At the WRC Monte Carlo, Elfyn Evans maintains a narrow lead at the end of Friday, although his Toyota teammate, Sebastien Ogier, has significantly reduced the gap. Evans started the day with a 21.6-second lead over Ogier, but by the end of the eighth stage, that lead had narrowed to 4.5 seconds.
Ogier, a nine-time winner in Monte Carlo, achieved three victories in the six stages of the day, held on dry and slippery asphalt roads with treacherous ice patches. Thierry Neuville of Hyundai also had a strong day, despite a high-speed spin in stage four, holding the third position, 16.1 seconds behind the leader.
Ott Tanak is gaining confidence behind the wheel of the i20 N, although he finished the day 1 minute and 13.6 seconds behind due to an ice patch that briefly sent him into a ditch.
The top six were completed by M-Sport's Adrien Fourmaux (+1 minute 38.0 seconds) and Hyundai's new recruit, Andreas Mikkelsen, who is adapting to the i20 N in his Rally1 debut.
Conditions improved from the first pass through the Saint-Leger-les-Melezes/La Batie-Neuve stage, where several drivers encountered issues. Although the ice patches reduced, there was still water on the road challenging the drivers.
In the sixth stage, Neuville led the times, closing in on Evans and Ogier. Ogier cut Evans' lead by 1 second, and the competition was heating up.
The seventh stage saw Neuville win again, narrowing the gap to 17.3 seconds from the overall leader. Ogier also gained time, and Evans admitted he could have been more aggressive in some muddy sections.
Tanak stood out as the best among the other drivers, followed by Katsuta, Fourmaux, the improving Mikkelsen, and Munster.
In the last stage of the day, Ogier continued to chase Evans, gaining 4.1 seconds in a night stage. Neuville also surpassed Evans in a muddy test, creating an exciting three-way battle for the lead.
In the WRC2 category, Nikolay Gryazin leads with a 1.3-second advantage over Pepe Lopez after swapping positions during the afternoon.
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