As in the first pass earlier this morning (SS12), Monte-Carlo Rally leader Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) clocked the best time in Stage 14 between Puget-Théniers and La Penne (12,93 km), improving his time by five seconds only on a less slippery road. He just needs to manage safely the last 15 km of the Power Stage (SS15) and he will win his favourite rally for the 8th time in his career, setting a new record ahead of former arch-rival Sébastien Loeb. His Welsh team-mate, Elfyn Evans, has given up on putting pressure on the 7-time World Champion, just like Thierry Neuville. The Belgian driver is ready to bring back a good stock of points for Hyundai, which will be added to Dani Sordo’s points for 5th, at the end of a disappointing rally for the Korean firm. Ogier now holds a 28-second safety net over Evans, 1 min 08 on Neuville, 2 min 30 on young Finn Kalle Rovanperä in the third works Yaris, 2 min 52 on Sordo and 6 min 24 on Japanese hopeful Takamoto Katsuta, 6th and very happy of his intensive learning week-end in the French Alps.

Sébastien Ogier (Toyota), the 7-time World Champion, has started in ideal conditions his quest for an 8th world title before retiring from WRC at the end of 2021. The Frenchman is now an 8-time winner of the Monte-Carlo Rally, with the efficient help of his faithful co-driver, Julien Ingrassia. And he took great care to do finish in style, by winning the 5 bonus points of the Power Stage (SS15), although he did not need to, after winning 8 special stages this week-end.

Ogier also brings Toyota its first win in Monaco since Carlos Sainz in 1998. He will start the Arctic Rally with 30 championship points in the pocket of his race overalls, and in a Yaris that he enjoyed driving a lot on the tricky roads between Gap and Monaco. He said it in the village of Entrevaux, at the finish line of this 89th edition of a 110-year-old rally, the oldest and most prestigious on the WRC calendar.

This is also Ogier’s 50th win in WRC since the very first one in Portugal, in 2010. And it is the best way to start what should be his last full season in WRC. “It was a good decision to start again for one last season with Toyota”, Ogier said before climbing on his 85th WRC podium (in 157 events). He also insisted on his pleasure driving the new Yaris WRC all week-end, and welcomed his new boss at Toyota Gazoo WRT, Jari-Matti Latvala, who was his loyal team-mate during his Volkswagen years.

Last but not least, Ogier is now the one and only rally driver who won the Monte-Carlo Rally for five different car manufacturers: Peugeot in 2009, when he won an IRC-sanctioned event in a 207 S2000, in a year when the world’s oldest and most prestigious rally was not included in the WRC calendar; then Volkswagen (2014 to 2016), Ford (2017 and 2018), Citroën (2019) and Toyota (2021). This is one better than Walter Röhrl, the Monte-Carlo winner for four different car brands, in the last century. An authentic legend of world rallying. Just like Carlos Sainz, Sébastien Loeb… and Sébastien Ogier.

Power Stage (ES15) :
1. Ogier, 2. Rovanperä, 3. Evans, 4. Neuville, 5. Sordo

The President of the Automobile Club de Monaco, Me Michel Boeri, accompanied by Christian Tornatore, General Commissioner of the ACM and Monte-Carlo Rally Director, were rewareded by Mr. Jona Siebel, Director General of the WRC Promoter, the perseverance trophy on this Sunday, January 24, date of the 89th Monte-Carlo Rally arrival in Monaco.

A special prize intended to reward the ACM for the diligence of its organization, specialy this year in a specific context of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), the winner last year, was very fast in Stage 10 and clocked his first best time of the 89th Monte-Carlo Rally, 110th Anniversary Edition. Even more interesting, he did it in style, reducing his gap on leader Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) by 42 seconds in the space of 20.48km, between Saint-Clément and Freissinières. At the time he passed on this road, a few minutes before Ogier, Neuville could enjoy winter conditions to the full and the studs of his Pirelli Sottozero winter tyres were efficient. A few minutes later, the sun was up, the snow and ice were melting, so Ogier’s studs were totally useless, and the same for Evans one minute later on the road. The Welshman also stalled in a hairpin, losing four more seconds on Ogier, and the Frenchman is still in the lead, but he was slightly worried at the end of the stage. Another Frenchman, youngster Pierre-Louis Loubet (Hyundai), for his first ever Monte-Carlo Rally, benefitted from this quick change of conditions and posted the 2nd best time of this SS10, thanks to the fact that was opening the road after crashing in SS7 on Friday. With one more stage to go on Saturday, Ogier now enjoys a 14-second advantage on Evans and the fight is still on, more than ever, for the last podium spot between Kalle Rovanperä, 3rd in the other Toyota, but 50 seconds behind Ogier, and Neuville, 1.4 second only behind the young Finn. Last but not least, the nightmare continues for Ott Tänak, who started the day in 3rd place. He had another puncture in SS10 and then finished a second consecutive stage on the rim. He is now 14th and almost 10 minutes behind Ogier. Game over, or almost.

