Sebastien Ogier “back in the game” for 10th WRC title bid after perfect Acropolis Rally

Sebastien Ogier says a “perfect” Acropolis Rally Greece weekend has brought him “back in the game” for an unprecedented 10th World Rally Championship title.

The reigning world champion claimed a maximum 35 points after coming through a tense fight with Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville in rough gravel conditions that verged on the extreme.

Ogier started the weekend sitting 61 points behind championship leader and Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans but a 69th career WRC win has reduced the deficit to 33 points.

The 42-year-old, contesting a part-time campaign, has never ruled out the prospect of 10th world championship bid, but after taking victory in Greece it is clear Ogier is fully focused on challenging for a record-breaking title.

“It was a perfect weekend in the end and it was exactly what we needed for our championship to bring us back in the game,” Ogier told Motorsport.com. «We are still many points behind so we still need to perform much more than that. 

“Arriving here I knew it was a turning point of the season, when I knew I needed to outscore Elfyn [Evans] and in my head I was targeting a minimum of 10 points that we needed to catch to slowly get back. Catching 28 points at the end of the day is perfect. I was not expecting that much and it is a really positive move.  

“It was a rally where many things could happen with this roughness and the luck needed to change a bit from the first half of the season. 

“I knew if it was not going our way this weekend it would probably have been the end of the hope to fight for a championship, so the pressure was high. 

“We tried our best. I think we had a good strategy the whole weekend to try and stay out of trouble and everyone is trying that. But obviously here more than another event it was very difficult to manage with the roughness, so I’m glad the Greek gods were with me this time.”

Ogier admitted after equalling the great Sebastien Loeb by winning a ninth crown last year that he would contest 10 rounds in 2026. The Frenchman has six starts already under his belt this season and will be in action in Estonia next month, which would theoretically leave three more rounds. 

However, in 2024 and 2025 he contested more rounds than originally expected from his part-time campaign. 

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— The Motorsport.com Team