Sébastien Ogier claimed his record-breaking tenth victory at the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season-opener, the Rallye Monte-Carlo. With a winning margin of 18.5 seconds over Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT teammate Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin and leaving his rivals slipping and sliding in the middy and black ice, it was a masterful performance on the Monte for the Frenchman and his co-driver Vincent Landais in the French Alps.
Day One – as it happened
In front of tens of thousands of spectators in the night-time opening stages, Ogier, on a charge for that magical tenth Monte win, won the first two of Day One’s three speed tests to lead by 5.3 seconds over defending World Champions Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT) and Evans 12.7 seconds off the lead.
In SS3, the final stage of Day One, the challenging mixture of dry and damp asphalt plus treacherous patches of ice caught Ogier out. He slid wide and hit a fence post that lost him 20 seconds. That off dropped him to third overall, promoting Neuville to the top of the overnight leaderboard 2.0 seconds ahead of Evans and 12.8 seconds over the Frenchman.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja were steadily engaged in an early fight for fourth with new teammates Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria. Fourmaux headed Tänak on SS1 and SS2 until the Estonian jumped ahead by 3.0 seconds on the day’s final test. An incredible Hyundai debut for the other fast Frenchman, Fourmaux!
A further 13.9sec back (and 43.9 seconds off the lead) was two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT), who returns to the WRC for a full-time campaign in 2025 after his part-time schedule last season. Rovanperä admitted his lack of recent experience in Monte-Carlo left him on the back foot as he ended the night down in sixth, saying: “The times are s**t. Really hard to say.”
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s driver Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka placed seventh, edging Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT) – with Katsuta battling a bout of the flu – by 4.5sec. The other Finns in Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT colours, Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen, placed ninth as Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov closed out the top ten in their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to top the Rally2 field (but wasn’t registered for WRC2 points).
That honour went to Citroën stars Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand, driving a PH-Sport prepared C3 Rally2, who were the highest-placed WRC2-registered team. They claimed 11th overall ahead of Irishmen Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy, who made a cautious but sensible start on their M-Sport Ford WRT Rally1 debut.
Italy’s Alberto Roveta/Nicolo Gonella claimed second in the WRC2 class in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 ahead of Yohan Rossel’s younger brother and teammate Leo Rossel with co-driver Guillaume Mercoiret (Citroën C3 Rally2) in third place in WRC2. 13th place overall went to Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), but they elected not to be registered for WRC2 points for the Monte.
In the ever-exciting WRC3 class, it was a French affair, with Ghjuvanni Rossi/Kylian Sarmezan (Ford Fiesta Rally3) taking the overall lead, 2.5 seconds ahead of Arthur Pelamourgues/Bastien Pouget (Renault Clio Rally3). Italians Matteo Fontana/Alessandro Arnaboldi (Ford Fiesta Rally3) rounded out the podium positions, 40.5 seconds off the lead. Rossi and Pelamourgues were to battle the entire rally, but more on that later.
Crews of interest to note: Iron Dames’ Sarah Rumeau/Julie Amblard (Citroën C3 Rally2) shone in the night-time stages with a 27th overall performance and 13th in WRC2 standings. Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson, in a Printsport Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 for 2025, were getting to grips with their new machine underneath them, rounded out Day One in 36th overall and 18th in Rally2 (but not registered for WRC2 points this event) after an ‘off’ that broke a damper.
Day Two – as it happened
Ogier tackled Friday’s five stages (SS5 was cancelled) and 90.66km of ice-kissed roads with the poise of an eight-time WRC champion, winning two of the days’ speed tests to reach the overnight stop 12.6 seconds ahead of the chasing pack.
In SS4, Evans attacked for the lead. He relegated Neuville to hold the most slender of leads – just 0.8 seconds. Ogier lingered in the shadows, just 4.0 seconds adrift. Evans kept his cool despite incredible pressure from behind him to reach the mid-day service with a 1.5-second lead over teammate Ogier. SS6 stage winner Fourmaux moved into third overall, with a small cushion to fifth-placed Munster.
In SS6, Neuville’s rally unravelled in dramatic fashion. The Belgian overshot a downhill right-handed hairpin (remember this corner for later), damaging his rear-left suspension and ripping the wheel off. He said in a post-stage interview: “I think we paid the price of not having enough experience with the tyre for the dry section; it felt like the tyre was quite stable, then suddenly I lost the brakes, saw the ditch, and lost the rear. The car is fine to go back to service.” He limped to service on three wheels, dragging the rear left wheel.
The World Champion’s teammate, Tänak, also suffered a massive scare in SS6. He clipped a telegraph pole on the rear-right corner of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, severely damaging his car’s bodywork and aerodynamics. Fortunately, it was more cosmetic than mechanical.
Ogier seized the opportunity in the afternoon’s loop of three stages to jump from 1.5 seconds behind Evans to hold the lead by 12.6 seconds at the overnight halt.
Fourmaux flew Hyundai’s flag high on Friday with a scintillating performance to claim third place overall after winning SS6 and setting two second-fastest stage times in the afternoon. He sat 1.6 seconds behind Evans and 24.3 seconds ahead of a still-underwhelming (for his standards) Rovanperä in fourth. Tänak held fifth with 47.3 seconds off Ogier and 8.8 seconds behind Rovanperä.
