The Frenchman, who is bidding for a seventh world title at next month’s ACI Rally Monza (3 - 6 December), had previously announced he would retire from the WRC at the end of 2020 after a single season with the Japanese manufacturer.
The impact of Covid-19, which has truncated this year’s WRC campaign, prompted Ogier to rethink his plans and he confirmed on Friday (20 November) afternoon that he will stay with Toyota for a further year.
“We have had a short season with only a few rallies, but enough for me to see that I really enjoy working with the team, I enjoy driving this car,” Ogier said.
“It was not my initial plan but I think this year has been very particular for everybody on this planet, and the fact that I had to spend like most people a lot of time at home this year, I didn’t do the last season that I had expected to do and to end my career with such a strange season was not great.
“So, for sure, that was one of the reasons to change my mind about my retirement. The plan is to keep pushing in 2021 and hopefully have a better, normal season and try to push for a last title.”