The 2025 FIA World Rally Championship is off to a breathtaking start, with reigning champion Thierry Neuville seizing the overnight lead at the Monte Carlo Rally after Thursday’s dramatic opening stages. The night was marked by nail-biting action, frigid alpine conditions, and a rare error from rally legend Sébastien Ogier, who slid out of contention for the lead in spectacular fashion.
Neuville Capitalizes on Ogier’s Rare Misstep
After launching from Monaco’s iconic Casino Square, competitors tackled three challenging stages in the French Alps, illuminated by headlights and the flares of thousands of devoted fans. Early on, Ogier seemed poised to dominate, clocking the fastest times in the first two stages. However, disaster struck on the 8.68-mile Avançon/Notre-Dame-du-Laus test, where the eight-time champion slid wide, colliding with a fence post and losing over 20 seconds.
“Difficult conditions, lots of mud on the road, and we hit a pole sideways. Lucky to get away with that,” Ogier admitted after the scare, which could have ended his night entirely.
Neuville, ever the opportunist, delivered a controlled and error-free drive in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 to snatch the lead by 2.0 seconds over Elfyn Evans’ Toyota GR Yaris.
“It was super tricky to keep it on the road,” Neuville said. “I’m happy with the first day. Our target was to finish today cleanly, and we did that.”
Toyota and Hyundai Battle at the Top
Evans, piloting the other GR Yaris, maintained steady pace throughout the evening, staying within striking distance of Neuville. Meanwhile, Ogier’s mishap relegated him to third, 12.8 seconds adrift of the lead but still very much in contention for his record-extending 10th Monte Carlo victory.
Further down the leaderboard, Hyundai’s Ott Tänak secured fourth after a cautious start, overtaking teammate Adrien Fourmaux in the final stage. Fourmaux, making his Hyundai debut after a switch from M-Sport, sits just 3.0 seconds behind Tänak in fifth.
Rovanperä’s Struggles and Pajari’s Debut
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä, a two-time WRC champion, is still shaking off the rust after a part-time campaign in 2024. Ending the day in sixth, Rovanperä cited his lack of recent experience on Monte Carlo’s treacherous asphalt as a key challenge.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done this rally in full, and it shows. We’ll try to improve tomorrow,” said the Finn.
Sami Pajari, the reigning WRC2 champion and now a full-time Rally1 driver with Toyota, made a respectable top-10 debut, finishing ninth.
WRC2: Gryazin Leads but Rossel Eyes Points
In the WRC2 class, Nikolay Gryazin shone in his return to Skoda machinery, leading the category and sitting 10th overall. However, since Gryazin did not nominate Monte Carlo as a points-eligible event, Citroën’s Yohan Rossel holds the championship lead in WRC2, trailing Gryazin by just 7.2 seconds.
What’s Next?
The rally continues on Friday with six stages covering 66.7 competitive miles. The icy patches and unpredictable grip levels that tested drivers on Thursday are expected to persist, with dry roads mixed with gravel and dirt-strewn corners promising further drama.
Monte Carlo Rally Standings After SS3
- Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – 32m58.8s
- Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +2.0s
- Sébastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +12.8s
- Ott Tänak (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – +27.0s
- Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – +30.0s
- Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +43.9s
- Grégoire Munster (Ford Puma Rally1) – +48.8s
- Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +53.3s
- Sami Pajari (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – +1m24.4s
- Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 non-points) – +2m16.7s
