Sébastien Ogier took the lead in the Monte-Carlo Rally, the opening round of the WRC season, at the end of a second day marked on Friday by the setbacks of reigning Belgian champion Thierry Neuville, out of the race for victory.
Nothing is decided yet until the finish on Sunday, but the local child, winner of the event eight times, can still enjoy it. On the roads of the south-east of France, Ogier took back control of « son » rally during the eighth special (SS8) in the afternoon.
The Frenchman, once again involved in a partial program with Toyota this year, is currently 12 seconds 6/10 ahead of his Welsh teammate Elfyn Evans, provisionally second.
“It’s a positive day, even if everything hasn’t been perfect”he conceded in front of journalists, buoyed by the encouragement of the public. “The last two stages were great but before that I had difficulty finding the right speed (…) because of the changing road conditions”.
At home, the Frenchman had ideally started his « Monte-Carl’ »: leading after the first two specials on Thursday evening, the 41-year-old from Gapençais then lost ground to his rivals, the fault of a driving error on the tricky Alpine roads.
Having fallen to 3rd place, the eight-time world champion certainly showed his talent to regain his possession on roads that he knows almost by heart – but he also benefited from the setbacks of the leaders, starting with Thierry Neuville .
Third, Fourmaux leads at Hyundai
Second in the provisional standings, neck and neck with Evans on Friday lunchtime, the Belgian lost big, the fault of first going off the road at the end of the morning, on SS6. If the crew was able to continue the rally after extricating themselves from a shoulder, the Hyundai flanked by the N.1 finished the special in slow motion… and on three wheels.
It happened again a few hours later, when the reigning champion went off the road again in the same place, during SS9, this time due to a puncture that occurred earlier on the journey.
-The Hyundai i20 driven by Thierry Neuville at the Monte-Carlo rally in Gap, January 23, 2025 / OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP
“It’s a day to forget, all hope of a good result is lost”released the 36-year-old pilot, who had no longer experienced a “Bad day in a long time”. The Belgian was 8th on Friday evening – he took advantage of the retirement of Luxembourger Grégoire Munster (M-Sport Ford) to gain a place – but was almost four minutes behind the leader.
SS6 also proved tricky for Ott Tänak, who destroyed the right rear of his Hyundai after swerving into a ditch, losing several seconds. The 2019 champion, who left with a repaired car, is currently 5th, 47 seconds behind Ogier.
Hyundai’s two tough champions are Adrien Fourmaux, who leads the South Korean manufacturer’s fleet for his first rally with the team. The Northerner is third in the provisional general classification, only 14 sec 2/10 behind his compatriot Ogier.
Behind Fourmaux, double 2022-2023 world champion Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) is fourth, almost 40 seconds behind the leader, for his return to full time after having had a partial season last year.
This 93rd edition of the Monte-Carlo Rally continues on Saturday with eight special stages totaling 131.4 kilometers. It will end on Sunday at the end of the 18th special.