To highlight the mindblowing speed at the head of the WRC field, Katsuta finished SS6 in sixth place overall, and 1m 37.7sec off the lead – and 50.4 seconds down on Rovanperä.
Another star of Day Two was undoubtedly Munster and his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. He recorded two second-fastest scratch times in the morning loop before a puncture in SS8 cost him precious seconds to Tänak and Rovanperä. Rubbing salt in his wounds, an electrical fault on the road section to the service park forced him to retire his Puma.
For Neuville, the Monte magic had clearly left him and humbled the Belgian after the highs of 2024. On the repeat of SS6 that made up SS9, he outbraked himself on the same downhill hairpin, running off the road and causing a front-left puncture 8km into the stage. He ended Day Two eighth overall and 3m 58.6s down on Ogier.
The older Rossel leapfrogged Gryazin and his Škoda to finish Day Two in ninth place overall and lead the WRC2 category with a smart 21.4-second advantage. He won all five stages on Friday’s leg of the Monte, laying down an emphatic marker to the rest of the Rally2 class. In the WRC2 overnight standings, he had created an unassailable 2m 03.2s lead over Eric Camili/Thibault de la Haye (Hyundai i20 N Rally2).
Greensmith continued a strong showing in RC2, with second, but not being registered for WRC2 points for this event meant that second in WRC2 went to the hard-charging Camili.
Younger Rossel, Leo, rounded out Day Two in third place in WRC2, repaying the confidence his supporters have shown in him with a dazzling performance. He was just 16.0 seconds adrift of the much-experienced Camili.
The WRC3 fight between Ghjuvanni Rossi and Arthur Pelamourgues – a Ford versus Renault battle – was decisively decided on SS4. Pelamourgues jumped from 2.5 seconds behind Rossi to a 44.1-second advantage. After a clean sweep of stage wins, he extended this to 2m 08.1s at the overnight halt. A star performance!
Day Three – as it happened
Six stages and 120.66km made up the longest day of the 2025 Monte. It was another fantastic display of driving skill by Ogier to extend his lead to 20.3 seconds to Evans and the chasing field. In fact, the top five were covered by less than a minute.
The road conditions were slightly more predictable thanks to milder temperatures and less ice. However, Ogier’s starting position of tenth meant he was forced to slip and slide over the mud pulled in from the cuts of the cars ahead. Composed and focused, Ogier never looked like easing his grip on the handle of Monte’s trophy, though. Still, he managed to squeeze out 12.6 seconds over Evans at the end of Day Three.
Behind Ogier, chaos ensued. Evans and Fourmaux traded places in an all-out fight for second place. Evans held on to second place overnight with 4.3 seconds over Fourmaux in third place. Tänak dug deep to find extra speed in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 on Day Three. He set the four fastest stage times, reeling in handfuls of seconds to move from 47.3 seconds off the lead to 27.1 seconds but a threatening 2.5 seconds off his teammate Fourmaux at the evening’s stop.
A frustrated two-time WRC champion, Rovanperä, who ended Day Three 27.9sec behind Tänak in fifth, still felt his pace wasn’t good enough to move higher up the leaderboard. His post-stage interview shed light on his predicament: “I found myself again quite slow. I have no answer…” The Finn will most likely be the fastest of all at Rally Sweden in a few weeks, where the stages are more high-speed and flowing in nature, which suits his driving style better. Either way, that thought never seemed to wipe the grumpiness from his face at Monte this past weekend.
Holding station in sixth place overall was Katsuta ahead of Toyota teammate Pajari, albeit with 2m 26.2s separating the two crews.
As if Neuville’s Monte couldn’t get any worse… His Hyundai i20 N Rally1 suffered an engine power delivery problem – the same as in Rally Japan last season – to cost him over 50 seconds. He ended Day Three over 5 minutes off the lead, and any hopes of a better points-paying finish were ruined.
Munster’s magical Monte mission was made all the more challenging due to another technical gremlin in his Puma Rally1. After setting his career-first fastest WRC stage time in SS10 and driving cleanly throughout the day’s stages on the road section back to the overnight service park in Gap, he was forced to retire again. Without a doubt, had he not been saddled with the technical issues, he’d have been fighting for a top-five overall placing.
M-Sport Ford’s WRC newcomer Josh McErlean held his composure and stuck to his game plan to learn as much as possible about the new Hankook rubber, his Puma, and the WRC pacenotes. He rounded out Day Three in ninth place overall behind Neuville.
In the Rally2 fight, Gryazin overtook Yohan Rossel to claim tenth place overall, but Rossel continued to extend his WRC2 lead over brother Leo for a PH Sport Citroën C3 Rally2 one-two overnight. Leo, making his WRC debut, reeled in Camili and his Hyundai to finish Day Three 0.5 seconds ahead, while Camili had a 2m 18.9s cushion over fourth-placed Jan Černý.
