Sébastien Ogier overcame his accelerator problem

At the start of the Power Stage Rally Monte Carlo yesterday in the middle of the day, the almost zero gap between Sébastien Ogier (Citroen) and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) did not necessarily seem to plead in favor of the world champion.

The reason ? A problem with the accelerator highlighted by the Citroën Racing driver which visibly prevented him from being 100% in harmony with his C3. A little less than 14 km further, the six-time world champion was able to let his joy escape with his co-driver Julien Ingrassia, after having managed to beat Thierry Neuville on the final course.

“It was not a foregone conclusion, this last stage was particularly stressful and difficult with our little problem, which meant that the car continued to accelerate, even when braking, comments Ogier.

But with good advice from the team, we managed to carry out a makeshift repair and we fought tirelessly, with success in the end. » A victory which allows Citroën, already holder of the record for success in WRC ahead of Ford and Lancia, to cross the symbolic bar of 100 triumphs on the international rally scene.

“It is a strong and extremely important symbol for us to be able to secure this hundredth WRC success in the first race of the season, especially in an event as legendary as the Monte-Carlo, which is also run mainly on our territory, mentions Citroën Racing director Pierre Budar.

It is also a real satisfaction to add an eighth victory to our joint record with Sébastien and Julien, in this Citroën centenary year. In a rally as crazy as this one, with very difficult tire choices and particularly tricky road conditions, they were quite simply imperial.

Imperial mastery and serenity. It's very interesting to work with them, because they get straight to the point and know exactly what we need to focus on. They allow us to progress quickly and we will have to continue to work tirelessly because this first round clearly suggests a season that is even more competitive than ever. »

Citroën Racing thus returns to success, the last having been won by Sébastien Loeb last October in Catalonia. The French brand also returns to the top step of the Monte-Carlo Rally podium, for the first time since 2013.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Monte-Carlo Rally, produced by our special correspondents in Gap, in issue 2201 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version, and this Wednesday on newsstands.