Rallye Monte Carlo

Sun 13:12 - That’s all from the Monte stages
And the end of our live text service for this event. We will return next month at Rally Sweden (12-15 February) for some more frozen competition. Until then, head to the news section for all the latest from the WRC

Sun 13:12 - JWRC top 3 FINAL
1. Gilbert (DS 3 R3T): 4:08:32.7s, 2. Riedemann (DS 3 R3T): +2m23.7s, 3. Veiby (DS 3 R3T): +3m31.4s,

Sun 13:10 - WRC2 top 5 FINAL
1. Lefebvre (DS 3 R5): 3:49:36.7s, 2. Breen (Peugeot 2018 R5): +2m14.0s, 3. Kremer (Skoda Fabia S2000): +2m27.0s, 4. Camilli (Ford Fiesta R5): +4m:59.7s, 5. Hirschi (Peugeot 208 R5): +9m52.8s.

Sun 13:07 - WRC top 5 FINAL
1. Ogier (VW): 3:36:40.2s, 2. Latvala (VW): +58.0s, 3. Mikkelsen (VW): +2m12.3s, 4. Ostberg (DS 3): +2m43.6s, 5. Neuville (Hyundai): +3m12.1s

Sun 13:01 - Lefebvre wins WRC2
The Frenchman takes victory by 2m14.0s from Craig Breen. Armin Kremer is third, 13sec further back.

Sun 12:59 - Power Stage result
Meeke goes fastest to take the maximum three points. Loeb takes two for second and Latvala wins one for third.

Sun 12:57 - SS15: Latvala
"I'm delighted! This is much more than I expected, before the rally I was thinking fourth or fifth! I must thank my ice crew for their information."

Sun 12:56 - SS15: Ogier
"Victory in Monte-Carlo means a lot - especially for me, so close to my home town, and at the first rally rally of the season. It's a huge challenge but the satisfaction is even more when you make it. Conditions were so tricky this year, but it has been the best atmosphere of a rally I have ever known."

Sun 12:50 - Ogier wins the Monte!
He crosses the line to secure victory by 58sec from his Volkswagen team-mate Latvala.

Sun 12:48 - SS15: Latvala
A perfect result for the Finn, who takes second for Volkswagen and third so far in the Power Stage standings

Sun 12:44 - SS15: Mikkelsen
Bringing home third place for Volkswagen. "A great rally for us, hopefully Jari-Matti and Ogier will get here too and make this a 1-2-3."

Sun 12:42 - SS15: Ostberg
Looks like fourth for Mads, and a great start to his season. "Again very lucky, same engine problem again, so we had to stop. I'll be in the new car for Sweden so hopefully it wont happen again. I'm pleased to be here without any mistakes from my side."

Sun 12:39 - SS15: Sordo
LOSES fifth place to his Hyundai team-mate Neuville by just 0.8sec. "He was a little faster, so good for him. The rally was difficult, we lost a bit of time near the end."

Sun 12:36 - SS15: Neuville in
Third quickest, behind Meeke and Loeb, and it's his first finish on the Monte. "It feels great. I enjoyed the conditions today - and the battle with Dani. This rally is really difficult but it's an honour to drive it." Will he snatch fifth from his team-mate? We'll find out soon...

Sun 12:34 - SS15: Evans
Should be seventh for the Welshman. "I'm happy to reach the finish, but there's a bit of a feeling of what could have been. In some places there has been a massive step forward from last year but other other times I've not made great choices."

Sun 12:31 - SS15: Prokop
Looks like ninth for the Czech driver. "A decent result, but the last two days have been dreadful. We can't go on like this. I pushed hard in this stage and the time was awful."

Sun 12:29 - SS15: Loeb is through
He's 0.2sec slower than Meeke. "It was great. Okay, disappointed because of the mistake, but I had some pleasure. I enjoyed the rally, a great atmosphere and great to be here." Will we see you again this year? "No plans for now."

Sun 12:27 - SS15: Meeke
Quickest so far in 6m30.5s. Will it be enough for three points? "It's a little drier, still tricky, I had a good stage. We showed good times against Seb, but I want to get results this year."

Sun 12:24 - SS15: Solberg
Successfully through, and it looks like 11th for the Norwegian. "One small off in the stage, but a good day. See you in Sweden!" And that's it. He's off.

Sun 12:23 - SS15: Protasov
He completes the rally with a three-speed gearbox. "We have just fourth, fifth and sixth gear - very difficult in the hairpins!"

Sun 12:22 - SS15: Tanak
"I'm really sorry that we had one mistake earlier in the event, but otherwise I think it's been a really positive start to my season with M-Sport."

Sun 12:18 - SS15: Chardonnet
"It was okay, we made some good times,"

Sun 12:17 - SS15: Bertelli completes
"I'm happy to get to the finish. I have a new co-driver, a new team. Looking for more improvement on rallies I know better this year."

