2025 Rallye Monte-Carlo – Friday report
Ogier, chasing an unprecedented 10th Rallye Monte-Carlo triumph in this season-opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship, began the day on the back foot after an off-road moment on Thursday’s third stage cost him around 20sec. By Friday evening, however, the Frenchman had turned the tables, leading the rally by 12.6sec thanks to a masterful drive on the ice-kissed stages.
Ogier’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 team-mate Elfyn Evans initially dethroned overnight leader Thierry Neuville on the opening stage, edging ahead after shading the Belgian by 2.8sec at Saint-Maurice – Aubessagne 1. Neuville’s hopes of reclaiming the lead were dashed moments later when he limped out of La Bréole – Selonnet 1 with a damaged rear-left suspension, a costly consequence of running wide on a downhill hairpin.
Evans, a four-time runner-up in the drivers’ championship, saw his lead reduced to just 1.5sec by midday. A spirited response after service helped him extend the margin to 7.9sec, but disaster struck on an icy section in Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes – La Bâtie-Neuve. A half-spin on a treacherous patch handed the stage win – and the rally lead – back to Ogier. The Frenchman, energised by competing on roads just a stone’s throw from his home village of Forest-Saint-Julien, extended his advantage further with a commanding performance on the day’s finale.
Sébastien Ogier staged an impressive comeback on Friday at Rallye Monte-Carlo, vaulting from third to first overall as Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans fell victim to the treacherous Alpine roads.
With Neuville and Ott Tänak both facing setbacks – Tänak clipped a telegraph pole on SS6, damaging his i20 N Rally1’s bodywork – it was Adrien Fourmaux who carried the Hyundai torch. On his first WRC outing with the team, Fourmaux showed promise with a stage win and two second-fastest times, securing the final podium spot just 1.6sec behind Evans.
Two-time WRC champion Kalle Rovanperä also found his rhythm after a measured start on Thursday. The Toyota ace won the morning’s opening stage and climbed from sixth to fourth by day’s end. He ended 24.3sec behind Fourmaux but held an 8.8sec cushion over Tänak, whose SS6 moment required a shopping list of replacement body panels.
Grégoire Munster delivered one of his strongest performances to date, securing consecutive second-fastest stage times in the morning loop. The M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver ran as high as fourth before a tyre deflation on the penultimate stage dropped him to sixth overall, but worse was to come as an electrical fault on the road section after the final test forced his retirement.
That meant that Takamoto Katsuta rounded out Friday in sixth, ahead of Neuville and Toyota’s young star Sami Pajari. Neuville lost more time on the second pass through La Bréole – Selonnet, suffering a tyre deflation that caused him to slide wide at the same corner where he had faltered earlier in the day.
Flawless Rossel builds mighty Monte WRC2 lead
Yohan Rossel laid down an emphatic marker, storming into a commanding WRC2 lead in 10th overall by Friday night.
The Frenchman, driving a PH Sport Citroën C3 Rally2, has been unbeatable so far, winning every stage contested over the first two days of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season opener.
Rossel, who fought tooth and nail to claim victory here by just 4.0sec last year, is in a league of his own this time around. By the close of Friday’s action, he held a staggering 2min 3.2sec advantage over Hyundai i20 N Rally2 driver Eric Camilli, thanks to an unbroken streak of stage wins across Thursday and Friday’s Alpine stages near Gap.
The Rossel family jubilation continued as Yohan’s younger brother, Léo, dazzled on his WRC debut. The 27-year-old drove another PH Sport Citroën to third overall, just 16.0sec behind Camilli. Léo also led the WRC2 Challenger category, open to up-and-coming drivers who have not previously won a WRC2 or WRC3 title in a Rally2 car or scored WRC manufacturer points.
Elsewhere in WRC2, Roberto Daprà guided his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to fourth, with Jan Černy and Filip Kohn rounding out the top six. Maurizio Chiarini impressed in the WRC Masters Cup, holding a decisive lead in the category for drivers aged 50 and over.
Saturday is the rally’s longest day and includes six stages totalling more than 120 kilometres against the clock.
