Sébastien Ogier took over the Monte-Carlo rally, the first round of the season in WRC, after the second day on Friday. Belgian Thierry Neuville, reigning world champion, points to 9th place.
The Frenchman, again engaged in a partial program with Toyota this year, has 12”6 ahead of his Welsh teammate Elfyn Evans. The provisional podium is completed by another French, Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai), at 14”2.
The double world champion (2022, 2023) Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) is fourth, nearly 40 seconds from the leader, for his full time after having made a partial season last year. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), a rally leader Thursday evening after the first three specials, now occupies 9th provisional place, almost four minutes from the leader.
-The Belgian pilot lost almost two minutes due to a road trip at the end of the morning on ES6, the sixth special of the weekend. Bis repeat a few hours later, when the crew made a new swolder in the same place, during the ES9, the fault this time at a puncture occurred earlier on the journey.
This 93rd edition of the Monte-Carlo Rally continues on Saturday with eight specials totaling 131.4 kilometers. It will end Sunday after 18 specials and almost 350 kilometers.
