Ogier holds the lead in the Monte Carlo Rally 2025

Sébastien Ogier finished Saturday as the leader of the Rallye Monte Carlo, the first round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship, with a 20.3-second lead over his closest competitors. Despite the challenging conditions of the alpine stages west of Gap, the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver maintained his position while aiming for his tenth victory at this event.

Consistent pace in the morning

The dirty roads and constant position changes marked the morning stages. Ogier focused on keeping a calculated pace to minimize risks, extending his initial lead to 17.2 seconds over Adrien Fourmaux, who climbed to second place after overtaking Elfyn Evans. Fourmaux delivered a strong performance in the early stages, but the battle for the podium continued into the afternoon.

Ott Tanak's performance in the afternoon

During the second loop, Ott Tanak, driving his Hyundai, excelled by winning all three scheduled stages. This allowed him to narrow the gap with the leaders, intensifying the fight for the podium. Tanak overtook Kalle Rovanperä and closed to within 10 seconds of second place.

Mechanical issues

Thierry Neuville, the defending champion, faced power issues with his Hyundai in the morning and hit a rock in the afternoon. Despite these setbacks, he managed to hold on to eighth place. Meanwhile, Grégoire Munster celebrated his first WRC stage win, although previous mechanical difficulties relegated him to lower positions in the overall standings.

WRC2

In WRC2, Yohan Rossel leads with a significant advantage, establishing himself as the top contender in his category. Meanwhile, Josh McErlean broke into the top 10 by the end of the day, overtaking Nikolay Gryazin.