Sebastien Ogier had to cope with a bereavement shortly before the Rally Monte-Carlo, which even made it an option to withdraw from the start – in the end, the Toyota driver is “proud “
Sebastien Ogier had to concede defeat at the 2024 Rally Monte-Carlo after a close duel with Thierry Neuville. The Frenchman thus missed out on his tenth overall victory at the legendary “Monte”, but this was of secondary importance. “It was a rollercoaster of emotions for me,” said the Toyota driver. “I struggled a lot, especially on Friday.” The reason: Ogier had to cope with an unexpected bereavement
“It was hard to say goodbye on Monday to someone who was very important to me, who basically founded my career in motorsport and who bought me my first kart,” recalls Ogier with tears in his eyes. “There is never a right time for something like this, but it came so suddenly.”
“I seriously thought about whether I should take part in this rally or not, and in the end I did it because I have a commitment to my team and I have to remain professional. It was a difficult decision. “
Ogier celebrates 700th stage win of his career
Given the personal challenges that Ogier had to overcome at the start of this year’s World Rally Championship (WRC), the Toyota driver is proud of his performance in the most difficult conditions. “I did my best and it wasn’t the easiest of weeks for me,” recalls the eight-time world rally champion.
“All in all, I think I really tried everything I could to manage my emotions and my work as well as possible,” summarized Ogier. Despite the narrow defeat to Neuville, the Toyota driver is satisfied with his result: second place overall was his 13th podium finish in his 15th participation in the Rally Monte-Carlo.
Ogier celebrated six stage victories, including the 700th stage win of his career. “I’m glad it’s over, and of course I’m very exhausted,” said the 40-year-old after crossing the finish line. “Now it’s time for me to spend time with my family and try to process it all. “
Ogier: “Never gave up the whole weekend “
“I think I can be proud,” said the Frenchman happily. “I never gave up the whole weekend. The beginning of the rally was difficult for many reasons, the starting position and my emotions, and yet we managed to stay in the fight more or less until the end of the rally.”
“It was a strong weekend with a lot of points for the team and I think I can be satisfied,” said Ogier proudly. “Above all, it was a great battle with Thierry. Congratulations to him, he was really fast this weekend.”
