Ogier Reunites with His Longtime Co-Driver for the Rally of Finland

Julien Ingrassia will return to the co‑driver seat at the Rally Finland to partner Sébastien Ogier, nearly five years after their last event together. Toyota confirmed that the replacement is due to the absence of Vincent Landais, who will not be able to take part in the ninth round of the WRC for personal reasons.

Ingrassia was already in Finland working as an analyst for the championship's official broadcast. His return is exceptional, only for this event, and comes at a time when Ogier needs to score points to stay in the title fight. Ogier explained in a video posted on social media that he regrets Landais's absence and thanked Ingrassia for accepting to return. Ingrassia acknowledged that the challenge will be great but expressed his willingness to help the team.

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The last time Ingrassia competed was at the 2021 Monza Rally, where he and Ogier sealed their eighth world championship with a victory. That was the farewell of a partnership that accumulated eight titles in 15 years of working together. Ingrassia is the second most‑decorated co‑driver in WRC history, behind only Daniel Elena, who won nine titles with Sébastien Loeb.

The split came at the end of 2021. Ogier announced that he would reduce his schedule from 2022 onwards to spend more time with his family, but Ingrassia chose a different path. The co‑driver decided to retire from active competition entirely, citing personal reasons. Ogier then had to find a new co‑driver for his part‑time programme. First it was Benjamin Veillas and, from the 2022 Rally Japan onwards, Vincent Landais, with whom Ogier won his ninth world title in 2025.

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Since retiring as a co‑driver, Ingrassia has worked as a television commentator. He also took part in the creation of the World Rally Drivers Alliance, the association that was involved in conversations with the FIA about the penalty regulations for inappropriate language. He attempted to compete in the 2023 Dakar Rally as a co‑driver for Mika Pisano, but cancelled the project due to a lack of preparation. In February 2024, he took part in the Rally of Nations Guanajuato as a driver, forming the France team alongside Didier Auriol, although a mechanical issue put him out of the event on the third stage.

Ogier arrives at Finland in fourth place in the championship with 141 points, 38 behind Elfyn Evans, the leader. This season he has won two rallies: the Canary Islands and the Acropolis Rally Greece. He is competing on a part‑time programme of ten rounds, the same schedule he has followed since 2022. In 2025, with that same programme, he became champion for the ninth time.