Ogier
About Sébastien Ogier
One of the most decorated drivers in WRC history, Sébastien Ogier’s journey to the top began later than most.
Unlike many of his rivals, he only started rallying at 23, but it didn’t take long for him to make his mark. Two years in, he won the Junior WRC title in 2008, earning a shot in a Citroën C4 WRC at Rally GB. His impact was immediate - winning the opening stage on his WRC debut.
Citroën took note, offering Ogier a full season in their junior team for 2009. He repaid their faith with a maiden podium at Acropolis Rally Greece and continued his momentum into 2010, where a stunning victory at Rally Portugal saw him promoted to the main squad. He secured another win in Japan and quickly established himself as a rising force.
In 2011, Ogier went head-to-head with team-mate Sébastien Loeb, matching the WRC legend with five wins. But crashes in Portugal, Australia, and Wales derailed his title bid, leaving him third in the standings. When Volkswagen announced its WRC entry for 2013, Ogier was snapped up early, spending 2012 competing in a Škoda Fabia S2000 to stay sharp. Few could have predicted just how dominant he would become.
When Volkswagen’s Polo R WRC hit the stages in 2013, Ogier made it his own. A second-place finish at Monte-Carlo set the tone before he won in Sweden, Mexico, and Portugal. Six more victories followed, securing him his first WRC title with nine wins that season.
Over the next three years, Ogier was unstoppable. He racked up three more consecutive championships in 2014, 2015, and 2016, cementing himself as one of the sport’s all-time greats. But as Volkswagen abruptly withdrew from WRC at the end of 2016, Ogier was forced to find a new home.
In a shock move, he joined the independent M-Sport Ford squad for 2017. He made an immediate impact, winning Rallye Monte-Carlo on debut and adding another victory in Portugal. A consistent campaign saw him fend off Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak to secure a fifth consecutive title, delivering M-Sport its first manufacturers’ crown in a decade. He repeated the feat in 2018, claiming another Monte-Carlo win before adding victories in Mexico, Corsica, and Wales.
A return to Citroën in 2019 proved frustrating, as Ogier struggled to extract the best from the C3 WRC. He lost the title for the first time in six years as Ott Tänak ended his reign. With Citroën’s abrupt withdrawal, Ogier moved to Toyota for 2020—and it proved to be the perfect match.
Ogier edged out new team-mate Elfyn Evans in a thrilling finale at Monza to secure his seventh title in 2020, before successfully defending his crown in 2021, bringing him just one shy of Loeb’s all-time record.
As WRC ushered in its hybrid era in 2022, Ogier opted for a part-time role with Toyota, having spent over a decade at the sport’s sharp end. Despite a reduced schedule, his contributions proved invaluable in Toyota’s manufacturers’ title success.
In 2024, with Thierry Neuville leading the championship, Ogier made the bold decision to contest the season’s second half in a bid to equal Loeb’s nine-title record. But costly mistakes in Greece, Chile, and Central Europe saw his challenge fade, ultimately finishing fourth in the standings.
An eight-time world champion and one of rallying’s greatest ever, Ogier remains lightning-fast as a part-time Toyota Gazoo Racing driver in 2025. He also holds the record for the most wins at Rallye Monte-Carlo and Vodafone Rally de Portugal, further cementing his legacy as one of WRC’s all-time icons.
