Reigning FIA World Rally Champion Thierry Neuville (main image) took the lead in the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally after Thursday’s three alpine stages northwest of Monaco, following a costly spin by early leader Sebastien Ogier.
The event kicked off with a ceremonial start in Monaco’s iconic Casino Square, before cars ascended into the French Alps for the three challenging all-asphalt stages. The night-time action, illuminated by dazzling headlights and the fireworks and flares from thousands of spectators, offered the Rally1 crews a chance to adapt to their first event with hybrid systems removed and new tire supplier Hankook onboard. The intensity and drama, however, were evident from the outset.
Chasing a record-extending 10th Monte Carlo victory, Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver Ogier set a strong pace with fastest times in the opening two stages. However, his hopes were dashed in the final test of the evening, the 8.68-mile Avançon/Notre-Dame-du-Laus 1 stage. A wide slide into a fence post cost him over 20 seconds, dropping him to third, but his Yaris narrowly avoided rolling, which could have resulted in a more significant loss.
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 driver Neuville took advantage of Ogier’s mistake to claim the overnight lead with a slim 2.0-second margin over Elfyn Evans’ Toyota. Ogier trailed by an additional 12.8 seconds in third.
“We had to be careful with the road conditions, which were tricky due to both dry and damp asphalt mixed with some icy patches,” Neuville said after his error-free run. “It was super tricky to keep it on the road. I’m happy with the first day. Our target was simply to finish today.”
Ogier considered himself lucky to avoid major damage, saying, “It’s difficult, of course. A lot of mud on the road, and we hit a pole sideways. It’s always lucky to get away with that.”
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak played it cautiously to secure fourth, 27.0 seconds behind Neuville, while his teammate Adrien Fourmaux, making his Hyundai debut after switching from M-Sport Ford, finished the day in fifth, 3.0 seconds behind Tanak.
Further behind, two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanpera, returning to Toyota for a full-time campaign in 2025 after a part-time schedule last season, ended the night in sixth place, 43.9 seconds behind Neuville. The Finnish driver admitted that his limited recent experience on Monte Carlo put him at a disadvantage.
M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver Gregoire Munster held seventh, just 4.5 seconds ahead of Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, who was battling the flu, while reigning WRC2 champion Sami Pajari finished ninth in his first event as a full-time Rally1 driver with Toyota.
In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Nikolay Gryazin led the way in his first event since returning to Skoda after a season with Citroen. However, Gryazin, who is in 10th place overall, did not nominate Monte Carlo as one of his seven points-counting events. Citroen C3 driver Yohan Rossel, who leads the WRC2 championship-eligible cars, was 7.2 seconds further back.
The rally continues on Friday with six tough stages totaling 66.7 competitive miles. Ice may be a factor early and late in the day, but the majority of stages should be mostly dry, although dirt and gravel on many corners are expected to create low-grip challenges.
WRC Monte Carlo Rally positions after Thursday, SS3
- Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 32m58.8s
- Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2.0s
- Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +12.8s
- Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +27.0s
- Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +30.0s
- Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +43.9s
- Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +48.8s
- Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +53.3s
- Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m24.4s
- Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 non-points) +2m16.7s
- Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Citroen C3 – WRC2 leader) +2m23.9s