Sebastien Ogier has revealed that a puncture contributed to his final stage roll at the Acropolis Rally that has “put ourselves in a bad position” in the World Rally Championship title battle.
The eight-time world champion appeared on course to finish second behind eventual winner and title rival Thierry Neuville before crashing out on the rally-ending Power Stage that halted any hopes of claiming Super Sunday points.
Ogier managed to repair damaged suspension incurred to his GR Yaris in the accident and was able to eventually nurse the car home to claim 13 points after ending Saturday sitting in third position.
When asked to explain what happened on the final stage, he said: “There were rocks everywhere in this one, and I knew it and this one I hit is a place where you have to go in the cut which is full of rocks and it is matter of centimetres if you hit the right one or not.
“The time that I realised I had a puncture at the next braking I didn’t anticipate it enough and it is quite a high speed section per a crest. I couldn’t brake and I understeered and I ended up rolling.
“Luckily I managed to fix the car because it was not looking so good and one wheel was nearly off and I was not confident I could fix it. But it worked so I could recover what I could for the team.
“At the end I have no problem to take the responsibility of this crash after the puncture and not being able to react quickly enough and stop and change this puncture.”
Sébastien Ogier, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Ogier had led the rally heading into stage five when a turbo failure cost him more than two-and-a-half minutes, ending his victory hopes. The part-time driver, who wasn’t expected to fight for the title, was Neuville’s nearest rival in the championship [27 points adrift], but now finds himself 38 points in arrears.
“It [the title hopes] wasn’t looking really good before now and it is not going in the right direction that is for sure,” he said.
“That is not a big deal for me, it was something that popped up and I said ‘let’s see what happens this weekend’, which would be a weekend where the luck factor would play a big role.”
He added: “Obviously the last two events have been hard on the team, especially on Sunday, which these days is crucial, which means we lost ground and put ourselves in a bad position for the championship.”
Ogier fined €30,000 for stage end comments
Following the conclusion of the rally, the stewards have issued Ogier with a €30,000 fine suspended for two years for comments made on television at the end of Friday’s opening test.
Ogier was frustrated by hanging dust due still around in the three minute gaps between the Rally1 cars. The Toyota driver was not the only competitor to complain about the matter and from the next stage four minutes gaps were introduced by the event organisers.
“It is annoying to see that the sport never learns. We ask, we know that we are going to have dust. There is hanging dust. Oh, they say no. What do you have in your head? Nothing. It’s crazy,” said Ogier at the end of stage one.
Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
The stewards report states that Ogier explained the comments in the “heat of the moment because [it] was related to a safety issue” and that he apologised for his choice of words that were not “addressed to anyone specifically”.
“Mr Kaj Lindstrom [Toyota sporting director] asked the Stewards to take in consideration that Mr. Ogier made another statement on Rally.tv at the end of SS2, thanking for increasing the gap between P1 competing cars from SS2,” the stewards report stated.
“Furthermore, he added that he had asked, before the start of the rally and through the main Officials, for the possibility to have a four-minute gap instead of three.
“The Stewards considered that Mr. Ogier’s statement, even if it was not addressed to anyone in particular, is directly prejudicial to the FIA and its officials, as well as the local officials and hundreds of volunteers who are working on the rally, all in the interest of safety of spectators, competitors and officials.
“Motorsport events are organised with a very well-known structure to support teams and drivers. The way how to address their requests or issues or claims is well defined by clear procedures.
“Even if Mr. Ogier made a statement related to a safety issue, this cannot be taken into consideration as a mitigating circumstance.
“All people are free to express their thoughts, but they must always be careful not to incur in general offences or deeds contrary to the interest of the sport. All statements made through live TV and/or social media in general, are shown to millions of spectators around the world.”