Is Ogier the WRC’s greatest of all time?

Across the last 22 seasons the World Rally Championship has been dominated by two Sebastiens: Loeb and Ogier, who have scooped up a staggering 18 titles between them.

The dominance by the two Frenchman has them standing head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to the ‘greatest of all time’ debate that has raged ever since Ogier seemingly picked up the mantle once Loeb ended his full-time career in 2012.  

The Sebastien stranglehold on the WRC title has only been penetrated four times. Ott Tanak won in 2019 when Ogier was fighting with a recalcitrant Citroen, before Kalle Rovanpera swept to back-to-back crowns in 2022 and 2023, ahead of Thierry Neuville’s run to the title last year. It must be said Ogier was in contention across 2024, but he hasn’t entered every round since 2021.

So last weekend at the Saudi Arabia finale, Ogier capped, in his words, potentially his “best” ever campaign by claiming a ninth world title despite skipping three rallies. As he is now level with former team-mate and rival Loeb, is Ogier considered the WRC’s GOAT? 

Four-time world champion and Toyota’s deputy team principal Juha Kankkunen seems to think so: “What Seb did, I have him top of the ranking in the world. He has won nine titles, and with three different manufacturers, and that means he is overall the best driver in the world in my mind.”

Kankkunen is also a man that knows a thing or two about the challenges that Ogier has overcome to win world championships with Volkswagen (2013-2016), M-Sport-Ford (2017-18) and Toyota (2020-21, 2025).

Ogier has now matched Loeb on a record nine WRC titles

Photo by: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

The Finn won four world titles driving for the likes of Peugeot, Lancia and Toyota, while spanning two technical rule sets in Group B and Group A. Ogier’s record is also similar in that regard, as his championships arrived driving three distinctive spec of cars: WRC, WRC2017 and Rally1.   

Autosport conducted its own WRC GOAT debate to coincide with the championship’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2023 and Loeb won the reader vote. After compiling a panel of experts as well, including 18-time WRC rally winner Jari-Matti Latvala, then M-Sport boss and former rally driver Malcolm Wilson, who worked with both Ogier and Loeb, and WRC technical ace Christian Loriaux, the trio ultimately plumped for Loeb over Ogier back in what was an incredibly close decision. The determining factor back then was simply down to statistics with Loeb at the time holding one more title than Ogier.

So now Ogier has the same amount of titles as Loeb, is it time to rethink that decision?

Ogier harbours a will to win unlike any other driver and can be simply untouchable when in full flight - evident on several occasions this year

Of course comparing two eras in any sporting discipline throws up caveats that have to be considered, such as the level of competition, points structures, championship calendars - and the list goes on. It will forever render such a debate difficult to conclude scientifically.   

The case for Ogier 

What Ogier has achieved this season is simply phenomenal whichever way one looks at it. The Frenchman contested 11 rallies, finished 10 of those on the podium and scored six wins - three more victories than any of his full-time rivals.

This all achieved on the verge of turning 42, which makes Ogier the oldest WRC champion in history. Such a season against a field including Elfyn Evans and three world champions in Rovanpera, Tanak and Neuville, all competing in the full 14 rounds is quite frankly mind blowing. It proves that if anything, Ogier is showing no signs of slowing down and is in fact getting better towards the end of his career.

Ogier, 41, won the 2025 championship despite contesting a part-time campaign

Photo by: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

Ogier harbours a will to win unlike any other driver and can be simply untouchable when in full flight - evident on several occasions this year. Competing directly against Loeb at Citroen in 2010-11, he pushed and beat his more experienced team-mate on occasion.

At Volkswagen he was truly dominant, winning four consecutive titles, a streak that extended to six when he took an M-Sport Ford to back-to-back crowns - he then repeated that at Toyota in 2020 and ‘21. Only a difficult season at Citroen in 2019 ended his unbroken run of success, which otherwise would have matched Loeb’s nine in a row.

When comparing Ogier with Loeb, the latter is still ahead on wins (80 to 67), podiums (120 to 115) and stage victories (948 to 807). Ogier has scored vastly more points, but this statistic is not fair given the change in WRC structures over the years. But when it comes to finishing rallies Ogier most certainly has the edge.   

Wilson, who managed Ogier at M-Sport in 2017-18, said in 2023: “The combination of Seb and co-driver Julien Ingrassia is certainly the most professional pairing I have worked with in my 26 years doing this job. He has that fighting spirit to win. He was able to destroy people on stages and it would leave you wondering how it was possible. It is something totally unique to Seb.”

Ogier’s current boss, Latvala, agreed: “He is a fighter. Loeb drove in a very clever way but Ogier is much more of a fighter. I would say his passion was even greater.”

All of Loeb's titles came in consecutive years with Citroen

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Loeb versus Ogier WRC career stats

*Point system varied

• 2004-09: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1

• 2010-25: 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1

• Power stage introduced in 2011

The case for Loeb 

There can be no disputing Loeb’s talent behind the wheel, as it is backed up by a list of statistics that are astonishing. Not only is he considered by many to be the greatest of all time, but he deserves a place among motorsport’s pantheons of greats. This is because of his success outside of rallying in touring cars, sportscars, rallycross and rally-raid, and he was once in the running for a Formula 1 seat at Toro Rosso - now Racing Bulls - in 2009.

Loeb’s 80 WRC wins is still going to take some beating and at the rate Ogier is picking up victories, it will require another three seasons for that record to fall. Like Ogier, he has proved he still has the skills at the back end of his career, as Loeb’s 80th win arrived at the age of 47. 

The Frenchman’s unbeaten run of nine consecutive world crowns is yet to be matched, as well as his podium strike rate of 65% and a win percentage of 43.5%. Like Ogier, Loeb has also won a WRC title having not contested the full season, winning the 2006 crown by a point from Marcus Gronholm despite missing the last four rallies through injury.  

“He has 80 wins under his belt and one of the important points is he won Monte Carlo at 47 years old. To become the oldest WRC winner, I think this shows his skills. He was very clever when driving. He didn’t take unnecessary risks and very rarely made mistakes” Jari-Matti Latvala

Loeb is the only driver to win all stages of a WRC event, which he achieved in Corsica 2005, and has the most wins in a single season - 11 of 15 in 2008. In 2005, he also became the only rally driver to ever top Autosport’s Top 50 ranking.

In 2023, Latvala said: “It is very difficult to split them. I think in terms of skills both are on the same level, but on statistics this is why Loeb comes out on top. 

“For me, he has 80 wins under his belt and one of the important points is he won Monte Carlo at 47 years old. To become the oldest WRC winner, I think this shows his skills. He was very clever when driving. He didn’t take unnecessary risks and very rarely made mistakes.”

Wilson also said: “From a natural driving point of view Seb [Loeb] is probably number one.” 

Autosport says

Both drivers obviously make compelling cases to be regarded as the WRC’s greatest of all time. In truth, it will always come down to a personal preference.

But what Ogier has achieved this year and the fact he has been successful in three different eras of cars and three manufacturers, narrowly makes him the WRC’s GOAT.

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Photo by: Citroen Communication