Sebastien Loeb in charge after second day of Monte Carlo Rally
Sebastien Loeb continues to dominate the Monte Carlo Rally at the end of the second day
The world champion's run of fastest stage times was interrupted by Mini's Dani Sordo on SS8, but the Spaniard was only 0.2 seconds quicker than Loeb, whose lead is now 1m37s.
Sordo holds second at the end of the day, and is still in an ultra-close battle with Ford's Petter Solberg. They continued swapping positions this afternoon, and are just three seconds apart at present.
The big news of the second Thursday loop was the end of Sebastien Ogier's spectacular giantkilling run. In today's dry conditions it had been harder for Ogier to keep his S2000 Skoda among the World Rally Cars, and he had slipped back to sixth behind Mikko Hirvonen (Citroen) and Evgeny Novikov (M-Sport Ford), but the Frenchman was optimistic he could fight back if snow arrived later in the week. In the event, Ogier crashed heavily on today's final stage and retired. Following crews reported that Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia were unhurt.
Ogier's departure moves Francois Delecour's M-Sport Ford into the top six behind Hirvonen and Novikov, who are split by just 11s as Novikov continues to impress on his Monte Carlo debut.
Leading positions after SS10: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2h45m56.9s 2. Dani Sordo Mini + 1m37.2s 3. Petter Solberg Ford + 1m40.9s 4. Mikko Hirvonen Citroen + 3m40.4s 5. Evgeny Novikov M-Sport Ford + 3m51.5s 6. Francois Delecour M-Sport Ford + 5m19.9s 7. Pierre Campana Mini + 6m49.6s 8. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 7m00.6s 9. P-G Andersson Proton + 10m08.9s 10. Kevin Abbring VW Skoda + 10m31.4s
Why it's great to be back on the Monte
Rankings: Loeb set to profit as rivals slip up in Monte Carlo
Tanak scores first Puma win in preparation for WRC Rally Sweden
Ott Tanak claimed his first victory driving an M-Sport Ford Puma after winning the Otepaa Winter Rally in preparation for next week’s World Rally Championship round in Sweden.
Ranking the worst Formula 1 cars to win a grand prix
Cars that rarely looked like contenders for victory have occasionally slipped through the net to become winners of world championship Formula 1 races. But which was the worst of the bunch?
Schumacher radio criticism highlighted F1 privacy change for Russell
George Russell says that the way an off-the-cuff radio remark criticising Mick Schumacher last year became a big deal shows how he is more under the spotlight in Formula 1.
Newgarden impressed by Chevrolet on IndyCar's new renewable fuel
Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden says he’s been impressed with the drivability of his Chevrolet engine following the switch to renewable fuel and has seen no loss in performance.
Why Monte Carlo success could spark another past master’s WRC revival
Some 39 years on from his Monte Carlo Rally debut, World Rally Championship legend Francois Delecour continues to pick up silverware. Proving that age is purely a number, the 60-year-old's desire to compete against the WRC’s latest young talents could be the start of a new chapter in the Frenchman’s storied career
How fired-up Ogier became the WRC's ultimate Monte master
He may only be contesting a part-time campaign in the World Rally Championship these days, but Sebastien Ogier underlined that he's lost none of his speed in the 2023 season opener. Storming to yet another victory on the Monte Carlo Rally, the eight-time world champion rewrote the history books again as Toyota served notice of its intentions with a crushing 1-2
How Lancia pulled off its famous Monte Carlo giantkilling
Audi should have been invincible in the snowy conditions that typically greeted the World Rally Championship paddock in Monte Carlo. But unexpectedly warm weather for the 1983 season opener, combined with some left-field thinking from the Lancia crew turned the tables. Forty years on, team boss Cesare Fiorio reflects on a smash and grab
Why M-Sport has pinned all its efforts on a WRC reunion
M-Sport had a disastrous 2022 with its Rally1 Ford Pumas following Sebastien Loeb’s first-time-out win on the Monte. But now things are looking up with 2019 world champion Ott Tanak leading its attack, and the Cumbrian operation has optimism that it can challenge for a first title since Sebastien Ogier's departure at the end of 2018
The contenders seeking to take Rovanpera's WRC crown
As Kalle Rovanpera begins his World Rally Championship title defence in Monte Carlo, the Finn knows he has a target on his back. But who is best placed to knock the Toyota ace off his perch?
Why Rovanpera is anticipating a fight to defend his WRC title
Question: what could be harder than becoming the youngest-ever World Rally champion? Answer: becoming the youngest-ever two-time World Rally champion. That's quite the challenge facing Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera in 2022, particularly against rejuvenated opposition in the second year of the WRC's hybrid regulations
From F1 to WRC: Why Hyundai's new boss could be an inspired signing
OPINION: New Hyundai WRC team boss Cyril Abiteboul admits he’s got a lot to learn as he leads the marque's efforts to dethrone Toyota. But could his Formula 1 experience and evident strengths mean he turns out to be an inspired choice?
The ultimate rally car project the WRC is glad COVID killed
Toyota was unstoppable in the 2021 World Rally Championship, with an excellent 75% strike rate from 12 rallies. But in a scary proposition for its rivals, the Japanese marque had built a car for the final year of the previous regulations set which it believes was much faster and could feasibly have crushed the opposition completely. Here the story of its mothballed world-beater
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.