Citroen leaves world rally championship as Ogier exits

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SHOWS: BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, UK (FILE JANUARY 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. CITROEN TEAM UNVEILING THEIR 2019 SEASON RALLY CAR

2. CITROEN TEAM NAME ON FRONT BUMPER

3. CITROEN DRIVER SEBASTIEN OGIER BEING INTERVIEWED

4. OGIER SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST

5. FRONT OF CAR

6. SIDE VIEW OF CAR

7. DRIVERS' NAMES ON CAR WINDOW, OGIER AND ESAPEKKA LAPPI

8. TOYOTA TEAM DRIVERS UNVEILING CAR

9. TOYOTA DRIVER OTT TANAK (2019 WORLD CHAMPION)

10. TANAK WITH TOYOTA DRIVERS POSING FOR PICTURES

11. TOYOTA EMBLEM ON FRONT OF CAR/ YARIS BRANDING ON RADIATOR GRILL

12. HYUNDAI TEAM UNVEILING CAR

13. VARIOUS OF HYUNDAI

STORY: Citroen is leaving the world rally championship with immediate effect after six-times world champion Sebastien Ogier announced his departure from the team, the French manufacturer said on Wednesday (November 20).

Citroen Racing said it had made the decision "due to the absence of a first-class driver available for (the) 2020 season" but commercial factors were also a major consideration.

The motorsport.com website said Ogier was expected to be announced as a Toyota driver on Monday.

Toyota's Estonian Ott Tanak won the driver's title in Spain last month, ending Ogier's six-year reign, but announced four days later that he was joining Hyundai for 2020.

Hyundai secured the manufacturers' crown when this month's season-ending Australian race was called off due to the threat of bushfires.

Citroen won nine successive drivers' titles with Sebastien Loeb and Ogier between 2004 and 2012 and eight manufacturers' championships.

This season they and Ogier, who had returned after starting out with Citroen in 2009, ended third overall in both championship standings.

The marque had been expected to leave the championship in the coming years anyway, with PSA Group stablemates Peugeot announcing last week their return to the World Endurance Championship in 2022 and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2023.

(Production: Jim Hatley)