Sébastien Ogier has decided to move away from his comfort zone for the 2022 season. The Frenchman will compete part-time in the WRC to prepare for his endurance debut, being the final objective its participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite the fact that the fundamental ingredients of his sports program are known, the Frenchman has not yet defined in which rallies he will take the controls of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 and how he will face his approach to Le Mans. But nevertheless, there are already some clues of the path that the French project can take.
Parallel to the celebration of the 90th edition of the Monte Carlo Rally, an event in which Ogier was second in the debut of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, Finnish media have revealed Esapekka Lappi’s program. It is worth remembering that the suomi driver will be behind the wheel of Ogier’s car when the Gap driver is not present in the WRC. Information that places Lappi in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 in Sweden, Portugal and Italy, while leaving their participation in Kenya up in the air.
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If this information is confirmed, Sébastien Ogier would compete with Toyota Gazoo Racing in the Croatian Rally, although from France the opposite is pointed out. In fact, in the country of origin of Ogier it is pointed out that Seb will be present at the Rally de Portugal as the next appointment in his partial program in the WRC, since the Portuguese event is among his favorites. Held in May, the Rally de Portugal should not affect your preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which takes place in June.
For the moment, Sébastien Ogier has not clarified what information is true and he has been quite tight-lipped during the Monte Carlo Rally: «We have been discussing a bit with the team, but it is still not entirely clear. Yes I can say that after this rally there will be a good rest for me, as everyone knows I was really looking for that and I haven’t really had a break from the tests leading up to Montefcarlo. The plan continues in four or five rallies. Portugal is always on my mind and there is a special relationship with that rally.. It’s on the potential list, but nothing is certain.”