The first round of the 2023 WRC season ended with a historic result in one of the most legendary events of this championship: with victory in the 91st edition of the Monte-Carlo Rally, Sebastien Ogier became the pilot with the most successes in the Principality. Until this weekend, the Frenchman shared this special first with compatriot Sébastien Loeb, but with today’s claim, the eight-time world champion has achieved a total of nine victories in career. No one, therefore, has ever managed to obtain such a result.
A round that had started very promisingly for Ogier, who already boasted a substantial advantage over the reigning world champion’s other Toyota Kalle Rovanperä. A pair of riders who, together with Wales Elfyn Evans, closed the first stage on Sunday morning in the first three positions, thus generating a hat-trick in front of the two Hyundais of Neuville and Sordo. The Belgian however denied such a result in the following stage, finishing in third position on the Col de Turini in a race dominated by the reigning world champion, ahead of his French rival. A virtual podium also favored by the more negative performance of Evans, only 6th, but with an even more positive personal performance than that of the next stage, even closed in 7th place with Ogier author of the best time in front of an excellent Katsuta. However, the Japanese made a mistake in the Power Stage, final act of the Monte-Carlo Rally, slipping out of the top-10. On the contrary, in the third round on the Col de Turini he demonstrated all his qualities Rovanperäwinner in front of a Ott Tanak by applause, who redeems the not excellent performances of this round with the Ford Puma by finishing on the podium a tenth ahead of Evans. 5th Ogier, but this performance did not prevent him from celebrating his record-breaking success in the Principality, where even Rovanperä he can console himself with another record: that of having become the pilot younger always to have exceeded 100 victories in the special stages. The Finn will try to close in front of everyone in the general standings from 10 to 12 February, when the snowy Rally Sweden will take place.
WRC | Rallye Monte-Carlo: final standings – Top 10
POS. | PILOT | CAR | TIME/GAP |
1 | S. OGIER | Toyota | 3:12:02.0 |
2 | K. ROVANPERÄ | Toyota | +18.8 |
3 | T. NEUVILLE | Hyundai | +44.6 |
4 | E. EVANS | Toyota | +1:12.4 |
5 | O. TÄNAK | Ford | +2:34.9 |
6 | T. KATSUTA | Toyota | +3:32.6 |
7 | D. DEAF | Hyundai | +3:47.5 |
8 | E. LAPPI | Hyundai | +3:51.3 |
9 | N. GRYAZIN | Skoda (WRC2) | +10:03.4 |
10 | Y. ROSSEL | Citroën (WRC2) | +10:07.9 |
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