Sébastien Ogier claimed his fifth consecutive FIA World Rally Championship title on Sunday in Britain after finishing third behind dominant winner Elfyn Evans and championship rival Thierry Neuville, but it was all he needed to do to clinch the crown.
Meanwhile privateer team M-Sport secured the manufacturers’ title for the first time since 2007.
I had big emotions on the finish line,” said Ogier. “It’s been a tough year and we’ve all had to work very hard. It’s so amazing to be champion with M-Sport World Rally Team.”
Evans claimed his maiden WRC victory on home soil to become the first Briton to win the four-day event since 2000. The M-Sport driver dominated the weekend to finish more than 37 seconds ahead of Neuville, with Ogier a further 7.9s behind.
"I’m very grateful to everyone who has stuck by me through all these years. A lot of people have supported me and this win is for them," said Evans.
Hyundai's Andreas Mikkelsen finished fourth, 49.8s behind Evans, with Toyota's Jari Matti Latvala completing the top five, just 0.5s off Mikkelsen.
Neuville took the final victory of the weekend in the live TV Power Stage to claim five bonus points. Kris Meeke took four points for second in a Citroën C3 with Latvala claiming three in third. Ogier and Mikkelsen took two and one point respectively.
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