On the second day of the Monte-Carlo Rally, Frenchman Sébastien Ogier came close to a perfect day. Across the five special stages (SS) contested, the seven-time WRC world champion set the fastest time on four occasions.
In the morning, everything seemed to indicate that Sébastien Ogier was going to take the lead in the World Rally Championship. However, his mishap during SS6 cost him a lot of time.
As for Hyundai driver Ott Tänak, his day made him lose his hard-earned first place from the previous day. Indeed, it all evaporated over the span of 19 kilometers. Against his French counterpart, the Estonian lost 17 seconds in SS3. He later admitted in an interview that he was overly cautious in the hairpin turns connecting Aspremont and La Bâtie des Fonts. The local native and seven-time world champion then went on to record the fastest times in SS4 and 5.
The blow came in the next stage, committing two errors. In total, he lost about 30 seconds to Elfyn Evans (Toyota). Evans set the fastest time in the stage. The young prodigy Kalle Rovanperä also made a mistake. On his way back on the road, he hindered Tänak, who was aiming to take the lead in the race.
The seventh and final stage of this Friday was claimed by Ogier. Following his setback due to a puncture in SS6, his performance allowed him to keep all his chances of securing an eighth world title. Welshman Elfyn Evans is his only competitor to have evaded all the traps of these specials. He holds a seven-second lead over his direct rival.
Here’s the program for the Monte-Carlo Rally for the coming days:
