The stewards of Acropolis Rally summoned Sebastien Ogier in order to explain them the comments he did at the end of Stage 1 of Acropolis Rally.
More specifically, Ogier started second on the road on Friday and said at the end of SS1: "It is annoying to see that the sport never learns. We ask, we know that we are goingto have dust. There is hanging dust. Oh, they say no. What do you have in your head? Nothing. It’s crazy.” He explained to the stewards explained that his statement was made in the heat of the moment and because it was related to a safety issue regarding the dust through the special stage and apologised for his words, stating that they were not addressed to anyone specifically. The stewards considered that Ogier’s statement, even if it was not addressed to anyone in particular, is directly prejudicial to the FIA and its officials, as well as the local officials and hundreds of volunteers who are working on the rally, all in the interest of safety of spectators, competitors and officials. Furthermore, Ogier has signed the “Driver Declaration and Undertakings” required by Art. 30.2 of the 2024 FIA WRC Sporting Regulations, which state among others: “17. I undertake that I shall, 17.2 Refrain from any public declaration or comment in any form which may harm, weaken or put into disrepute the goodwill, fame, name and/or image of the Championship and the FIA and/or any of the Associated Bodies; 17.3 At all times use my best endeavours to promote and encourage support for the Championship and motor sports generally. As a consequense of that, the stewards gave a fine of 30.000 euros to Ogier which issuspended for a period of 2 years (expiration date 8th September 2026 included).
Watch below the stewards' decision:
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