Part-time Ogier missing out on WRC battle of the ages — will he regret it?

Sébastien Ogier's record-breaking Monte Carlo Rally win shows that he still has the speed to fight for WRC titles. And what a sight it would be to watch him take on a new generation, writes Damien Smith

Toyota of Sebastian Ogier leaps over a jump past a house in the 2023 Monte Carlo Rally

On his way to victory: Ogier in the Monte Carlo Rally

Red Bull

Someone twist Sébastien Ogier’s arm until he squeals and makes a U-turn! The now record nine-time Monte Carlo Rally winner has only committed to a part-season in the World Rally Championship, just as he did last year and — as he demonstrated so beautifully last weekend — that decision is to the detriment of the series, not to mention our enjoyment of it.

Ogier was once again the master of Monte Carlo as the WRC kicked off its 2023 season. The Frenchman moved beyond the record he shared with Sébastien Loeb (as of this time last year) with a consummate performance to stand alone on the most famous rally of them all. He led all the way in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 and saw off the challenge of his team-mate Kalle Rovanperä, the young world champion never truly getting within reach to put this result in much doubt. No late punctures this time for Ogier, following the trouble that handed Loeb his amazing eighth win last year. This time all was serene.

At the end of the first day, Ogier led by more than 30 seconds, before Rovanperä responded on Saturday to slash the gap back to 16sec. But the winning margin on Sunday was still 18.8sec, as Rovanperä claimed the five bonus points for winning the Power Stage finale to take what is effectively the championship lead, once part-time Ogier is discounted.

Sebastien Ogier holds nine fingers up while holding trophy for his ninth monte Carlo Rally WRC win

A record nine wins: Ogier victory takes him beyond Loeb’s tally

Red Bull

What a shame they are not going toe to toe on every round this season. It could be the defining rivalry of the decade: the old master, at 39, taking on a 22-year-old phenomenon, in equal cars. All that really separates them is those 17 years… rally to rally, the battle would likely swing back and forth between them, depending on the location and surface. Who would prevail in a season-long points battle? Who knows? Sadly, only an about-turn from Ogier would give us an answer. But at this stage he appears adamant not to even attempt to go for a ninth crown to add to his amazing tally and equal that of old foe Loeb.

So is Ogier the GOAT – Greatest of All Time – of the special stages? You can go around the houses on that one. It’s always subjective, as far as I’m concerned. But a stat that struck home in the wake of his latest Monte win is that the magic nine has been achieved across three decades, for five different manufacturers. That’s special, especially as Loeb racked up all his wondrous achievements in Citroëns alone – except for the last one, of course. His Monte win last year was his 80th WRC rally win, and the first in something other than one of the French cars, coming as it did in M-Sport’s Ford Puma.

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Ogier took a lot of joy from his win on Sunday, so rallying clearly still means a great deal to him. He also acknowledged how special the victory was for his new co-driver Vincent Landais. “It’s huge,” he said with a smile. “I love this rally. It’s the one which gave me the dream right at the beginning and I am so happy for Vincent. For me it’s nice, but for him it’s a dream to take his first win.

“We still need to enjoy these moments and that’s why we are still here [in the WRC], to catch some victories like this. To win a famous one like Monte has no price.”

OK, hang on. Let’s look at his approach from another direction. For all we’re clearly missing out on, perhaps it’s refreshing that Ogier is no longer motivated by notching up world titles, that all he wants to do is win rallies and savour the purity of that feeling. It’s a throwback to past greats, isn’t it? I’m thinking primarily of Walter Röhrl, a two-time world champion who turned his back on winning a third because he claimed it would do little for him.

Röhrl won the Monte four times in quick succession: in rear-driven Fiat 131 Abarth and Opel Ascona in his title years of 1980 and ’82 respectively, then famously for Lancia in the glorious 037 in ’83 – the year he stubbornly chose to only compete six times, leaving the way clear for Audi’s Hannu Mikkola to claim the crown. He then sensationally switched to old enemy Audi for ’84 and promptly scored perhaps his greatest victory.

Toyota of Sebastien Ogier sideways in the 2023 Monte Carlo Rally

Ogier sideways on this year’s rally

Red Bull

I asked Röhrl about his odd attitude to success when I interviewed him for Motor Sport back in 2010. It was a proper pinch-me moment to listen to him as he recounted how the obtuse reticence had kicked in as early as the aftermath of his first WRC title. “I wanted to show that I was the best and then stop,” he said. “After 1980 [co-driver] Christian [Geistdörfer] said to me ‘you must be crazy to stop now, we are world champions. For the first time we can earn money!’ I told him ‘I don’t do it for money, I do it just for me. I only want to know for myself if I’m good, and out in the forest at night it’s the right place for me’.

“World Championships didn’t mean much to me,” he insisted. “In 1983 I was lying second in the world championship by three points, from six rallies. Everybody said you must do one rally more. But I said no, I don’t want to be champion. It doesn’t give me anything.”

Röhrl did admit he was “strange” – I agree, but wonderfully so! And he also professed to some regret for that decision. Not much, but some.

Twenty-odd years from now, I wonder if Ogier might have some regret too, for not taking on Rovanperä over a full season, just to find out how it would work out. He clearly has nothing to prove given the astonishing career he’s had on the stages. But isn’t he just a little bit curious, especially as Rovanperä is obviously his successor?

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C’mon Sébastien, have a change of heart, before it’s too late.

As it is, we’re probably relying on Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Toyota’s Elfyn Evans to step up and take on Rovanperä this year. Neuville claimed a decent podium third on Sunday, but has previously fallen just short of stringing together enough top performances across a season to win a title. Might it be different this time?

As for Evans, twice a runner-up to Ogier, he’s coming off the back of a relatively disappointing 2022 when expectations were so high. He was out of luck yet again on the Monte last weekend, a puncture on Friday scuppering his attack and probably robbing him of the podium place that fell instead to Neuville. Both know how to win rallies in style and on their own terms. We know that because we’ve seen them do it. For the sake of the championship as well as their own ambitions, let’s hope they step up.

And what of Ott Tänak? Well firstly, thank goodness the 2019 champion was on the Monte at all following his disaffection with Hyundai last term. The newly minted deal with M-Sport has given him an exciting opportunity to make the Puma a regular winner, but perhaps inevitably he was cautious first time out, on a rally that has bitten him in the recent past. A safe fifth was fine, and second place on the Power Stage – just half a second off Rovanperä – at least bodes well that pure speed is there in the new combination. A world title tilt might be unrealistic this year. Then again, football fans would have said as much about Arsenal. As he showed last year, Tänak has another title in him – he just needs M-Sport to provide him with the goods to make it happen.

Sweden’s next, on February 9-12. There’s so much more to look forward to.

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