Frenchman extends his lead on Saturday as Evans, Fourmaux and Tänak battle for second place.
Sébastien Ogier is on the cusp of an unprecedented 10th Rallye Monte-Carlo victory after another flawless performance on Saturday, further extending his lead at the iconic French Alps event.
The Frenchman, driving a GR Yaris Rally1 for Toyota GAZOO Racing, heads into Sunday’s final leg with a commanding lead of 20.3sec, having delivered a measured and calculated drive through six challenging stages west of Gap on Saturday. His and co-driver Vincent Landais’ efforts kept the chasing pack firmly at bay.
Despite milder temperatures offering respite from ice, Ogier had to battle the toughest of the day’s conditions.
His 10th-place starting position meant he faced mud and loose stones left on the road by the cars ahead, yet the eight-time world champion used every ounce of his Monte-Carlo experience to push on, extending his lead which stood at 12.6sec after Friday. Behind him, Elfyn Evans and Adrien Fourmaux continued their fight for second place, while a fast-finishing Ott Tänak also staked his claim for a podium result.
“We are still in the lead. It’s not increasing much, but it’s still going the right way,” reflected Ogier. “It was a positive day, but I am happy to have it behind me. Starting last [on the road] of the Rally1s was definitely the most challenging conditions, so I am happy with what we have done.”
Just 4.3sec separated Evans and Fourmaux at the end of the rally’s longest day, with the Welshman taking back control of second place after a thrilling back-and-forth. Fourmaux, on what has been a stunning Hyundai WRC debut so far, hit top gear in the morning to snatch second from Evans on SS11, but the Toyota driver fought back in the afternoon, edging ahead once more.
Tänak came alive in the afternoon after set-up tweaks unlocked more speed from his Hyundai. He surged past Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä on SS13, then set a blistering pace on SS14 – winning the stage and beating Fourmaux by 13.3sec. Another powerful run on the day’s finale left the Estonian only 2.5sec adrift of his team-mate heading into Sunday.
Two-time WRC champion Rovanperä, who ended 27.9sec behind Tänak in fifth, felt that he couldn’t have done much more. His preference for faster, flowing stages left him at a disadvantage on the day’s tighter, more technical roads.
More than two minutes separated the Toyotas of Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari in sixth and seventh overall, with both drivers relieved to have completed another day without any major drama. The same couldn’t be said for Thierry Neuville, who languished eighth after a power delivery issue on SS10 cost him around 50sec and stunted any hopes of a fightback after his Friday struggles.
For Grégoire Munster, the day was bittersweet. The M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver celebrated his first-ever fastest WRC stage time on Saturday’s opener, but after retiring with a technical fault on the final liaison section back to service on Friday, he’s unable to challenge his Rally1 rivals for an overall position. been in the mix for a top-five finish.
Puma Rally1 debutant Josh McErlean made huge strides, breaking into the top nine as he gained valuable mileage in the car. Nikolay Gryazin was 10th overnight, while Yohan Rossel extended his lead in the WRC2 category and also sits 11th overall.
Sunday’s final leg starts from Gap and includes three more tricky stages as the rally journeys south to the finish in Monaco.
Standings after Saturday (SS15 /18):
1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 2h 42m 48.2s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +20.3
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Hyundai i20 N +24.6s
4. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +27.1s
5. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +55.0s
6. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 43.7s