Elfyn Evans (Toyota) posted the last best time of Saturday, in Stage 11, by going 1.3 second faster than Sébastien Ogier between La Bréole and Selonnet (20,48 km). He could then hit the road for Monaco in a much better mood, as the last credible rival for his team-mate. « I needed this one », Evans said on the finish line, « because I did not feel good this morning. I will try to keep on putting pressure on Seb », he added after only his second stage win of this rally. It happened on the very same road where Ogier hammered him early this morning, in Stage 9. The gap between the Toyota drivers, in favour of Ogier, was of 17 seconds, around 7 am. « The conditions have changed a lot since this morning », Ogier noted, but the 7-time World Champion was happy that he had completed a « clean stage » to end the day safely. He will start Sunday with a 13-second advantage on Evans but anything can happen on a last morning at Monte-Carlo Rally, especially if the stops are only meant to fill the tank and change the tyres. One minute behind Ogier and Evans, the last available spot on Sunday’s podium will be fought between 20-year-old Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) and 5-time vice-champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), the winner last year in Monaco. Ott Tänak will not be around since he retired on Saturday after finishing two stages on the rim, following consecutive punctures in SS9 and 10. In FIA WRC2, Andreas Mikkelsen, the former works driver for VW and Hyundai, holds a 2-minute advantage over Adrien Fourmaux. In FIA WRC3, a French treble is still a possibility, thanks to Yohan Rossel, Yoann Bonato and Nicolas Ciamin.

Major of the Gap / Fontreyne service park was damaged last night after strong winds hit the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department. Lots of material damage but fortunately not serious which will not prevent the 89th Rallye Monte-Carlo from restarting this morning. First competitor to leave the parc fermé, Pierre-Louis Loubet at 5:19 am….

Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) was back in his favourite position, leading Rally Monte-Carlo, Saturday morning, after clocking the best time in Stage 9, around 7 am, and showing who is the boss again this year. The best of his rivals, his Welsh team-mate Elfyn Evans, had to concede 17 seconds over 18.31 km of this SS9 between La Bréole and Selonnet, so one second per km, in average. In the Vallée de la Blanche, the dark night and the slippery conditions (-3°C at the start) did not trouble the 7-time World Champion, although « we had the impression of not having studs at all », Ogier said at the finish line. The Frenchman is still, more than ever, the huge favourite to win the Monte-Carlo of the 110th anniversary, with two more stages to manage on Saturday (SS10, SS11) and a 10-second advantage on Evans, before hitting the road for Monaco. Behind Ogier and Evans, the gaps are growing fast since Ott Tänak, who was 3rd Friday night, has lost big at the beginning of Stage 9: a spin in a hairpin, a rock, a puncture and then most of the stage done without a tyre on his front left wheel, losing one minute and 20 seconds on Ogier. This allows Kalle Rovanperä, the young Finn and 3rd Toyota driver, to get back to the 3rd spot, but over one minute behind Ogier and battling with Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), the winner last year. Game on !

The first big day at Rally Monte-Carlo 2021 started with a bang: around 6 :30 near Gap, 7-time World Champion Sébastien Ogier well awake in his Toyota, posted the best time in SS3 between Aspremont and La Bâtie des Fonts (19.61km) and Finnish sensation Kalle Rovanperä, in another Yaris, moved up to the first position of the overall ranking. The leader on Thursday night, Ott Tänak (Hyundai), was « a bit too careful » on the icy portions, he said, and he lost 17 seconds in the space of 19km on Ogier, aiming for an 8th win in the « Monte » and an 8th world title at the end of the year. Welshman Elfyn Evans (Toyota) is now 2nd overall, 2.2 seconds only behind the 20-year-old Finnish driver whose engine stalled in a hairpin. The rally is all set for an exciting morning, since Ogier and Tänak, the last two World Champions, are now in the chase for the leadership, 8 seconds only behind Rovanperä. Four other stages are scheduled on Friday for the 76 remaining crews. Then everybody will head back for Gap Service Park…