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The nine-time world champion admitted that he had raised his concerns about the current state of the World Rally Championship at the wrong time and in the wrong tone. Ogier posted an apology on social media over the incident on Saturday. Ben Sulayem attended Rally Paraguay and was among those present at a press conference where the new holders of the WRC’s commercial rights were introduced to the media. It is not yet known exactly what Ogier said during his conversation with Ben Sulayem and Peña. However, the Toyota driver had strongly criticised WRC tyre supplier Hankook after several punctures on Friday. Ogier suffered two punctures on Friday before retiring after the day’s third special stage with damaged front suspension. After retiring, the Toyota driver said the tyres were “not at the standard required for a world championship”. He also described the situation as “a pure lottery” and “far from acceptable”. Ogier also pointed out that numerous drivers had experienced tyre problems at several rallies. He said the reliability of Hankook’s tyres in particular had to be improved. A few hours after Rally Paraguay had finished, Ogier released a statement publicly apologising for his conduct. “After a vibrant and extremely well-organised Rally Paraguay, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologise for the inappropriate incident yesterday afternoon with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña,” Ogier wrote. “It was neither the right time nor the right tone to raise my concerns about the championship.” Ogier said he had already apologised personally to both presidents on Saturday evening. He then had a constructive discussion with bin Sulayem about his concerns regarding the WRC. “It was actually an excellent opportunity to speak with FIA President Ben Sulayem and raise a few areas that we all know require attention and improvement in our sport.” According to Ogier, the discussion also produced concrete targets for the future. “Together, we set clear targets, and I look forward to action being taken towards them for a better future for rallying.” Ogier’s apology primarily concerned the manner and timing of how he raised his concerns. At the same time, his statement makes clear that he still considers his concerns about the WRC to be valid. It has not yet been disclosed which specific issues Ogier and Ben Sulayem discussed or what targets they set. However, based on the events of the Rally Paraguay weekend and Ogier’s earlier comments, tyre problems were among his main concerns.