Sebastien Ogier says he needs a “reset” after a third consecutive incident cost Toyota valuable points in its bid to defend the World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title.
The eight-time world champion was in the box seat to deliver a fourth victory from his partial campaign at the Central European Rally, having ended Saturday with 18 provisional points after building a 5.2s lead over Hyundai’s Ott Tanak.
However, his rally began to unravel when he overshot a left-hander in Sunday’s first stage, dropping the Frenchman 1.9s behind the 2019 world champion.
That gap was shortened to 1.5s heading into the penultimate run, where Ogier’s rally came to an abrupt halt six hundred metres into a stage where route note crews were unable to traverse beforehand to pass on crucial road information to drivers.
Ogier ran wide into a fast right-hander, clattering the trees and causing terminal damage to his GR Yaris, and was unusually visibly angry in the aftermath of the incident that threw away the 18 points earned on Saturday.
The accident is the third incident in a row for Ogier after crashing on the final stage in Greece, while in Chile he clipped a rock that sent him into retirement on the Saturday.
“It was another example that the gravel crew are doing a crucial job for us. It was the only stage of the weekend where they were not allowed to go through and basically we didn’t have the information of the road evolution,” said Ogier at the scene of the crash.
Sébastien Ogier, Vincent Landais, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: Toyota Racing
“This first long corner under the trees people have been cutting more [than we were] anticipating. The corner was becoming very greasy and at the end I couldn’t turn basically and I understeered and went wide at the exit and hit the trees on the outside.
“I feel angry with myself in the moment and I’m very sorry for the team. I tried my best. It was really my main target to help them achieve the manufacturers’ title.
“I think I was doing a good job so far but unfortunately it is a third weekend in a row that has not gone my way. It is a tough time.”
Reflecting on the incident hours later, Ogier added: “I need a reset for sure. Right now I feel very disappointed for the team as it could have been another strong weekend for us.
“In France, we say ‘never two without three’ and now it is three rallies in a row that we have really tough luck. I’m very happy with the speed obviously but unfortunately, again this was even worse than the last weekends as we didn’t score any points this time. Let’s hope we still have some in Japan.”
Despite the crash, Toyota reduced the deficit to Hyundai to 15 points in the manufacturers’ race thanks to points scored by Elfyn Evans, who finished the rally third overall, while Takamoto Katsuta picked up the maximum 12 Super Sunday points.
Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala admitted that it had been strange to see the mistakes from Ogier, but also believes safety note crews must be allowed to pass through each stage in the future.
“It was looking very good after Saturday and I thought we would be able to catch back on points and take it closer for Japan, but it has unfortunately changed quite rapidly,” Latvala told Motorsport.com.
“It’s strange [to see these errors from Seb] and he has apologised.
“This time, what he told me [is] they didn’t allow the safety crews to go through because of the timetable so there was more mud on this corner and he anticipated higher grip and he lost control of the car.
“With these cars, we should always have the safety crews going on stage. It is a different story with the slower cars but when the speeds are higher the risk levels are higher.
“I think it has hurt him quite hard because he had done a great fight and tried to help the team but when the accidents happen in a row… it starts to affect your confidence and everything it is not easy to handle that kind of thing.”