DONE DEAL!
World champion Ogier agrees to defend his title with m-sport AND BRITON EVANS WILL JOIN HIM
Sebastien Ogier has ended months of speculation with the confirmation that he will defend his World Rally Championship title with M-sport next season, and it’s a deal that may bring additional support from Ford to the team.
The Frenchman’s future was confirmed by the Cumbrian squad yesterday (Tuesday) and he will begin testing the 2018 Ford Fiesta WRC for the Monte Carlo Rally in the middle of next month.
The negotiations with M-sport have taken longer than either party would have liked, but both sides are happy with the outcome and the continuation of what’s been the most successful partnership of the 2017 season.
M-sport team principal Malcolm Wilson told MN: “This news is definitely worth waiting for. I’m over the moon that we’ve got Seb and Julien [Ingrassia, co-driver] with us again next year. The negotiations have taken a while, maybe even longer than last season, but we’ve put everything in order. I’ll be honest, negotiating with Sebastien’s a very straightforward process: he told us what he wanted and we had to find a way to get there.”
Wilson also confirmed Elfyn Evans remains with M-sport, driving a Michelin-shod Ford Fiesta WRC. The second part of the team’s driver announcement will come next month or at the launch of the World Rally Championship at Autosport International in January.
“It’s a real weight off our mind to get Seb and Elfyn all sorted,” Wilson added, “because it means we can now focus all of our attention to the car and the evolutions we’ve got planned for next season. When he came to us at the end of last year, we put those number ones on the doors of our car, but they weren’t really ours – they belonged to Seb and Julien. This time we’ll put the number ones on the door of our car safe in the knowledge that, together, we’ve genuinely earned them.
“We start testing for Monte Carlo next month and the whole company is incredibly motivated by the news that we retain much of our winning team. There’s no doubt in my mind it’s going to be hard to keep both of those titles [Drivers’ and Manufacturers’], but that’s absolutely the aim.
“Seb’s a genuine class act and having him with us raises everybody’s game – we saw that with Elfyn and Ott [Tanak] this year and I have no doubt we’ll see it with Elfyn again next season.”
Wilson added that he expected more success from Evans, who
took his maiden WRC win on Wales Rally GB last month.
“If I were you I’d consider a small wager on Elfyn for next year,” said Wilson. “I genuinely think, the way he’s progressed through this season, he could be in with a shout of next year’s title.
“I still believe Sebastien will go into the season as favourite, but the competition is going to be closer than ever [in 2018].”
Ogier admitted his decision hadn’t been an easy one with the potential for more time with his wife and young son playing on his mind on this occasion.
Ogier told MN: “I couldn’t talk about this officially, but for some time now, it’s been clear in my mind that I want to stay with this team for next year.
“It’s good that it’s now official, it means we can focus on next year to work for the future.
“I have to consider this option [of retirement] when I am thinking about the future. I have my family and it’s really important to me to spend the maximum amount of time with them. But it’s too early for me to retire, I still have time to do good things in the sport.
“It also means I can share the next step with M-sport. We made a great start this year and it was very special to win the title as the underdog, that really gave us all a special feeling to do it this way.”
Ogier paid tribute to Wilson’s efforts in keeping him, adding: “There was a lot talked about and a lot written about my decision and where I would go, I know some of this was about money, but I can tell you the choice was not made only on the money. I talked to the other teams and I had to be really convinced, not only on the money side; money can’t buy a great boss and nobody has given me the sort of feeling that Malcolm has. I really feel that Malcolm fights so hard to keep me in the team, I enjoy working with him and the team so much – there’s a lot of good feeling for this.”
Ogier’s agreement is a one-year extension to his current contract and, MN understands, it was increased involvement from Ford that helped convince him of the Fiesta WRC’S continued competitiveness through next season. Precise details of Ford’s involvement in the programme remained sketchy when MN went to press, with no comment on whether this meant a full-scale return for the Blue Oval, which departed the world championship officially at the end of 2012.
Ford is understood to be upscaling its technical commitment and funding for ongoing testing and development. Those were Ogier’s precise requirements for remaining with M-sport next season.
Asked about the developments coming on the Fiesta in 2018, Wilson added: “We’ve got work planned across the car. We’re kidding ourselves if we think we can make big gains in any one area, the way the regulations are written, that’s just not possible for any of the teams. But we will be using our homologation jokers and we will be evolving all aspects including the engine, aero package, suspension and weight distribution.”
After running on DMACK tyres last year, the 2018 season will herald Evans’ return to the main M-sport team for the first time since 2015.
“As you can imagine, I’m really pleased,” said Evans. “I can’t speak highly enough of what the team has done in the last year and I definitely learned a lot from Seb, so I’m definitely looking forward to working with everyone again.
“I’m also ready to take the next step. We’ve got that first victory under our belts now and good experience of most of the events. I can’t wait to get the season going!” ● Following his test in France next month, Ogier will host a fans’ day in Gap, offering his supporters the opportunity to come and meet him and catch a glimpse of the car he used to win this year’s title.