Ogier 2nd in mourning: “My uncle taught me motorsport”

2nd despite everything

The goal of the tenth victory in Monte Carlo Rally he was not reached by the eight-time world champion Sèbastien Ogier, although the Frenchman from Toyota can still consider himself proud of the 2nd place obtained at the end of a weekend that was not easy for him, both from a sporting and human point of view. The 40-year-old had to deal with the extraordinary state of form of Thierry Neuvillewho won the round by finishing at the top of all three rankings included in the new scoring system (which was also highly criticized by Ogier himself).

The most complex stages

Furthermore, great difficulties have been added to this from one point of view emotional: at the end of SS5, the Frenchman let off steam in tears that no one, at the time, was able to understand. He provided the explanation himself after the Power Stage: “On Monday I had to say goodbye to a very important person for me, who practically introduced me to motorsport“, he declared, alluding to the passing of his uncle Alain Vallon, who died at the age of 61. Subsequently, to the microphones of Canal+Ogier also admitted that he had questioned his participation in the rally: “I hesitated a lotbut I wanted to respect my commitments and remain professional – he added – my wife told me it was strange to see me like this, because I usually manage my emotions pretty well. But this time it was really hard“.

Pride remains

Despite these serious difficulties, Ogier still finished on the podium, complimenting his rival after a long battle: “I think I can be proud of my weekendI did everything I could – he continued – The start of the event wasn't easy for many reasons, so I'm happy that we managed to stay in the fight the whole time, and I think it was a super exciting battle for all the fans who followed. In the end, Thierry was faster this weekend and he deserved the victory. However, I managed to bring important points to the team. It's also my 15th Rallye Monte-Carlo and 13th time on the podium, so I can be proud of my record in such a challenging rally“.