Sebastien Ogier, the reigning world rally champion, will spend a night in hospital as a precaution after crashing his Toyota Yaris during the Rally of Finland, but said he and his co-driver are uninjured.
Ogier said on social media that he and co-driver Julien Ingrassia went off road on special stage 17 and that both went to hospital for checks following the heavy impact. He said both were feeling well, which he described as the most important thing.
The French driver said the retirement was especially frustrating given how well the weekend had been going. He had been leading the rally by more than 20 seconds over Finnish driver Sami Pajari, also in a Toyota Yaris, at the time of the crash.
Ogier, a nine-time world champion, said the priority after the severity of the impact was confirming that neither occupant had suffered serious consequences. He credited the team for building a car strong enough to protect them, offering particular thanks to Toyota for the car’s resilience.
He also thanked Ingrassia for his immediate response after the crash, saying his co-driver cared for him and contacted his family to reassure them he was unharmed.
Ogier said the pair planned to rest and would return to competition in full shape soon, without giving a specific timeline. He closed his message by wishing his remaining Toyota teammates well and urging them to bring home the victory.
The Rally of Finland is the tenth round of the season. The event concludes on Sunday.
