Sebastien Ogier was clearly made to work for his fifth consecutive WRC title, and one hopes he doesn’t call it quits just yet.
You can dismiss Sebastien Ogier’s fifth consecutive FIA World Rally Championship title win as a foregone conclusion if you switched off from the WRC on account of his dominance with Volkswagen. However, it really was a tough fight despite the 24-point winning margin the Frenchman had over Belgium’s Thierry Neuville.
With Volkswagen gone and Ogier battling Hyundai, Toyota and Citroen’s best efforts with M-Sport Ford, a closer battle was expected and we did get it at many points in the season. In fact, it could be said that had it not been for his consistency – rather than outright pace – the title could well have gone to Hyundai’s Neuville.
Ogier finished 12 of the season’s 13 rallies and was never classified outside the top five. His two wins and nine podium finishes were enough in a year when he didn’t win the most number of rallies. That honour went to Neuville who finished the season with a win in Wales Rally GB, his fourth victory of the year. And while Neuville had just one podium finish less than Ogier for the season, he recorded three non-points scoring finishes as well as a non-finish.
The bespectacled Belgian will look back to the opening rally of the season in Monte Carlo where a driving error led to a crash, resulting in heavy damage to his i20 WRC’s rear-left suspension. Neuville could only recover to 15th place. He was on course for a win when it happened, so factor in the 25 points he would have scored, plus power stage points and the seven fewer points Ogier would have scored and you would be looking at a WRC drivers’ title for Neuville.
Of course, motorsport is littered with what-ifs and what-could-have-been tales. So ultimately the credit has to go to Ogier. The Frenchman didn’t just have to fend off Neuville, but at one point his own teammate. The very rapid Estonian Ott Tanak has come into his own as a WRC star and his two wins and seven podium finishes had him looking like a genuine contender as the season headed to its final three rallies.
But the points gap and Ogier’s consistency kept his hands off the title as the Frenchman joined an elite club of two WRC drivers. Only he and the rallying’s former dominant force Sebastien Loeb have won five or more drivers’ championships. Loeb, of course, is miles ahead of anyone with nine (yes, nine, that too in succession) titles and 76 wins from the 169 rallies he contested in. At the age of 34, Ogier is unlikely to match that record but his 40 wins from 123 rallies still puts him well clear of anyone else other than Loeb. His fifth title sees him break away from Flying Finns Tommi Makkinen and Juha Kankunnen, who have four titles apiece.
Without belittling his accomplishments, however, it can be said that this was the first time that Ogier was truly made to work for a title win. He didn’t have the vast car superiority over drivers from different teams that he did when Volkswagen were conquering the WRC. Neither did he ever have a teammate as hungry and fast as Tanak before. Having conquered the rallying world like this yet again makes one wonder if he will remain in the WRC for much longer.
If his and Ford’s rivals can run them this close again, then I am sure fans will wish he does.
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