WRC – Ogier's lead narrows in Monte-Carlo

Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen) has not yet secured its victory in the Rally Monte Carlo. The leader of the event only has a 43-second lead over his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala on the evening of the third stage, whereas he had a margin of almost two minutes at the start of the day. The Finn took back 20 seconds in Sisteron-Thoard (SS12) where the icy section forced the crews to be extra careful.

Andreas Mikkelsen always completes a 100% Volkswagen temporary podium. The Norwegian no longer seems threatened by his compatriot Mads Ostberg (Citroën) who encountered serious engine problems on the last course, even forcing him to stop before finishing the special on three cylinders. The first Red driver still maintains a half-minute lead over the Hyundai by Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville. The Belgian ended the day well by coming back to within five seconds of the Spaniard after opting for studded tires.

The Korean manufacturer's drivers took advantage of the misfortunes of Elfyn Evans (Ford) who fell to seventh after damaging his suspension in Prunières-Embrun (SS11) following contact with a wall. The Briton thinks he can rally the audience on his own.

Martin Prokop (Ford) is still in eighth place with 45 seconds ahead of Sébastien Loeb (Citroen). The seven-time winner of the Monaco event can only hope to catch up with the Czech who is more than three minutes behind the Ford in front of him. Kris Meeke (Citroën) climbed into the top ten by taking the scratch in the last special.

Stéphane Lefebvre (DS3 R5) is now a solid leader in WRC2 since his direct rival Martin Koci (Fiesta R5) fell to third behind Armin Kremer (Skoda Fabia S2000) after being slowed down by transmission problems. Quentin Gilbert (DS3 R3) remains at the head of the JWRC avec une avance de près de quatre minutes sur Ole Veiby (DS3 R3). François Delecour (Porsche 911) conserve une bonne avance en R-GT avec plus de trois minutes d’avance sur la 911 de Romain Dumas.

The final stage of the Monte-Carlo Rally will begin tomorrow from 9:35 a.m. for 52km timed spread over three special stages. The videos of the event can be consulted here.