Le Rally Monte-Carlo 2025, first round of the season WRC, continues this Saturday with 6 new special stages on the menu for the day. However, the day's programme has been revised somewhat since the Aucelon/Recoubeau-Jansac special stage (SS11/SS14) has been modified. For safety reasons, it has therefore been shortened by 5,37 km from the start. It will therefore go from 20,85 km to 15,48 km. Concerning those of La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire and La Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont, no changes to report for the moment.
08h56 – SS10: La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert – 27 km
10h05 – SS11: Aucelon / Recoubeau-Jansac – 20,85 km
11h08 – ES12: La Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont – 17,85 km
14h59 – SS13: La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert – 27 km
16h05 – SS14: Aucelon / Recoubeau-Jansac – 20,85 km
17h08 – ES15: La Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont – 17,85 km
WRC – Rallye Monte-Carlo 2025
The third day live commentary
17:53 p.m. – 🏁 This is the end of this live for Saturday. Thank you for accompanying us throughout and see you this Sunday for the outcome of the Monte-Carlo 2025 from 6:39 a.m., still on AUTOhebdo. Have a great evening
17:46 p.m. – 🏁 It's my turnOgier to cross the finish line. The Tricolore could do nothing against Thank you, finishing 6 seconds behind the Estonian with a time of 8'10"48. Overall, he remains in the lead but he saw Evans take 2 seconds back. The Welshman, once again in the runner-up position, is now 4 seconds behind before the three specials on Sunday. Third, 8 seconds behind his compatriot, Fourmaux saw Tänak come back to just 2 seconds. Enough to promise us a very competitive Sunday!

SS15 standings

General classification after SS15
17h43 – Evans only loses 2 seconds on Tänak but above all takes back 5 on Fourmaux to move back into 2nd place overall. 10'43"5 for the Welshman. " Everything went pretty well, there was mud everywhere but that's normal in this rally (…) There's nothing stressful, it's easy to know what to do in these situations. »
17h40 – Fourmaux loses more time to the unleashed Tänak! The Estonian took back 7 seconds after the Frenchman's timed passage in 10'48"5. The Northerner hangs on but his teammate is more threatening than ever.
17h37 – Rovanperä sees the light at the end of the tunnel in this new difficult day. Very little rhythm for the Finn who conceded 6“8 on Tänak this time. 10'48“3 for him.
17h34 – Tänak on his way to a hat-trick this afternoon? The Estonian is in any case on the right track since he has just improved by 2 seconds with a time of 2'10"41. We worked a lot to find the right settings (…) Everything came together well this afternoon and I was able to get into a very good rhythm. »
17h31 – There is a new time to beat after Katsuta's passage. The Japanese crossed the line with an 8 tenths lead over Neuville. The new mark: 10'43“7
17h28 – 10'49“3 for Pajari at 4“8 from Neuville who showed constant progression throughout the day
17h25 – Neuville finished on a positive note with an improvement of 9 seconds and a time of 10'44"5. A difficult day for the Belgian who encountered technical problems from the first special of the day in addition to never having felt comfortable on the car. There are still changes to be made. We are on the right track, but will it be enough for tomorrow? (…) The objective will be to try to score some points tomorrow. »
17h22 – Very good learning day for McEarlan who seems to have reached a level compared to the day before. 11'08“4 for him in this last special of Saturday at 14“9 from Munster
17h19 – 10'53“5 for Munster who ends this day which he will remember for a long time since he signed his first scratch in WRC
17h08 – 🟢 The last special stage of the day is here! Munster launches hostilities one last time this Saturday
16:47 – 🏁 The start of SS15 is scheduled for 17:08
16:43 p.m. – 🏁 Second fastest time for Ogier in this SS14 in 10'48"6, 9 seconds behind Tänak who takes his second scratch in a row. It's more of a dirt rally than an asphalt rally because there's so much pollution on the road., » sums up the Tricolore who nevertheless increases his lead at the top of the general classification to 24″ over Fourmaux. Tänak himself is only 4″ off the podium!

