Sebastien Ogier leads Rallye Monte-Carlo 2025 after the second day of action. Find out more about the day below!
Morning Loop
Elfyn Evans led the event at the end of the second day’s morning loop. The Welshman had a lead of 1.5 seconds over 9-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Sebastien Oiger. Adrien Fourmaux moves up to third overall after the loop, now 4.7 seconds behind Ogier and 6.2 seconds behind Evans. Kalle Rovanperä and Adrien Fourmuax each won a stage. Only two stages were run as SS5 was cancelled due to a spectator injury. Both Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak encountered major issues involving ditches. As Neuville’s rear driver-side tyre was left hanging on by a thread after a venture into a ditch. While Tänak’s i20 was left looking like a pickup truck after his venture into a ditch.
Afternoon Loop
Sebastien Ogier took the event lead over the course of the loop to end the day with a 12.6-second lead over Elfyn Evans. Adrien Fourmaux remains in third place, now 1.4 seconds behind Evans and 14.2 seconds behind Ogier. Sebastien Ogier took two stage wins during the loop (SS8 and SS9) while Evans had a single stage win. Neuville once again had an issue during the loop. Oddly enough it was caused in the exact same spot as last time. This time, however, he didn’t nearly take a tyre off the car. However, he didn’t nearly damage the car enough that he was forced to use road mode for the stage. Grégoire Munster retired after the stage ended due to a mechanical issue.
Driver/Team Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal
“We have to be happy tonight to be leading the rally with a one-two and three cars in the top four. It’s been a day of drama, with difficult conditions and new tyres that the drivers are still gaining knowledge of. Seb was a bit frustrated with his mistake last night and maybe didn’t start today with the best feeling, but this afternoon he came into his own, especially in the icy middle stage where we could see he had the confidence to push. Elfyn is still close, as is Adrien, so it remains exciting ahead of tomorrow. We can also see Kalle and Taka improving their feeling while Sami continues to gain lots of experience which is the main target for him on this event.”
Sebastien Ogier – 1st Overall
“It’s been a positive day, turning a 13s deficit into a 12s lead, but not everything has been perfect. I was struggling to find a rhythm in the morning and also in the first stage this afternoon, when I was not really driving close enough to the limit. I’m glad I managed to find that for the last two stages, and especially that I managed to win my home stage with a lot of family and friends watching. But we can’t relax yet, there’s still a long way to go and we have to continue in this way tomorrow.”
Elfyn Evans – 2nd Overall
“It’s been tricky again out there today. This morning, the first stage was evolving with every car, and the last one of the loop was hard to judge also with the sun coming out and melting the ice that had been marked in our pacenotes. We had a pretty decent start to the afternoon, then in the middle stage a bit of a spin on the one full icy corner that we had, which cost us the lead. We lost a bit more on the last one too but it’s still not a huge gap and there’s a long way to go.”
Kalle Rovanperä – 4th Overall
“For us it’s been a clean day with no drama, but overall we were just not quick enough. In the morning the conditions were tricky but it was going OK. The pace seems to be good when we’re on the snow or studded tyres, but I still need to find some more pace for when the road is cleaner and we’re on the slick tyres. Tomorrow it seems like the roads will be a bit drier so hopefully I can find some more speed.”
Takamoto Katsuta – 6th Overall
“This afternoon was much better for me than the morning, when I was struggling to follow the information that was in my pacenotes. The route note crews went through the stages very early in the morning when there was a lot of black ice and frost, some of which had melted by the time we did the stages, so I found it hard to know how much grip to expect. In the afternoon it was easier, just a bit muddy and a few icy corners. There’s still interesting days to come and I just want to stay calm.”
