a second spare for the fuller, more emotive reflection we really wanted at the end of the road as the sun set on Jeddah on the season’s final Saturday.

Ogier, clearly, felt the same.

On Monday, he set that particular record straight.

He said: “Before the end of 2025, I felt the need to share a few words about a piece of news I didn’t comment on when it first came out, but one that truly touched me.

“As you all know, Ott Tänak won’t be competing in the WRC next year, and I think we can all agree that this is a real loss for our sport.

“On a personal level, I will truly miss him. As a competitor, he was probably the one who pushed me the hardest, who forced me to dig deeper and go closer to my limits than anyone else throughout my career. But even more than that, I will miss him as a friend.

“Ott, you are a great family man, someone I truly respect. I hope you enjoy every moment with your loved ones and embrace this new chapter with the same strength and honesty you’ve always shown. Life has a way of surprising us, and who knows what paths may still cross again.

“Maybe this is goodbye. Or maybe it’s simply see you later!”

Enough said.

Superheroes both.