A few “donuts” in the wrong place cost Sebastien Ogier dearly after winning Rally Spain – fine also against Dani Sordo
A victory cheer in the wrong place has led to a fine for Rally Spain winner Sebastien Ogier. On his way to the final podium ceremony in Salou, Ogier had celebrated his first win of the 2022 World Rally Championship (WRC) season with a couple of “donuts” – but in a place that was not cleared for them.
The stewards considered this to be a prohibited exhibition driving and imposed a fine of 1,500 euros. It was considered in Ogier’s favour that the Frenchman, according to his own statement, had mistakenly assumed that he was in a zone that was open for such “donuts”.
The reasons given by the stewards for their decision read as follows: “The stewards heard the team manager, Kaj Lindström, at 18:00 on 23 October 2022. He apologised that the driver could not attend the meeting, but he spoke to the driver on the phone to get his explanation. “
“The team manager explained that the driver had seen a car ahead start to enter the podium area and had thought this was an exhibition area prepared for the conduct of donuts. The team manager apologised for this incident. “
“However, the Stewards note that according to Article 34.1.3 of the 2022 FIA WRC Sporting Regulations, ‘showmanship may only be carried out if it is permitted by the rally’s Supplementary Regulations’. This was not the case here, neither in the Supplementary Regulations nor in any bulletin. The driving behaviour, which the stewards consider to be showmanship, constituted an unsafe act in this case.”
Hyundai driver Dani Sordo received a five-second time penalty for using 0.08 kilojoules of hybrid boost on the power stage (special stage 19) without first recuperating enough energy. According to the regulations, the Rally1 cars must first recuperate at least 30 kilojoules of energy in each SS before the extra energy can be called up.
Hyundai had no explanation for this mistake, but the stewards classified it as a minor advantage. The time penalty does not change Sordo’s fifth place overall, but he loses the extra point for fifth place at the power stage. Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta will now receive this point.
