LUXE INSPIRATION

Brabus 700 Widestar

Sébastien Ogier flew the French flag high and gave his all in Australia, securing a sixth world crown in the World Rally Championship before the rally had even ended, and Richard Mille joins his entire team in celebrating this well-deserved title.

While Sébastien was far from clinching a sixth consecutive world title just four races from the end of the season, the driver, known for his iron will, never gave up. Driven by an incredible determination, he turned things around to perfection in the 13th and final round of the World Rally Championship.

In the action leading up to the title, Belgian driver Thierry Neuville gambled and engaged in a dangerous chase on Friday afternoon, following up with aggressive tactics on Saturday and Sunday before hitting a tree and losing a wheel in the first stage of the last loop. To avoid being retired like the other title contender, Estonian driver Ott Tänak, Sébastien preferred to play things safe with a fifth place that guaranteed him a sixth world title. The Frenchman’s performance this year is even more remarkable than it was in 2017, given that the resources committed by his team, M-sport, were limited relative to his opponents teams, Citroën, Hyundai and Toyota.

With this win, Ogier becomes the second most successful driver in the history of the WRC and French motorsport, behind the nine WRC titles of his compatriot, also a Richard Mille partner, Sébastien Loeb, who himself has consecutive titles from 2004 through 2012. These figures confirm a longstanding French hegemony in this discipline, as the two men have, between them, kept the the world title since 2004.

Sébastien Ogier will return next year as a works driver for Citroën, the eighttime WRC constructor’s champion, with the goal of winning the WRC Drivers Championship with a third manufacturer.

The watch Sébastien Ogier wears is the Richard Mille RM 67-02 Sébastien Ogier edition, personalised by Richard Mille in the colours of his national flag. Thin and light, the Richard Mille RM 67-02 was designed with versatility and adaptability in mind. In particular, because of the in-house development of an automatic calibre able to handle any situation and stress, the watch was successfully adapted to various sporting disciplines.

Crafted in exceptional shock resistant Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT, the RM 67-02 is characterized by four extensions within the case, which, in addition to being a hallmark, contribute to reinforcing its structure. At 7.8mm slim, and 32 grams light, this is the lightest automatic watch in the Richard Mille collection. With a 50 hour power reserve, the RM 67-02 is equipped with a highly elastic strap for absolute comfort.