The 2024 World Rally Championship is coming to the final stages with just four rounds remaining.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville leads the drivers’ standings with 168 points ahead of Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier in second, with his Hyundai teammate Ott Tanak in third.
Heading into the next round at Acropolis Rally Greece on 5-8 September, Ogier is set to compete in the last four rounds of the championship, having only driven in the category part-time this year.
With his incredible results in 2024, the Frenchman is in with a chance to win his ninth world title, which would equal the record set by his fellow countryman Sebastien Loeb.
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What does Sebastien Ogier need to do to win his ninth title?
In hindsight, it is plain and simple what Ogier must do to win the title: win more rallies and beat Neuville. But the WRC is far from plain and simple.
Racing on mountain roads, dirt and ice on all corners around the world and with new exciting events set to join the calendar, the WRC is one of the most demanding and treacherous championships in motorsport.
Ogier has proven himself to be one of the best of all time, winning eight championships in his career, six of which consecutively from 2013 to 2018 and the other two coming in 2020 and 2021.
Tanak’s title in 2019 stopped Ogier’s streak as he finished third behind the Estonian and Neuville. In total, the Toyota driver has won 61 rallies across his incredible career.
Since 2022, Ogier has been competing part-time in the WRC to allow for more time to be spent with his family. The 40-year-old has won seven rallies during this period, although he did not finish in the top three of the standings in 2022 and 2023 – both titles were won by his Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanpera.
In 2024, the Frenchman finds himself in the battle for the title after displaying some outstanding results despite missing three events this year. In the six rallies he has done, Ogier has finished in the top two in all of them.
Ogier has always claimed that he does not care about numbers as much as people may think, but with him being only 27 points off the championship lead and four rounds to go, it is perhaps obvious to guess why the 40-year-old has decided to race in Greece and even the other three events after that.
His part-time schedule has clearly done nothing to hamper his ability as his results have shown, and if he can keep this up, that record-equalling ninth title could be his.
READ MORE: One-time Grand Prix winner admits he was always ‘more interested’ in rallying than Formula 1
Can Ogier beat Thierry Neuville again?
However, Ogier will be up against Neuville, who has not only also enjoyed a solid campaign, but the Belgian will be more fired up than ever to win the title.
The 36-year-old has never won a WRC title, finishing second five times in his career, four times to Ogier in 2013 and 2016-2018.
In the last three seasons, Neuville has finished third each time. The Belgian has continued to show his class, as evidenced by 20 wins, 67 podiums and 402 stage wins, but just has not got over that final line and claimed a championship.
With that elusive first title currently in the grasp, Neuville will be doing everything he can to keep his title rival behind him. The Hyundai driver has finished in the top five in all but two events this year and picked up four podiums along the way, including a win at the season opener in Monte Carlo.
Both drivers have the chance to right history; Neuville’s first title or Ogier’s record-equalling ninth. With rallies in Greece, Chile, Central Europe and Japan still to go, it is all to play for in the WRC.