Sebastien Ogier and Toyota Gazoo Racing have escaped any serious punishment for Sunday’s involvement in a traffic accident on public roads, with stewards handing down a €7,000 fine.
The fine is made up of two parts, the first, €5,000, was for the accident itself which Ogier explained was caused after he and co-driver and Julien Ingrassia discovered a fault on their Yaris WRC when they left the service area.
Ogier attempted to pull into a bus stop, but failed to recognise a black BMW 1 Series in the right-hand lane. The two vehicles then collided [click for video].
Ogier immediately stopped at the accident and checked that no one was injured, while leaving his contact details with the other party.
The police attended the scene but were unable to communicate in english. Ogier left the matter in the hands of a Toyota representative and attempted to drive off, only for a policeman to stand in his way. Ogier continued to drive forward, forcing the officer to jump out of the way.
After leaving the scene of the accident, the Frenchman drove through a red light, which resulted in an additional fine of €2,000. Ogier explained the shock of the incident was to blame for him missing the red light.
In addition to the fine, Ogier has been threatened with suspension if he commits a similar traffic offence before the end of the season.