SS14 standings

General classification after SS14
16h40 – 10'55“3 for Evans at 15“7 from Tänak. This allows Fourmaux to take back second place overall by 7 tenths. It's a horrible stage, there's nowhere to go if you make a mistake. It's full of mud everywhere. »
16h37 – It was Fourmaux’s turn to lose ground to Tänak. The Northerner finished this special in 10’52“9, 13“3 behind the Estonian who is only 9“5 behind him.
16h34 – Rovanperä is losing ground to Tänak again. The Finn has lost no less than 17 seconds to the Estonian after a time of 5'10"57. There is nothing else to add (smiles) ».
16h31 – Tänak continues and increases the pace! 10'39“6 for the Estonian who improves by 13“2. Has his awakening arrived? It looks like it! Lots of pollution and some hot moments… I really gave it my all in this one. "Now he is no longer looking behind him but ahead. Fourmaux is his next target. Before the start of SS14, there was 22" between them.
16h28 – Problems for Katsuta? The Japanese finished in 11'02"5, 9"7 behind Neuville, but clearly had problems with his handbrake during the special. We have a problem but I don't know... I stalled once and then I didn't have the confidence to drive naturally. »
16h25 – 11'03“7 for Pajari. The 2024 WRC2 champion finished 10“9 behind Neuville. The conditions were different from the morning. It wasn't bad but there was quite a bit of pollution all over the road. »
16h22 – Neuville’s i20 apparently held up well despite the shock at the start of the special. 10’52“8 for the Belgian who improved by 4“1. However, the right rear wheel moved a lot. I'm fighting with the car, it's hard to keep on the road. We're fighting to try to find improvements for tomorrow. I think there's something because I feel some vibrations. »
16h19 – McEarlan on the right track? The Irishman conceded “only” 9“9 on his teammate this time. 11'06“8 for him.
16h16 – While waiting for Neuville to arrive, Munster crossed the line in 10'56“9, setting the benchmark to beat in this SS13. This is 3“8 slower than during the morning passage. It's crazy, it looks like a war field, " deplores the Luxembourger regarding the state of the road
16h13 – A little scare for Neuville who hit the side of the road. In a left turn, the Belgian locked his wheels and hit the stone wall on the right of the road. Luckily, more fear than harm since the reigning world champion continued the special. It remains to be seen whether his i20 will hold up
16h05 – 🟢 It’s back to Monte-Carlo with the Aucelon/Recoubeau-Jansac special, reduced from 20,85 km to 15,48 km for safety reasons, as a reminder. Munster opens the road
15h42 - 🏁 The start of SS14 is scheduled for 16:05
15h39 - 🏁 Ogier finishes SS13 but the scratch remains in the hands of Tänak his second after that of SS11 earlier in the day. 16'11“4 for the Tricolore at 3“5 from the Estonian. Overall, Ogier remains in the lead, now ahead of Evans whom he relegates to 18“4. Fourmaux is third at 20“1

