Sixth WRC title for Ogier and Toyota’s fourth, all with Michelin

The 2018 Rally Australia saw Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia claim their sixth Drivers’ world title and their second with Ford/Michelin. Jari-Matti Latvala earned Toyota Gazoo Racing’s 50th world class victory to make sure of the Manufacturers’ crown with Michelin.  

Thelast round of what turned out to be a particularly thrilling 2018 FIA World Rally Championship was always going to be a tense affair, with three drivers and three carmakers still in contention for their respective titles.

The chances of Belgium’s Thierry Neuville (Hyundai/Michelin) took a blow when he dropped a minute on SS6 (Sherwood) and fell to 10th overall. Any remaining hopes of a maiden crown evaporated when he retired on Sunday morning.

After an inconsistent start to the week, Ott Tänak (Toyota/Michelin) appeared at the top of the leaderboard on Saturday, aided by six fastest stage times. To clinch the sport’s supreme prize, the Estonian knew he had to keep that lead to the flag and score maximum Power Stage points, with Ogier finishing seventh or worse.

The latter was effectively seventh overall after Leg 1 when his running order meant he was forced to sweep the stages. Trouble for Craig Breen (Citroën/Michelin) the following day promoted him to sixth which, if he could hold position, would be enough to win the championship.

Overnight rain made Sunday’s conditions muddy and slippery and the unpredictable weather contributed to the unmistakable tension when it came to choosing tyres, with crews frequently opting for a combination of medium-compound Michelin LTX Force M6s and hard H4s.

A surefooted final-day performance by Ogier and Ingrassia allowed them to wrap up their sixth title when Tänak crashed out on the penultimate test.

Jari-Matti Latvala took over from his team-mate at the top of the order to earn Toyota’s 50th WRC victory, while fourth place for his team-mate Esapekka Lappi made sure of the Japanese make’s fourth Manufacturers’ title, two decades after its third.

New Zealander Hayden Paddon (Hyundai/Michelin) and Norway’s Mads Ostberg (Citroën/Michelin) were Rally Australia’s other two podium finishers.

Fans will now have to wait until January 24-27 for world championship action to resume with the 2019 Rallye Monte-Carlo.