Ogier: LMP2 best bet for 2022 endurance switch
Seven-time World Rally champion Sebastien Ogier says the LMP2 class would be his preferred option for an endurance racing switch in 2022 after completing his maiden test in Toyota's Hypercar.


The Frenchman is considering a move into sportscars next year, having already announced that this month’s season-closing Rally Monza will be his final appearance in WRC as a full-time rally driver.
The Toyota driver, who currently leads the WRC standings from team-mate Elfyn Evans, got his first taste of the title-winning GR010 Hybrid on Sunday as he shared the car with three-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner Sebastien Buemi in the World Endurance Championship's Bahrain rookie test.
Toyota will have at least one vacancy in its driver line-up next year with Kazuki Nakajima stepping down from his current role, but it’s widely expected that Super GT and Super Formula frontrunner Ryo Hirakawa will be promoted to his seat.
With chances of racing in the WEC’s top category in the 2022 season appearing limited, and Ogier feeling he needs more time to become competitive in sportscars, the 37-year-old says LMP2 might be the best possible route to take next year.
“If I want to have the ambition to be in a top team, LMP2 will probably be better,” he said.
“Obviously GT will be better than nothing to getting the experience of this kind of racing.
“And I've seen the racing in GT, level is very high and for sure there will be something to learn as well, but probably LMP2 will be even better.”

#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing: Toyota GR010 - Hybrid: Sebastien Ogier
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Ogier has made no secrets about his desire to compete at Le Mans and fighting for overall victory with Toyota remains his long-term goal.
“I would say yes the ambition is there, but it's probably still some way to go,” he said.
“It's something I need to discuss with them, try to get their feedback on the first day [of testing the car].
“I'm aware that I have some work to do to be ready for that. I honestly don't like anyway to be given the free chance to go now [and race in Hypercar], not being at a level I want to be.”
Ogier completed 84 laps over the course of the five-hour test, ending up less than two seconds off the pace of two-time WEC champion Mike Conway in the leading Toyota with a best time of 1m49.636s.
He explained that he wasn’t trying to chase fast laps as he tried to acclimatise himself with the car, although he did “mess up” a flyer on new tyres in the afternoon session.
“My day was very interesting and fun to be honest, in life you're always looking for new experiences," he said.
“I learned a lot already. Obviously, there’s still a lot to learn but it's a starting point.
“I didn't put so much pressure on myself today about being fast straight [away], you have to be realistic. It was my first time ever in a hypercar.

Sebastien Ogier, Toyota Racing
Photo by: Toyota Racing
“I expected a car with even more potential [to drive flat out]. You cannot really push really, you have to find a fine line to drive the car and that's not easy when you've only done the simulation before.
“But generally I'm happy with my day and I really enjoyed it.”
Ogier added that getting used to the car’s braking and traction control systems were the biggest challenges he faced on his first day of testing.
“With braking I expected even more downforce, more attack on brakes,” he said.
“I don't have much experience with this kind of car. But I did one run in DTM, one test in F1 and I expected something closer to that in terms of brake attack.
“It's pretty sensitive and it's pretty easy to lock the wheels in this car. That's one of the things I discovered today.
“Working the traction control, which is something you can adjust a little bit, [was hard]. It was a bit stronger than expected.
“Somehow it made the car a little easier to drive but not easy to be fast with. Those will be two areas I probably struggled with today.”
Related video

Lapierre fastest as Ogier turns first laps in WEC rookie test
WRT 'widened the eyes' of its rivals with LMP2 title success

Latest news
NASCAR bans Chastain Martinsville wall-ride manoeuvre
NASCAR has decided to ban the wall-ride manoeuvre made famous by Ross Chastain at Martinsville that secured him a place in the Championship 4.
Gasly: Mindset for Alpine is "completely different" to Red Bull F1 move
Pierre Gasly says he has a "completely different" mindset for his Alpine Formula 1 move thanks to lessons taken from his failed stint at Red Bull in 2019.
GTD Pro win a “proper send-off” for retiring IMSA stalwart MacNeil
Winning the GTD Pro class at the Daytona 24 Hours was a fitting way for Cooper MacNeil to retire from racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, says team-mate Jules Gounon.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, were voted as Autosport's greatest sportscar in 2020 - here's why
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad
The problem sausage kerbs continue to cause
Track limits are the problem that motorsport doesn't seem to be able to rid itself of. But the use of so-called 'sausage kerbs' as a deterrent has in several instances only served to worsen the problem, and a growing number of voices want to see action taken
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.