SS13 standings

General classification after SS13
15h36 – It’s done, change of positions in the general classification. Evans moves back to 2nd ahead of Fourmaux after his time in 16’09“8 at 1“9 behind Tänak. The Welshman now has a 1“7 lead over the Tricolore
15h33 – Fourmaux drops 6“4 on Tänak with a time of 16'14“3. But it is on Evans that the Northerner is concentrating. Before the start, he was 2nd with a 2“8 lead over the Welshman. Will he hold on? I didn't have a good feeling at the beginning of the special, so I wasn't confident. It came later. »
15h30 – Red for Rovanperä on the line who finishes 4“6 from Tänak in 16'12“5. This allows the Estonian to pass in front of the Finn and thus to temporarily settle in 4th place in the general for 3“6
15h27 – It was to be expected given his pace on this special, Tänak temporarily takes the lead thanks to a time of 16'07"9, 2"7 faster than Katsuta's just before. Consistent conditions and I immediately felt better in the car. »
15h24 – First improvement in this SS13 to be put to the credit of Katsuta. The Japanese beat the time of Munster by 3 seconds. The new reference to beat is 16'10"6 while Tänak, Rovanperä, Fourmaux, Evans and Ogier still remain
15h21 – Pajari finished 1 seconds behind Munster. 5'16"15 for the Finn in this first special of the afternoon
15h19 – This time, no problems to report at Neuville at the start of the loop. The Belgian, who is trying out different things on his i20, has let a little time slip away. 16'22“3 for him on the line at 8“7 for Munster. I don't know if something is wrong because I felt good. The only thing I can say is that I couldn't do more. »
15h16 – McErlean completed the special in 16'46“2, 32“6 behind his teammate. It's getting crazier and crazier! » The Irishman seems to be enjoying his first Rally1
15h13 – 16'13"6 for Munster who drove 15 seconds faster than during the first pass. Will this time allow him to win a second scratch in WRC after this morning's on this same special?
15h04 – Relegated to more than 5 minutes from the general classification after his setbacks on Friday and his technical breakdown this Saturday morning, Neuville spoke about this weekend which did not give him any gifts for his first rally as reigning world champion:
« Obviously it’s not been our weekend so far. It’s not the start we were hoping for. However, we’re still in the points and the rally isn’t over, so I’m trying to find the positives at the moment and keep working to improve. I’m not really sure we’ve improved, although I felt more comfortable in the last stage of the loop. However, it’s all about compromises, and at the moment the compromises aren’t very good. I’m struggling a bit but we have to try again this afternoon. If it works, we’ll try to get up to speed. »
15h00 – ⚠️ As a reminder, here is the order of the day:
Munster
McErlean
Neuville
Pottery
Feel it
Thank you
Rovanperä
Fourmaux
Evans
Ogier
14h58 – 🛞 Strategy-wise, everyone has taken on supersofts and softs this time. Tänak, Katsuta and Rovanperä have 4 supersofts and 2 softs. Pajari, Fourmaux, Ogier and Evans have bet on threes and threes while Neuville, Munster and McErlean have 2 supersofts and 4 softs.
14h56 – 🟢 The action resumes at Monte-Carlo for the afternoon loop. Munster is already on the road for this 27 km long La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert special
14h54 – 👋 Hello again everyone! The start of this Saturday afternoon's loop is scheduled for 14:56 p.m. Munster will once again open the road.
11h50 - 🏁 So that's the end of the first loop of this Saturday at Monte-Carlo 2025. See you at 14:56 p.m. for the resumption.
11h46 - 🏁 Ogier does not beat Katsuta but gives himself some breathing room at the head of the general classification. 10'40 for him at 2"2 behind the Japanese. A time which allows him to push Fourmaux to 17"2 and Evans to 20 seconds behind him. I tried to limit the risks, but it's never easy at Monte-Carlo (…) We perhaps didn't make the best choice of tyres as the rain appeared at the end of the special. »

SS12 standings

General classification after SS12
11h43 – Evans finished in 10'47“2, 9“6 behind Katsuta. This allowed Fourmaux to hold on to 2nd place and increase his lead over the Welshman to 2“8 before the afternoon loop. All that's missing is Ogier!
11h40 – Fourmaux 7 seconds behind Katsuta but he is not looking at him, but at Evans and Ogier who are still in the special. The Northerner wants to consolidate his 3nd place overall. 2'10"44 for him in this SS9. The rain started so towards the end it was quite slippery and muddy. This probably made us lose a bit of time. »
11h37 – Rovanperä remains ahead of Tänak in the general classification but by only 1 second. The Finn increased his pace at the end of the special to finish 7 seconds behind Katsuta with a time of 1'10"44. He was thus able to maintain his lead over Tänak. The conditions were tricky, especially at the start of the special (…) I'm not comfortable with the car, I can't have the speed I would like… »
11h34 – Katsuta's time is holding up for the moment. Tänak has just crossed the line but behind the Japanese since he conceded 5"2. 10'42"8 for the Estonian.
11h31 – Katsuta is smiling again after a very difficult start to the rally. The Japanese driver has set the provisional best time in 10'37"6, ahead of Neuville by 1"3. I had a lot of fun. »
11h28 – Pajari assures before returning to the assistance. 10'46“9 for the Finn at 8 full seconds from Neuville. Studious morning for the protégé of Toyota
11h25 – Neuville finished this loop on a good note since he was able to attack more. This time, the Belgian even improved the provisional reference with a time of 10'38“9, 12“9 faster than that of Munster. This is the first special where I have really been able to enjoy myself since the start of the weekend (…) I am still looking for traction above all (…) But I felt better.”
11h22 – 11'05“5 for McErlean who finished just 13“5 behind his teammate. The Irishman appeared much fitter this Saturday, no doubt helped by his position on the road. He continues to gain confidence for his first appearance in Rally1
11h19 – Munster ends his Saturday morning with a time of 10'51"8 in this SS12. Great first loop for the Luxembourger who, let's remember, won his first special in his career
11h08 – 🟢 Last special of the morning! Munster sets off to attack the 17,85 kilometres of the La Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont special
10:48 a.m. – 🏁 The start of SS12 of this 2025 Monte-Carlo Rally is scheduled for 11:08 a.m.
10h43 – 🏁 And it's a scratch for Tänak. Ogier completed the special in 10'49"9, 13 seconds behind the Estonian, which gives him a first victory in SS in this Monte-Carlo 2025. In the general classification, Ogier remains in the lead but concedes 6"1 on Fourmaux, his new runner-up. 12"3 separate the two men while Evans is lying in wait in third place at only 12"8

