Could Jari-Matti Latvala really give Sebastien Ogier a contract for the rest of the season? The Grandmaster was silent again: “On a brutal level”

Sebastien Ogier, 39, is still in almost unbeatable form. The victory in Mexico fueled the discussion of whether Toyota could keep him for the rest of the year. The expert believes that the statements are not made up of wind.

Sebastien Ogier reached a historic achievement on Sunday, when the Frenchman took his seventh Rally Mexico victory. Ogier also took the Power Stage and grabbed a full 30 MM points from the gravel in Mexico.

– Ogier’s actions are at an absolutely brutal level. His confidence and speed are at their own level. The results are stunning and there are not many people in the whole world who are capable of such performances, Urheilu’s expert Henri Haapamäki glowed.

Ogier rose to the top of the World Rally Championship. He has two wins from three races in the early season. Ogier’s contract only covers part of the World Cup rallies this season, but Toyota’s team manager Jari-Matti Latvala doesn’t rule out the idea of ​​a full-year contract.

– We’ll see. Of course, you have to remember that Monte and Mexico are his two favorite rallies at the beginning of the season. I know that he would not like to go to Estonia and Finland, Latvala told MTV Urheilu (you will switch to another service).

Latvala admires the performance assurance of 39-year-old Ogier, an eight-time world champion.

– He is still at the top. He no longer has to prove anything to anyone. You can see from Ogier that he enjoys driving his favorite races, Latvala stated according to STT.

At least before the race in Mexico, Ogier assured According to Ilta-Sanom (you will switch to another service) sticking to his plan to drive only seven rallies. It’s just open, which rallies.

– It would be stupid to say something for sure and then change plans. I said at the start of this year that I would run roughly the same number of races as last season, that is seven.

“Hunger can still grow from this”

However, Haapamäki believes that Latvala’s statements are in no way made up of wind.

– Yes, there can be a point in that. At the moment, we are at the top of the World Series, so the hunger can grow even more. Ogier must be thinking that what would be more awesome than if he could once again show that he doesn’t Kalle-son (Rovanperä) caught my eye, commented Haapamäki.

– I believe that Ogier can find a car if the man just wants to drive. Two wins out of three rallies, so there’s not much need for explanations. Ogier can participate in a lot of competitions this year, Haapamäki predicts.

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä finished fourth in Mexico and didn’t even reach the top spots on the Power Stage.

– Maybe the pain started on the first day, when Rovanperä had to drive Ott Tänak too after the turbo problems as the first car. Kalle didn’t quite make it to the top, even though he himself said there were no problems, Haapamäki saw.

However, Haapamäki classified Rovanperä’s performance as a defensive victory.

– In the end, a good result, but a difficult rally. One of the qualities of a top driver is that if you can’t get a top ride, you can drive sensibly. Even now it was a difficult rally, there would have been a chance to fool around in Mexico. Even fourth place was a good result, Haapamäki estimated.

“An accident at work for Lapland”

Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi had a bitter disappointment in Mexico when he crashed out of the top spot on Saturday. On Friday, Lapland’s ride went like a dream and even Ogier was overshadowed by the Finn.

– Esapeka’s speed was a really positive thing. On the basis of this outing, no big conclusions can be drawn. It was a matter of millimetres, how the car started to leave the road. So the situation was not the result of any actual treatment, but an accident at work. This is what happens when you try to win the rally, Haapamäki reminded.

Lapland also drove out in the previous rally in Sweden. However, Haapamäki does not see that Lapland has been put in a difficult position, at least not yet.

– The situation would be more difficult if Esapekka had been driving certain stalls all the time, and the speed just couldn’t be found. Now it can be seen that he is capable of driving top results, but there have only been unfortunate mistakes. I consider it important that Lapland has been able to show its speed, Haapamäki estimates.