Sami Pajari – 7th Overall
“It’s been a really tricky day. Some stages were really good and some split times really good. We were also trying some different tyre combinations just for the experience. I can see many places where I can improve, but my mindset is to be clean and build up the confidence and knowledge step-by-step and then increase our pace. In this sense everything is still going to plan even though I would like to be a bit quicker. Tomorrow the conditions could be easier for us but we need to see how it is in the morning.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Adrien Fourmaux – 3rd Overall
“It’s been a really good day. We didn’t make any mistakes with the tyres, we had really good pace and we made it to third in the provisional classification. There’s still a long rally ahead, but we are really pleased with what we have achieved so far. I think every driver wants to win here, although it is not my target, but we will keep this pace and see where we are. As a team today has been quite a shame, but it’s positive for us so we will see what happens. Tomorrow will be a new challenge, but we areconfident that we can keep a good pace – nothing is impossible at Rallye Monte-Carlo. ”
Ott Tänak – 5th Overall
“It’s been a demanding day; lots of condition changes, even from first loop to second loop you don’t really recognise the conditions. We have seen more or less everything today – from dry tarmac to black ice. The contrast is huge between the grip levels we had on the same stage, so in the end we just had to go with the information we had, trust it and go for it. This afternoon was a bit of a struggle to get into the rhythm. Before the last stage we balanced some settings on the car, and after that it behaved a bit better. Now we need to get back into the faster rhythm. We need to see what’s coming tomorrow, and we are still not sure what is waiting for us. ”
Thierry Neuville – 8th Overall
“Today was a day to forget, I made a mistake this morning and misjudged the braking with these studded tyres. The target this afternoon was to see if we could gain back a bit of time this afternoon, maybe a position or two, and then unfortunately we had a puncture three kilometres into the same stage. We don’t know these tyres very well, but we decided to continue with the puncture and the tyre went in a braking zone. I am disappointed with the one mistake this morning, but a puncture can happen to anybody. We made some changes overnight for the day and I couldn’t find the confidence I needed all day. We’ll go back to the setup we used Thursday evening and see if we feel more comfortable. ”
Pablo Marcos – Team Manager
“In general, we are in a good position for tomorrow and Sunday. It was a difficult day for Thierry, he had to open the road with new tyres which was only made more challenging because of the road conditions we have here in Monte Carlo. He had a small off in the last stage of both loops that cost him a lot of time, and in the first instance caused some damage that the team did a great job to fix at midday service. We will try and have a safe day tomorrow so on Sunday he can bring home as many points as possible. Ott had some good pace, but he had an off on SS6 that created some damage on the car. The mechanics worked hard to fix those for the second loop, and in the afternoon he drove at a safer pace to bring the car home. Adrien had the most positive day; from the beginning he had good pace with very little mistakes. He felt comfortable with the car and that helped him finish the day in the top three, and this will give him plenty of confidence with a new team and a new car. We are all looking forward to hopefully having a day without struggles tomorrow so we can be in the fight for Sunday points. We are still targeting a good points haul, and want to keep Adrien and Ott in the top five by the end of the event. ”
The 2025 World Rally Championship season kicks off in just over a week. Meaning it’s a good time to predict some things about the upcoming season. This article will give some predictions for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
Kalle Rovanperä
As mentioned in the Toyota preview article Rovanperä is the favourite to win the championship. Anything less than a championship win would come as a shock. I also see Kalle winning at least 9 of the 14 rounds this season. I know it sounds like a lot, however, in 2024 Rovanperä either won or was on pace to win every event he contested. Therefore if he continues on that path this shouldn’t be much of a challenge for him. I also see Kalle winning at least 65% of the stages this season.
Elfyn Evans
Giving a prediction for Evans is hard. As I don’t really know what to expect from him. He could perform like he did in the latter half of the 2023 season, or he could perform like he did last season. I do see the Welshman winning at least one event this season, but from there I can’t really say much. He should compete for a top-three spot, but who knows at this point in time.
Takamoto Katsuta
2024 was a bad season for Katsuta as mentioned in the preview article. However, I do see 2025 going a bit better. I wouldn’t be surprised if Katsuta tripled the amount of podiums he had last season, with one of those potentially being a win. As far as the championship goes I have him finishing either 6th or 7th.
Sami Pajari
Pajari is a bit of a mixed bag for me. He showed a good amount of pace in the car last season. I do expect that to continue into this season, however, I don’t see him truly competing for a podium until Rally Italy and beyond, with a single exception. That being Rally Sweden. Pajari is Finnish and likely has a decent amount of experience on the snow and ice. Meaning he could potentially contest for a podium at the event. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pajari on the podium at least 2 times before the end of the season.
Sebastien Ogier
Ogier isn’t competing for the championship this season, well I should say he probably isn’t. As heading into last season he wasn’t expected to contest for the championship, however, that changed mid-season. Nevertheless, Toyota shouldn’t need Ogier to contest for the championship this season. As Kalle Rovanperä is back full-time as their number one driver. I do expect Ogier to win at least one rally at a minimum and be on the podium at 50% of the events he contests.
