Paris (AFP)
France's Sebastien Ogier, six-time world rally champion (WRC) from 2013 to 2018, has decided to leave the end of the season Citroen who will not participate in the 2020 World Championship, announced Wednesday the French brand.
"Following the decision of Sébastien Ogier to leave Citroën Racing at the end of this season in World Rally Championship, Citroën has decided to put an end to its sports program in WRC 2020 due to the lack of a driver available for the 2020 season, "wrote Citroën on Twitter.
Ogier, who had found Citroën at the start of the season with a two-year contract and the goal of conquering a seventh consecutive world title with a third different manufacturer, finally had to settle for a third place in the drivers standings. by Estonian Ott Tänak on Toyota.
The French manufacturer was ranked third. Disappointing results that explain the departure of the one who had already raced for Citroën between 2008 and 2011, before a separation amidst tensions with his teammate Sébastien Loeb.
With his six crowns, Ogier is the second most successful driver in the history of the WRC behind Loeb (9).
The withdrawal of Citroën can also be explained by the return of Peugeot, another brand of the PSA Group, World Endurance Championship (WEC) in the season 2022-2023, announced November 13.
Citroën has won eight World Championship Rally Championship titles (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012), nine pilot titles (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012), 102 wins (a record) and 257 podiums.
Present in the World between 1984 and 1986 and during the great majority of years 2000 and 2010, Citroën had made its return in WRC in 2017 after one year of absence and took the fourth and last place in the championship of the builders that year and the next one. In this last period, she won only six of the forty events in which she participated.
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