The French pilot won the race for the tenth time in his career, ahead of the Welsh Elfyn Evans and Adrien Fourmaux.
Cocorico! The Frenchman Sébastien Ogier won his 10th Monte-Carlo rally on Sunday, inaugural round of the WRC world championship season, improving his own record for the number of victories on the event.
The octuple world rally champion, which is only playing a partial season with Toyota this year, won ahead of the Welsh Elfyn Evans (Toyota) and his compatriot Adrien Fourmaux, third for his first rally with Hyundai. With ten wins on the counter (one in Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) in 2009 and now new in WRC) the native of Gap (Hautes-Alpes) improves a record that he has already held since 2023, when he has exceeded in the list 'test his compatriot, the nonuple world champion of the rallyes Sébastien Loeb (eight victories).
Very regular since Thursday evening on “its” roads in the south-eastern France, Ogier took the reins of the “Monte-Carl” on Friday afternoon, then ensuring its position without taking too much risks. He won nearly 20 seconds on his first pursuer. Behind him, everything remained to play for the podium on Saturday evening because, in the provisional general classification, less than seven seconds separated the second from the fourth.
-A “fairly long break” after success
On Sunday, it was finally Evans who had the last word, finishing second ahead of Fourmaux which, for his part, equal his best classification in the elite. Estonian Ott Tänak (Hyundai), returned on Saturday like a cannonball in the battle, failed in fifth place. He finished behind the double world champion 2022-2023 Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota), fourth for his return to full time after having made a partial season last year. The defending champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), winner of the 2024 edition of the Monte-Carlo Rally, ranks sixth. The Belgian, off the race for the victory since Friday, experienced several disappointments during the weekend, including a road trip and a puncture.
With his victory, Ogier logically takes the lead in the championship but now begins a “fairly long breakFar from the rallies, according to its partial program. Fourteen races are on the program for the season this year, the next one being the Sweden Rally (February 13-16) for a 100% snowy test a few hundred kilometers from the Circle Circle.
France
