Ingrassia Reveals Dramatic Call with Ogier After Finland Horror Crash

Two weeks have passed since that terrifying crash, but the memory still lingers. Julien Ingrassia, back as Sebastien Ogier's trusted co-driver at Rally Finland, has finally opened up about the incident that nearly cost them everything.

The reunion of this legendary duo had been going smoothly. Amid the ultra-fast gravel of Finland, they held a comfortable 21-second lead over Sami Pajari with just four stages remaining. But on the Vastila stage, their Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 went off at high speed and slammed into the forest.

Tension gripped the paddock. Ogier suffered a concussion and briefly lost consciousness after getting out of the car. Fortunately, after a night in the hospital, both were cleared and allowed to go home. Their fighting spirit, however, was far from extinguished.

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"The very next morning, at six a.m., we had a phone call. I felt in his voice, and he felt in mine, a rage that we didn't finish the job," Ingrassia said on DirtFish's SPIN, The Rally Pod. "We wanted to call the engineer to put the car back on the road and go for it. That's the fighting spirit. It means we didn't keep that primal fear deep inside."

Despite that, Ingrassia admitted the crash was terrifying. "When you crash into the trees at those speeds, in the middle of the Finnish forest, I don't want to lie. I thought: 'Hmm, I might die or be really badly hurt this time.' But now, talking about it, I can still smile because we are here and we are safe," he said.

The crash dashed Ogier's hopes of a perfect comeback victory. The title ultimately went to home hero Sami Pajari, who was consistent all weekend. For Ogier and Ingrassia, it's a stark reminder that the line between victory and disaster in rallying is razor-thin.