The 2025 World Rally Championship season kicks off in just over a week. Meaning it’s a good time to preview some things about the upcoming season. This article will preview the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
Kalle Rovanperä – Full-Time
The two-time world champion will return to action full-time this season. Rovanperä took one year off of full-time driving in the WRC to take a break and explore some other motorsport disciplines. Rovanperä is the favourite to win the championship this season as he is the fastest driver in the championship.
Elfyn Evans – Full-Time
Evans had a disappointing 2024 season. As the Welshman didn’t win an event all season long until Rally Japan when it was too late. Evans will slot back into the number two driver role for the Japanese team. Evans may be on the chopping block if he doesn’t get back to where he was in 2023.
Takamoto Katsuta – Full-Time
Takamoto Katsuta had arguably the most disappointing season in 2024. As the Japanese driver only had one podium and only scored points in 7 of the 13 rounds. Katsuta will need to have a better 2025 season if he wants to remain on the team. There were already doubts he’d have a seat this upcoming season on the team. However, Toyota elected to give him another chance. Katsuta should have less pressure this season as he won’t score Manufacturer’s points at every event.
Sami Pajari – Full-Time
Pajari has the chance to be the talk of the season. Pajari finished 4th at his home event of Rally Finland, which was his first event in the car. He later did Rally Chile Bio Bio and the Central European Rally. He finished 6th in Chile and retired at the Central European Rally. Pajari will score manufacturers’ points at every event. However, this will be under the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 manufacturer, not the main Toyota team.
Sebastien Ogier – Part-Time
Sebastien Ogier will go back to a part-time schedule for the 2025 season after contesting all but 3 events in 2024. Ogier will be the ace in Toyota’s sleeve all season long, as he has been in past seasons.
The 2025 World Rally Championship season kicks off in just over a week. Meaning it’s a good time to predict some things about the upcoming season. This article will give some predictions for the Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT.
Thierry Neuville
I can’t see Neuville winning the championship again this season. Not with Kalle Rovanperä back in the mix full-time. Neuville won last season largely because of his consistency. Rovanperä is both consistent and fast. Neuville will still be good this season, I can easily see him finishing top three in the championship. However, if he doesn’t find some more speed winning the championship again will be out of the question.
Ott Tänak
Tänak is one of two drivers in the championship who I feel can keep up with Rovanperä, the other being Sebastien Ogier. However, Tänak’s biggest downfall is consistency. Sure some of his accidents last season weren’t directly caused by his driving. Plus he was very good at the events he didn’t have an incident in. If Tänak can find a bit more consistency in my opinion he could give Rovanperä a run for his money.
Adrien Fourmaux
Fourmaux is a bit of a mixed bag for me. He showed incredible improvement last season for M-Sport. That should continue into this season. However, I question how he will adapt to the i20, and I wonder how the team will utilize the Frenchman. Sure Cyril Abiteaboul doesn’t seem to like team orders. However, at this point in time, Fourmaux is the team’s third driver and likely won’t be competing for the driver’s championship. That being said I do see Fourmaux winning at least one event this season alongside having a handful of podiums.
Team
Hyundai could win the manufacturer’s championship this season. Something the team failed to secure last season. However, as previously mentioned Toyota will have Rovanperä back full-time this season. In addition to Sebastien Ogier at select events once again. It won’t be an easy feat for Hyundai, but it is possible. All three Hyundai drivers need to be at the top of their game all season long if they want a chance at the Manufacturer’s championship.
The 2025 World Rally Championship season kicks off in just over a week. Meaning it’s a good time to preview some things about the upcoming season. This article will preview the Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT.
Thierry Neuville – Full-Time
The reigning world champion will once again drive for Hyundai this upcoming season. Neuville had a strong 2024 season. As the Belgian only retired from one event last season. Neuville will likely be the number-one driver for Hyundai again this season. However, Cyril Abiteaboul doesn’t seem to be a fan of team orders, nor choosing favourites. This means Neuville will have to continue with the good results to keep this role.
Ott Tänak – Full-Time
Ott Tänak finished third in the championship last season after retiring in Japan. However, Tänak led Rally Japan until he retired from the event after crashing out. Tänak will battle Neuville for the “number one” driver role on the team. As the Estonian is once again a championship favourite.
