Seven-time World Champion Sébastien Ogier hammered his rivals early on Friday morning by clocking two best times in the first two stages of the day. Both SS3 between Aspremont and La Bâtie des Fonts (19.61km) and SS4 from Chalancon to Gumiane (21,62 km) were won by the local hero. The second one is a brand new stage where all drivers were on equal terms, finishing with a long series of hairpins, going downhill to Gumiane. This double strike allowed Ogier to take the lead of the overall ranking, ahead of two other Toyota drivers, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä, who benefitted from the same Pirelli tyre choice by the Gazoo team (4 Super Soft, 2 studded Sottozero) for the first three stages of the day. In the meantime, the top Hyundai drivers, Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville, did not make the best of their different tyre choice (3 Super Soft, 3 studded winter tyres) and both lost a lot of time on the men in Toyotas. Three other stages are planned for Friday, including SS5 before a pause at Gap Service Park which will surely be welcome by most of the crews.
Published on:22 January 2021
