The drivers have already completed the first 41.36 kilometers of the Monte-Carlo Rally, ending the itinerary for Thursday’s first day of competition. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja go to sleep as leaders in the Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC.
We don’t have to go much lower to discover the first “surprise“. Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen are second in the Toyota Yaris WRC, 3.3 seconds behind first place. We remember that we are before the tenth rally of the young Finn aboard a car of the highest category.
Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin are third. They have not lost their head and are eight and a half seconds behind the first position. Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier, the two protagonists of the last edition, are more off the hook. They are fourth and fifth, but 16 seconds behind Tänak.
Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio have lost very valuable seconds due to problems, apparently, with the differential. The Cantabrian was comfortable, but the Korean unit has not responded as it should. As Sordo has indicated, it should be solved tomorrow.
Perre-Louis Loubet, Andreas Mikkelsen, Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith complete the top ten positions. Loubet has set a great record on TC-2. Note also the performance of the first two cars in WRC2. Fourmaux is showing M-Sport what he is capable of.
Eric Camili and Marco Bulacia follow in the wake of the Norwegian and the French in WRC2. WRC3, meanwhile, is a matter for three French drivers, and with Citroën. Yohan Rossel, Nicolas Ciamin and Yoan Bonatto complete the podium. The difference between the three does not exceed nine seconds. We have a race for a while.
| 1. |  | Tänak/Järveoja Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | |
| 2. |  | Rovanperä/Halttunen Toyota Yaris WRC | +3.3 |
| 3. |  | Evans/Martin Toyota Yaris WRC | +8.5 |
| 4. |  | Neuville/Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | +16.0 |
| 5. |  | Ogier/Ingrassia Toyota Yaris WRC | +16.9 |
| 6. |  | Sordo/del Barrio Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | +42.7 |
| 7. | | Loubet/Landais Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | +1:07.8 |
| 8. |  | Mikkelsen/Fløene Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo | +1:18.3 |