Adrien Fourmaux – Full-Time
Adrien Fourmaux is the only non-world champion who is confirmed to drive for the South Korean manufacturer this season. Fourmaux had a handful of podiums last season with M-Sport. This caught the attention of both Hyundai and Toyota. The Frenchman ultimately chose the full-time drive Hyundai.
The 2025 World Rally Championship season kicks off in just over a week. Meaning it’s a good time to predict some things about the upcoming season. Kicking off with some predictions for the M-Sport Ford WRT.
Grégoire Munster
As mentioned in the preview article for M-Sport, I don’t think Munster will have a much better season this year than he did last season. However, I could see him take home at least two more top-five finishes and a couple of stage wins. Munster can’t fall back on being new to the events anymore. Sure the car has changed due to the loss of the hybrid units. However, that shouldn’t make a whole lot of difference once he gets used to the car.
Josh McErlean
Again not a whole lot of expectations here. I do see McErlean having a better season than Munster. However, that isn’t a hugely high bar. I could see McErlean having at least 6 top-five finishes along with a handful of stage wins. However, anything is possible, the field is stacked with many talented drivers. It’ll be an uphill battle for McErlean all year long.
Martins Sesks
Sesks is truly the only driver at M-Sport who I could see actually winning an event. The Latvian was keeping up decently well with Kalle Rovanperä in Latvia. Plus he has the most experience out of anybody in the car without a hybrid unit. Earlier this week Sesks confirmed he would drive a six-event season. Beginning in Sweden and ending in Finland. Sesks will also speak to M-Sport about doing the Saudi Arabian Rally at the end of the year.
Jourdan Serderidis
To be honest I don’t got much here. Therefore I’m not even going to give a prediction as well there isn’t much to predict. He’s not going to get a podium, nor win a stage, nor finish even in the top 10 overall.
As A Team
M-Sport will most likely be last in the manufacturer’s championship once again. I say most likely solely because Toyota is running a second team with just Sami Pajari in it. This means there is a way for M-Sport to outscore at least one team, but it’s still unlikely given the team’s driver lineup.
The 2025 World Rally Championship season kicks off in just over a week. Meaning it’s a good time to preview some things about the upcoming season. Kicking off with a preview of the M-Sport Ford WRT.
Driver Lineup
Grégoire Munster – Full-Time
Gregoire Munster will once again pilot a top-level car for M-Sport this season. Munster had a lacklustre 2024 season. As the 26th-year-old finished eighth in the driver’s championship and had no podiums. This wasn’t much of a surprise as I don’t think anybody realistically expected Munster to do much. He did have three top-five finishes, including two to end the season. As far as 2025 goes Munster likely won’t do much more than he did last season.
Josh McErlean – Full-Time
With Adrien Fourmaux gone M-Sport had to replace him with somebody if they wanted to be a manufacturer in the WRC still. Motorsport Ireland came up with the money to fund a full-time drive for Josh McErlean. McErlean, much like Munster didn’t have incredible WRC2 results. As the Irishman has only two top-five WRC2 finishes throughout the three years he drove the championship. This includes one near-event win last season in Portugal. McErlean will likely do about the same as Munster did last season.
Martins Sesks – Part-Time
Sesks made waves last year when he debuted at Rally Poland. As the Latvian driver finished fifth at the event while driving a car without a hybrid unit. At his home event, he was on track to finish second which was before a final-stage incident which dropped him to seventh. He made his final appearance at Rally Chile Bio Bio where he finished 24th after having some difficulties. Sesks confirmed he would drive a six-event season. Beginning in Sweden and ending in Finland. Sesks will also speak to M-Sport about doing the Saudi Arabian Rally at the end of the year.
Jourdan Serderidis – Part-Time
Retirement is nice this time of year or something like that. Serderidis said he would retire from driving a top-level car at the end of the 2023 season. However, that retirement was short-lived. As the Greek driver was back in a Puma for the Safari Rally in Kenya. Serderidis isn’t driving the car for podiums, or to even finish top 10 overall really. He just drives the car to enjoy it, so don’t expect any spectacular finishes out of him this season.
The Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT announced this morning that Adrien Fourmaux will join the team for the 2025 WRC season.
