The 2025 FIA World Rally Championship began in dazzling fashion at the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo, with defending champion Thierry Neuville taking an early lead. Thousands of fans lined the alpine roads, witnessing a thrilling night of action under the stars. Sébastien Ogier, chasing his 10th Monte-Carlo victory, faced a costly setback, allowing Neuville to seize the advantage.
A Spectacular Start in Monaco
The rally kicked off with a ceremonial start at Monaco’s iconic Casino Square. Competing crews then climbed into the French Alps for the opening three stages, a spectacle illuminated by powerful headlights and fireworks. The event was broadcast to over 150 countries, ensuring global fans could follow the action via WRC’s streaming platform, Rally.TV.
Ogier, piloting the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, dominated the first two stages, posting consecutive fastest times. However, a wide slide into a fence post during the third stage cost him valuable seconds and dropped him to third place.
Neuville Capitalizes on Ogier’s Misstep
Driving the Hyundai i20 N Rally1, Neuville delivered a flawless performance to claim the overnight lead, edging out Toyota’s Elfyn Evans by just 2.0 seconds. Neuville credited his Hankook Ventus Z215 super soft tires, which performed reliably on a mix of dry asphalt, damp surfaces, and icy patches.
“On the first part [of SS3] I was painting the road, and in the last part I was cleaning the road!” Neuville joked. “It was super tricky to keep it on the road, but I’m happy with how we managed the day.”
Ogier expressed relief after escaping significant damage in his incident, saying: “It was difficult with a lot of mud on the road. We hit a pole sideways, and it’s always lucky to get away with that.”
Top Contenders and Challengers
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak maintained a steady pace to secure fourth, 27.0 seconds behind Neuville. He overtook debuting teammate Adrien Fourmaux, who finished the night just 3.0 seconds further back in fifth.
Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä, returning to Toyota for a full 2025 campaign, ended the day in sixth. A lack of recent experience on Monte-Carlo’s challenging terrain left him trailing by 43.9 seconds.
Other notable performances included Grégoire Munster in seventh, edging Takamoto Katsuta by 4.5 seconds. Katsuta, battling the flu, pushed through the tough conditions. Sami Pajari and Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top ten, with Citroën’s Yohan Rossel leading the WRC2 category in 11th overall.
What’s Next?
Friday’s action features six demanding stages, covering over 100 competitive kilometers. With the leaderboard tightly packed, fans can expect more drama as drivers tackle the icy and unpredictable Monte-Carlo roads.
Thursday Standings (SS3/18):
- T. Neuville / M. Wydaeghe (BEL) – Hyundai i20 N – 32m 58.8s
- E. Evans / S. Martin (GBR) – Toyota GR Yaris – +2.0s
- S. Ogier / V. Landais (FRA) – Toyota GR Yaris – +12.8s
- O. Tänak / M. Järveoja (EST) – Hyundai i20 N – +27.0s
- A. Fourmaux / A. Coria (FRA) – Hyundai i20 N – +30.0s
- K. Rovanperä / J. Halttunen (FIN) – Toyota GR Yaris – +43.9s
Source: WRC
This article was crafted with assistance from Chatgpt