Pelamourgues continued his peerless performance in WRC3 to control the class with a dominant 4m 02.8s lead over the chasing pack. Rossi was overtaken by Italian Fontana for second place, with over 1 minute separating the two crews.
Day Four – as it happened
With just 50.90km over three stages to run on Sunday, Ogier controlled the pace with a flawless pace to win his record-setting tenth Monte. He set two fastest stage times, including the Power Stage, to claim the full complement of 33 championship points. He won by 18.5 seconds over Evans, with the Welshman sweating to keep the increasingly impressive Fourmaux behind.
Fourmaux and teammate Tänak traded places in SS16, the day’s opener, but Fourmaux snatched his second WRC stage win in SS17 to move clear of the Estonian and open a 23.3-second gap over him.
It was a massive gamble for Fourmaux. Evans equipped his Yaris with four studded Hankook tyres and two super soft slick tyres, while Fourmaux’s i20 was shod with full super soft slicks. Fourmaux held his nerve on the icy roads on SS16 and attacked on the drier SS17.
Fortunately, the icy conditions over the iconic Col de Turini levelled the field, where Fourmaux could hang onto – and cement – his first WRC podium result. He closed to within 7.5 seconds of Evans in second; a clear signal of his pace in 2025.
Ogier said at the finish: “What a weekend. I don’t know where to start; what a weekend. I think I have had my lucky star with me this weekend – my uncle, who we lost one year ago. I am sure he was bringing me everything, and this one is for him. I have no idea if it is my last [Rallye Monte-Carlo] now. It would be a good place to stop.”
Rovanperä grabbed fourth place from Tänak on the Power stage by just 47 seconds. Neuville took sixth, with McErlean seventh overall.
Highlighting the tricky stage conditions, the Monte always has a sting in its tail. Pajari and Katsuta both slid off the road in SS17, with Munster ending his Monte in the same fate on the Power Stage.
Yohan Rossel claimed a fantastic eighth place overall, and the WRC2 and Rally2 victory from Gryazin by 1m 13.9s. He won 15 of the rally’s 17 stages. It was a commanding drive from the Frenchman, boosting his confidence for his 2025 WRC2 campaign.
It was a PH Sport one-three result, with brother Leo taking third after Camili clinched second place and tenth place overall.
Pelamourgues finished his Monte 5m 02.7s ahead of Fontana and the chasing WRC3 crews to claim a stylish start to his 2025 season.
Crews of interest to note: Iron Dames’ Sarah Rumeau/Julie Amblard (Citroën C3 Rally2) continued their excellent performance, climbing up the overall leaderboard to finish 20th overall performance and ninth in the WRC2 standings. Oliver Solberg was slapped with a five-minute post-event time penalty for ‘drifting’ and ‘exhibition driving’ at the Monaco GP hairpin after the final podium ceremony. This penalty didn’t affect much, as he wasn’t registered for WRC2 points.
Handbrakes & Hairpins’ driver of the weekend? Adrien Fourmaux, take a bow!
Another talking point is the Hankook tyres, which performed faultlessly in the dynamic conditions of the Monte. None of the drivers complained about their tyres nor suffered delaminations or other such maladies, which bodes well for the Korean brand’s tenure in the WRC for 2025.
The WRC next moves to the snow and ice of Rally Sweden from 13-16 February.
Overall Rallye Monte-Carlo Results:
01: S. Ogier/V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 3h 19m 06.1s
02: E. Evans/S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) + 18.5s
03: A. Fourmaux/A. Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) + 26.0s
04: K. Rovanperä/J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) + 54.3s
05: O. Tänak/M. Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) + 59.0s
06: T. Neuville/M. Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) + 5m 44.2s
07: J. McErlean/E. Treacy (M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1) + 10m 15.1s
08: Y. Rossel/A. Dunand (Citroën C3 Rally2) + 10m 26.8s
09: N. Gryazin/K. Aleksandrov (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) + 11m 40.7s
10: E. Camili/T. De la Haye (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) + 13m 14.6s
WRC Drivers’ Points Standings after Round One:
01: S. Ogier – 33 pts
02: E. Evans – 26 pts
03: A. Fourmaux – 20 pts
04: K. Rovanperä – 18 pts
05: O. Tänak – 11 pts
06: T. Neuville – 9 pts
07: J. McErlean – 6 pts
08: Y. Rossel – 4 pts
09: N. Gryazin – 2 pts
10: E. Camili – 1 pt
WRC Points Standings for Manufacturers after Round One:
01: Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT – 60 pts
02: Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT – 36 pts
03: M-Sport Ford WRT – 11 pts
WRC2 Drivers’ Points Standings after Round One:
01: Y. Rossel – 25 pts
02: E. Camili – 17 pts
03: L. Rossel – 15 pts
WRC3 Drivers’ Points Standings after Round One:
01: A. Pelamourgues – 25 pts
02: M. Fontana – 17 pts
03: G. Rossi – 15 pts
[…] Sébastien Ogier, winner for the tenth time on the iconic Rallye Monte-Carlo, alongside his co-driver Vincent Landais, is the figurehead of the French contingent, many young […]
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