A Good 2024 Season
Adrien Fourmaux was one of the biggest talking points all season long. As the Frenchman finished on the podium five times this past season, which was largely unexpected. 2024 was Fourmaux’s first year back in a Rally1 car after spending the 2023 season in WRC2 after a poor performance in 2022. Fourmaux showed a lot of maturity throughout the season as well. At one point the 29-year-old was third in the championship standings.
Moving To Hyundai
Over the past couple of months, it was largely rumoured that the Frenchman would join Hyundai for the 2025 season. This didn’t come as much of a surprise considering the aforementioned year Fourmaux had. Fourmaux himself had even confirmed he had gotten an offer from Toyota, however, that was only for a part-time drive. Moving to Hyundai is kinda a no-brainer for Fourmaux. As now he will be joining a team with the likes of Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville who could help mentor the young star. He will also have a faster and arguably better car for the upcoming season.
What To Expect From Fourmaux In 2025
As previously mentioned Fourmaux will have an arguably better car this upcoming season. Which should help him score more podiums and maybe even his first event win. Obviously, it will likely take him an event or two to get used to the i20. As far as the championship goes, he will have to fend off Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and a returning Kalle Rovanperä. It’s not an easy ask, and I don’t expect him to do it. Personally, I see him finishing about fourth in the championship. However, as I’ve said many times in the past, anything can happen and rallying isn’t super predictable for the most part.
The fourth and final day of Forum8 Rally Japan has come to an end. Elfyn Evans took the lead to take the event win.
SS17
Andreas Mikkelsen kicked off the final day with a stage win. As the Norwegian set a time 4.4 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans. Thierry Neuville finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Evans. Sebastien Ogier was fourth fastest on the stage, 3.5 seconds slower than Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.1 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS18
Thierry Neuville took the stage win on the eighteenth stage of Forum8 Rally Japan. With a time 3.4 seconds faster than Andreas Mikkelsen. Adrien Fourmaux had the third fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. Elfyn Evans finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Sebastien Ogier rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Evans.
SS19
Thierry Neuville and Sebastien Ogier tied for the stage win on SS19. As both drivers finished with a time 2.8 seconds faster than Andreas Mikkelsen. Elfyn Evans was fourth fastest on the stage, 3.5 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.1 seconds slower than Evans.
SS20
Takamoto Katsuta took home the stage win on the twentieth stage of Forum8 Rally Japan. As the Japanese driver set a time 0.3 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux. Andreas Mikkelsen finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans tied for the fourth fastest time on the stage, with both drivers finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Mikkelsen.
SS21
Sebastien Ogier capped off the weekend with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 1.9 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville. Elfyn Evans finished with the third fastest time on the stage, two seconds slower than Neuville. Takamoto Katsuta had the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 0.9 seconds slower than Evans. Andreas Mikkelsen rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.8 seconds slower than Katsuta.
The third day of Forum8 Rally Japan 2024 has come to an end. Ott Tänak retained the event lead after the day.
SS10
Elfyn Evans kicked off the day with a stage win. As the Welshman set a time three seconds faster than Ott Tänak and Grégoire Munster who tied for second. Sebastien Ogier finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.2 seconds slower than Tänak and Munster. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Ogier.
SS11
Thierry Neuville took his first stage win of the day on the eleventh stage of Forum8 Rally Japan 2024. With a time 1.2 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans was fourth fastest on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Katsuta. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage finishing 1.6 seconds slower than Evans.
SS12
Elfyn Evans took home the stage win on SS12. With a time one second faster than Sebastien Ogier and Ott Tänak who tied for second. Thierry Neuville finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Ogier and Tänak. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1:6 seconds slower than Neuville.
SS13
Forum8 Rally Japan 2024 leader Ott Tänak took his first stage win of the day on SS13. With a time 0.8 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Thierry Neuville set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Katsuta. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville.
SS14
Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville tied for the stage win on the fourteenth stage of the weekend. As both drivers set a time 2.4 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta. Ott Tänak finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.2 seconds slower than Katsuta. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.4 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS15
Sebastien Ogier took home his second consecutive stage win on the fifteenth stage of Forum8 Rally Japan 2024. With a time 0.1 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 1.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, two seconds slower than Fourmaux. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.2 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS16
Ott Tänak capped off the second day with a stage win. As the Estonian set a time 1.1 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux. Grégoire Munster finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Takamoto Katsuta was fourth fastest on the stage, with a time 0.1 seconds slower than Munster. Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage. With both finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Katsuta.