Monte Carlo: Ogier shows the master 🎥

The highlights of Saturday's stage show how difficult the track conditions were. Ogier took advantage of them to take the lead from Evans. The retirement of Tänak can also be seen.

At the shortest Rally Monte Carlo in its 110-year history, Ott Tänank in the Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC set the tone first on Thursday with fastest times on the first two of only 14 stages (=257 kilometers).

With fastest times on SS3, 4 and 5 from Friday, Sébastien Ogier almost made up a deficit from the previous day on the second stage, which he had suffered due to brake problems. However, a spin on SS6 cost time again, so that vice world champion Elfyn Evans in one of the four Toyota Yaris WRC led after the second stage.

Ogier invincible on familiar roads
On Saturday morning, still in darkness, Ogier showed all his class on a snow and ice-covered track and took command at his home race in the French Maritime Alps. As a result, he never relinquished it.

Ogier set a total of eight fastest SS times and also scored the five additional points for first place in the final Power Stage on Sunday. By then, only Evans (on SS6+11) and Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville (SS10+13) had been fastest twice each.

Perfect debut for the new Toyota team boss
For the world champion and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia, this meant their eighth triumph in the queen of all rallies. The duo is aiming for its eighth title win in what will probably be its last WRC season.

With a gap of 32.6 seconds, the British Evans/Martin ensured a one-two victory for the Toyota team led from this season onwards by former Finnish rally pro Jari-Matti Latvala.

Joy and sorrow at Hyundai
Ott Tänak, who was the fastest Hyundai driver for a long time, retired on the third stage after suffering two punctures.

The commissioners did not allow the Estonian to reach the service park on public roads on the rim. The Belgians Neuville/Wydaeghe thus operated something like damage limitation for last year's world champion team Hyundai in third place.

Another respectable success for Olivier Burri
Of the four Swiss teams, Olivier Burri and Co Andersson Levratti from France performed best, as expected. On Saturday morning's SS10, the veteran from Beprahon managed to set the 13th time overall and the fifth in the strong RC2 class with the VW Polo R5 in the most difficult conditions. In 18th place, they ended up the best of the unseeded amateur teams, as in previous years.

Sacha Althaus/Lisiane Zbinden were allowed to hope for the podium in Group RC4 for a long time. With their Peugeot 208, they missed it by around one and a half minutes in 40th place overall, but were the best-ranked team with an R2 car.

Philippe Roux and his son Christophe finished 46th among 63 teams in their Polo R5, while Mike Coppens with co Fabrice Gordon stayed on the track on the final day after suffering rides earlier.

wrc.com