Championship leader Sébastien Ogier has been given a 1 minute time penalty from the Stewards on Saturday evening for not fastening his helmet strap correctly.
The Frenchman was summoned to the Stewards on Saturday evening and received a 1 minute penalty and a €800 fine. The statement reads: “Mr Ogier stated that he had no reason to explain why the strap would have come undone during SS12. There was no rush to fasten the helmet at the stage start and it was unlike the incident in Monte-Carlo Rally 2021, where he simply forgot to fasten the helmet strap.”
The statement continues: “The photo and video evidence show the strap not fastened correctly and it being loose throughout the stage. Mr. Ogier said that there is no way he would only half fasten the helmet, it was either done properly or not at all.”
The Stewards decided to double the fine from €400 to €800: “As this is a second decision against this driver for the same offence, the fine has been doubled to €800.
Ogier stays fifth in the overall standings despite the penalty. The Toyota driver is now 2 minutes and 23.7 seconds off the lead and 1 minute and 53.2 second ahead of Gus Greensmith in sixth overall.
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
