The mere suggestion that Sébastien Ogier would have said such a thing would have been laughable. Until he said it.
You don’t win a third of the World Rally Championship events you’ve started without being the ultimate competitor. For clarity, that’s 61 victories from 188 starts. What about second places? Who cares? Certainly not the eight-time world champion.
Or so we thought. Sunday night in Jyväskylä and there was something different about him. Anybody who thought the immediate subdued response to a second Secto Rally Finland win would change by the time Ogier reached the city and the waiting media, was wrong.
He felt his team-mate Kalle Rovanperä’s pain after the rally leader hit an unavoidable rock and crashed out on the penultimate stage. He’d respected the 23-year-old throughout the event, admitting fighting with him was not part of his plan. He couldn’t. For the second rally in succession, finishing runner-up was the best he could hope for.
Ogier is a ruthless winner, but he would have been satisfied with second in Finland
Even with all of that considered, still, Ogier’s words stopped you in your tracks.
What did he say? Try this: “I would honestly have preferred to finish second.
“The team provided an amazing car and dominated all weekend. Kalle and Jonne were in a different league than the rest and were very unlucky with this rock on the line. I feel for my team as we deserved a much better result.
“I lost a win in Sardinia earlier this season through luck and I have now gained one back here. I have been around long enough to experience many outcomes and emotions and I’ve been lucky to be on the right side of that equation most of the time – but not today. Motorsport is unfair sometimes.”
His win was very much appreciated elsewhere in the team, with Toyota Gazoo Racing chairman Akio Toyoda quick to thank Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais.
Toyoda said: “Séb, Vincent, congratulations for the victory. Throughout this season, whenever they have participated in a rally, they have always come back with a win or a second-place finish. The team has truly relied on their consistency and I really appreciate it.”
Before we go, that number of second places, if you’re interested, is 26. And he’s taken the podium’s bottom step 17 times. That’s 104 podiums from 188 starts.
