Newly-crowned World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier says retirement is amongst his options for next season as he mulls over his future in the championship.
Ogier went on to secure a fifth consecutive drivers' title in Rally GB last weekend, his first with M-Sport following a switch from Volkswagen Motorsport, which quit the series at the end of last season.
Although Ogier remains at his prime, he says two big crashes this season made him question his future, particuarly given he now has a child with his wife, German TV sports presenter Andrea Kaiser.
"Consider [retirement], yes. Of course, this kind of moment [winning the title] makes me think about the risks you take, especially like in the test. I couldn’t do anything with this crash, it was just bad luck," he told WRC.com.
"Big rocks in the road, a flat out corner and I had no way to avoid it. It was a big crash coming to me.
"I am enjoying a lot of time at home with my son and my wife, of course you can see life differently, but when you make a weekend like this….
“I’m not winning this weekend, but it was a big pleasure behind the steering wheel and also we have the fastest WRC car ever. It’s good fun as well."
Although retirement does seem unlikely, Ogier insists he has yet to make decision about his future with multiple offers on the table.
“I’m always analysing a lot of things in my way of managing the championship and the way of managing my life in general, so I don’t make the decision easily. I’m still working on different options. I’m honest with you, right now I haven’t really decided."
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