SS11 standings

General classification after SS11
10h40 – And it’s confirmed! Fourmaux gains a place and climbs to 2nd while waiting for Ogier to arrive. Evans lost 2 seconds on the Northerner after completing the special in 1’10”45, 9 seconds behind Tänak
10h37 – Tänak clearly set the bar very high because Fourmaux finished in 10'43“8, 6“9 behind him. I ended up with a lot of pollution on the ropes. I even stalled which cost me a few seconds. » Nevertheless, the Northerner could recover 2nd place since Evans was slower than him in the last scores
10h34 – Rovanperä loses ground on Tänak in the general classification after having conceded 14 seconds on this SS2. 10'10"51 for the Finn. These kinds of slow and narrow specials are always crap for me (smiles). » He is now only 2 seconds ahead in 9th place overall.
10h31 – That’s what you call a big improvement. Tänak just beat Katsuta by 10 seconds with a time of 7:10 seconds. Clearly, the road pollution is less of a problem on this stage, unlike on SS36. It's a bit of a surprise, he doesn't do anything like that anymore (laughs). »
10h28 – The road pollution does not seem to be very high yet since Katsuta has improved in turn. The Japanese sets the new reference to beat in 10'47“6 after beating Pajari by 2“5
10h25 – There will be no second scratch for Munster. Pajari came to spoil the Luxembourger's party by improving by 3 seconds. The time to beat is now 10'50"1. " It's positive. It was a fairly fluid special (…) I had a pretty good feeling. »
10h22 – Things are better for Neuville but not yet enough to do better than Munster. The Belgian is probably preserving his Hyundai. 10'58“1 for him, 5 seconds behind the Luxembourger's time. It's starting to get dirtier on the road. But I'm not pushing like crazy, I'm trying different things on the car to regain confidence. It's not ideal but we can't take any risks. »
10h19 – 11'18“4 for McErlean at 25“3 from Munster
10h16 – It’s fast in this special. Munster covered the 15,48 kilometres in 10’53“1. It feels good! Everyone was disgusted after yesterday's problem. Everyone worked hard to get going again. It also rewards years of work. » The Luxembourger was all smiles when it came to looking back on his first career scratch
10h11 – It seems to be going well for Neuville. At least at the start of this special since he is riding at a normal speed.
10h05 – 🟢 The action resumes at Monte-Carlo! Munster is on the road to this somewhat reworked SS11 since it has been shortened from 20,85 km to 15,48 km for safety reasons. For his part, will the Luxembourger succeed in signing a second scratch? See you in a few minutes!
9:50 a.m. – The start of SS11 of this 2025 Monte-Carlo Rally is scheduled for 10:05 a.m.
9:42 – 🏁 Although he didn’t win the special, Ogier nevertheless pushed Evans and Fourmaux a little further back in the general classification. At the end of this SS10, the Gapençais has a 16” lead over the Welshman and 8” over his compatriot
9:40 p.m. – 🏁 And on the line… it’s a first career scratch for Munster! Ogier stopped his time in 16’29“4, only 0“8 behind that of the Luxembourger. Congratulations to him! He had already done a good job yesterday. He is on the right track, " the eight-time world champion told him.
9h37 - The gap between Fourmaux and Evans is maintained since the Welshman signed exactly the same time, 5 seconds from the Munster mark.
9h34 - Munster holds on! Fourmaux crosses the line but doesn't improve. 16'33"6 for the Northerner 5 seconds behind the driver M-Sport. One more. Only Evans and Ogier are missing but both are behind in the latest checkpoints. We will see at the end of the special how it is because the last part is very tricky, " explains the Tricolor who could lose a little time on the two Toyotas in front of him
9h31 - And no, Rovanperä will not spoil the party in Munster! The double world champion finished 1 seconds behind the Luxembourger. And what if the time for his first scratch had arrived?
