Sebastien Ogier claimed his third victory of the season around Jyvaskyla on Sunday and his first win on Finnish soil since 2013.
Ogier’s win moves him into second place in the WRC standings with four rounds to go as he searches for his ninth world championship.
After finishing runner-up in Latvia, Ogier was looking to return to the top step of the podium; a feat he managed earlier this year in Croatia and Portugal.
The 40-year-old was running behind his teammate Kalle Rovanpera when the Finn collided with a rock in the middle of the road and went off and out of the race, handing the lead to the Frenchman.
Speaking after the race to the WRC website, Ogier admitted that his Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Rovanpera dominated the weekend at Rally Finland.
Sebastien Ogier believes Kalle Rovanpera was in a different league at Rally Finland
Rally Finland is a notoriously challenging event and caught out several drivers across the weekend, including fellow Toyota driver Takamoto Katsuta who collided with a tree and damaged his right rear suspension on Friday.
And Ogier could not hide his disappointment for his teammate, as he believed his dominance over the weekend was worthy of victory.
He said: “To win in Finland is always nice, even if this is not the way we would like to have taken it.
“The team provided an amazing car and dominated all weekend. Kalle and Jonne [Halttunen, co-driver] were in a different league than the rest and were very unlucky with this rock on the line.
“I feel for my team as we deserved a much better result.
“I lost a win in Sardinia earlier this season through luck and I have now gained one back here. I have been around long enough to experience many outcomes and emotions and I’ve been lucky to be on the right side of that equation most of the time – but not today.
“I would honestly have preferred to finish second but motorsport is unfair sometimes.”
Ogier admits that he would have preferred to finish in second
While the victory for Ogier boosts his chances of a ninth world title as he sits 27 points behind championship leader Thierry Neuville, the result in Finland has proved to be damaging for Toyota in the manufacturer standings.
The team sits second in the championship, 20 points behind leaders Hyundai, who have been aided by consistent results from Neuville and Ott Tanak, who sits third behind Ogier in the drivers’ standings.
This is not the first time that Toyota have been struck with bad luck this season, as Ogier lost the win in Sardinia to Tanak by the equal smallest margin in WRC history after suffering a puncture three kilometres from the finish.
After luck benefitted him this time around in Finland, the Frenchman said he would have preferred to finish behind Rovanpera instead of inheriting the win from his retirement.