Sébastien Ogier was the standout of the World Rally Championship field during shakedown for Rally Japan, clocking a fastest time one second faster than anyone else.
The reigning world champion had looked set for victory at the previous round in Portugal until a penultimate-stage puncture; he also won the most recent asphalt round of the championship, Rally Islas Canarias.
Rally Japan’s Thursday morning warmup was more of the same, with Ogier immediately 0.6s up on Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans on the first pass. By the second he’d extended that gap to a whole second.
Ogier’s assessment was brief and to the point, highlighting that his previous trip to Japan had led to victory: “The only thing that matters is I want the same result and I am here for that,” he said.
Evans has won in Japan twice, taking back-to-back victories in 2023 and 2024; he was firmly the best of the rest behind Ogier on shakedown.