9h28 - Another one who doesn't beat Munster! This could well be his first career scratch while Tänak finished 10 seconds behind him in this SS1. 10'16"38 for the Estonian. Meanwhile, Rovanperä could play the spoilsport since he was ahead by just under half a second after the mid-special. Nothing happened, I just had a bit of trouble dealing with the pollution on the road. I'm also still struggling with the car, " explains Tänak.
9h25 - Munster is holding on for the moment. 16'31“6 for Katsuta, 3 seconds behind the Luxembourger. The Japanese lost about 2 seconds in the last 4 kilometers
9h22 - Pajari also more comfortable than on Friday. The Finn reached the finish line 16'39“5, 10“9 behind Munster who seems to be in the running to win the scratch. Behind, Tänak clocked 5“6 while he has just over 6 kilometers left in the special
9:20 – Neuville has reached the end of this special. The Belgian lost 1'01“3 because of his technical problem at the start of the special. 17'29“9 for him. I had to do a reset. Right from the start of the stage, I was in slow motion. I stopped to do a reset and it worked again. I have no idea (on the origin of the problem). »
9h16 - McErlean a little more in the rhythm. 16'59“3 for the Irishman at 28“3 from his teammate in this SS10. It looks much better than yesterday.
9h13 - Munster sets the first benchmark of this SS10. The Luxembourger seemed happy with his time as he crossed the finish line in 16'28"6. Will he be able to secure a scratch this Saturday? It was tricky because there were wet parts, others with mud on the ropes. (...) Glad to be the first to pass on this one »
9h06 - Neuville has apparently set off again and the car reset worked since he was 49 seconds behind Munster after 2 km and 2,3 seconds after 49 km. For the moment, we are still waiting for images of the Belgian
9:03 a.m. – ⚙️ Neuville stopped to restart his Hyundai i20, hoping that a reset would allow it to regain all its power.
9:02 – Barely gone, already problems for Neuville! The Belgian is driving almost at walking pace!
8h56 – 🟢 Here we go! Munster receives the starting signal. The Luxembourger opens the road this Saturday despite a very good Friday. Indeed, he encountered an electronic problem during the return to the assistance on Friday evening which forced him to withdraw during the liaison
8h54 – On the strategy side, the M-Sport drivers are the only ones to have chosen only soft tires for this first loop with 6 for McErlean and 5 for Munster. Neuville, Pajari, Ogier, Katsuta, Evans and Rovanperä have taken 4 soft and 2 supersoft. Tänak and Fourmaux have 3 supersoft and 3 soft.
8h52 – If you missed Friday, here is a summary of the best moments:
8h49 – Today’s starting order:
Munster
McErlean
Neuville
Pottery
Feel it
Thank you
Rovanperä
Fourmaux
Evans
Ogier
8h46 – Here is today’s map. As a reminder, the Aucelon/Recoubeau-Jansac special (SS11/SS14) was shortened from 20,85 km to 15,48 km for safety reasons. The first section, which featured very deep ravines with no barriers, was deemed dangerous.
8h41 – In the general classification, Ogier had a very good Friday and was able to make up for his mistake from the day before to take back the lead of the Rallye Monte-Carlo 2025. The Tricolore leads the dance with a 12” lead over Evans and 6” ahead of a very good Fourmaux for his first with Hyundai. Having made two mistakes at the same place on Friday, Neuville lost more than three minutes and dropped to 14th place at 2'8“3
8h30 – 👋 Hello everyone ! Welcome to this live commentary to follow together the third day of the Rallye Monte-Carlo, first round of the 2025 WRC season, with live commentary on AUTOhebdo! The start of SS10 (La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert – 27 km) will be given in a few minutes, at 8:56!
ALSO READ > Our favorites for the 2025 Monte-Carlo Rally
Cris
26/01/2025 at 06:56 a.m.
No comments this morning, it's too early for journalists 😰
Michael Duforest
26/01/2025 at 09:50 a.m.
The live broadcast has been running since 6:20 this morning, you are on the page for the third day, not the fourth... https://www.autohebdo.fr/actualites/rallye/wrc/suivez-la-derniere-journee-du-rallye-monte-carlo-2025-en-direct-commente.html