Sun 12:10 - SS15: Live and underway!
This stage is available to view online via WRC

Sun 12:09 - SS15: Stage notes
Col St Jean – St Laurent 2, 10.16km. After starting on southern-facing roads with little risk of ice, fast and wide roads climb the Col de Braus before a steep descent towards the finish at St Laurent, via a sequence of hairpin bends.

Sun 12:08 - Up next: Power Stage
The final Monte challenge offers the chance to bag three bonus championship points. The stage, a repeat of Sunday's opening Col St Jean - St Laurent, starts at 1208hrs

Sun 12:06 - WRC2 top 5 after SS14
Here's a recap: 1. Lefebvre (DS 3 R5): 3:42:35.7s, 2. Breen (Peugeot 2018 R5): +2m24.9s, 3. Kremer (Skoda Fabia S2000): +2m25.9s, 4. Camilli (Ford Fiesta R5): +4m:46.9s, 5. Hirschi (Peugeot 208 R5): +9m53.0s.

Sun 12:06 - SS14: All change in WRC2
A dramatic stage with problems for Camilli and Koci and, later, Giordano, who went off and damaged two wheels.

Sun 11:57 - SS14: Koci update
He is stopped at the 20.93km point. He hit a tree after slipping on black ice.

Sun 11:57 - SS14: Camilli
"In the descent, on ice, we touched a rock in the rear - now the car cannot drive straight, I hope I can get through the next stage."

Sun 11:56 - SS14: Breen up to second!
"Koci hit a tree, and Camilli is driving with a broken wheel - suddenly we're up to second!"

Sun 11:52 - SS14: Koci?
He should have been here by now...

Sun 11:51 - SS14: Kremer
He's clear, but his second place is under threat from Koci, Camilli and Breen. "We are here and happy. The stage was slippery, we had no control over the car on the way up."

Sun 11:48 - SS14: Lefebvre
It's another clean stage for the WRC2 leader. "I don't push because I have a big gap to Kremer. Only one more to go now." Behind him, however, the battle for second is very much alive...

Sun 11:47 - SS14: Ogier
Fifth-fastest, but that's enough to carry a 58.8sec lead into the final stage. "That was good, better conditions than I expected actually," he says. "I thought there would be more snow on the road pulled out by the cars ahead."

Sun 11:45 - SS14: Brake drama for Latvala
It's a decent time but the Finn is agitated at the finish control. "Not good. The brakes on this car are not working well. The pads are so glazed, they have no bite. With one stage to go I hope they will be okay."

Sun 11:42 - SS14: Mikkelsen
Another defensive drive from the Norwegian. "An okay stage for us, taking it carefully to secure third place," he says. He completes 40 sec slower than Loeb.

Sun 11:39 - SS14: Ostberg
Second quickest, 8.8sec slower than stage leader Loeb. "Good stage. Good rhythm. It's a beautiful stage."

Sun 11:38 - SS14: Sordo
"Tricky and very, very bad in places." Under serious pressure from his team-mate Neuville, Sordo is just 0.2sec ahead with one stage remaining.

Sun 11:36 - SS14: Neuville
Second quickest, 11.8sec slower than Loeb. "Yes, good, very tricky in some places under braking. I could see than many people had got very close to one wall in particular - I did too."

Sun 11:33 - SS14: Evans
"Fairly careful in there. Not a lot to gain by taking risks."

Sun 11:33 - SS14: Prokop
"It's difficult." He loses eighth place to Loeb.

Sun 11:31 - SS14: Kubica update
His car has lost both right-hand wheels. He's going no further today

Sun 11:30 - SS14: Loeb quickest fo far
His time is 22m27.3s. "It was okay, a little snow but not so much. "

Sun 11:29 - SS14: Kubica update
From Kris Meeke: "He went off after the finish. I stopped and spoke to him, he said he lost the brake pedal on the finish. He has gone into a wall."

Sun 11:28 - SS14: Meeke
"Really, really slow, I want to save my tyres for the Power Stage."

Sun 11:26 - SS14: Kubica update
Henning Solberg has passed the scene. "He's got off - properly," he says

Sun 11:25 - SS14: Kubica off!
Fastest so far, in 22m55.4s, but he has crashed on the last corner!

Sun 11:23 - SS14: Protasov
He was missing 3rd gear on today's opener and it's still missing.

Sun 11:20 - SS14: Tanak
Fastest so far, in 23m10.7s, but his run wasn't drama-free. "Some tricky icy places. I had to stop and reverse at one point." he explains.

Sun 11:18 - SS14: Chardonnet
The splits show he slowed in the second half of the stage. "It was difficult with my tyres because we had too much pressure in them in the opening stage and destroyed them. Not so good."

Sun 11:15 - SS14: Bertelli though
His benchmark time is 23m13.2. "Tricky, some damp and some ice. My super soft tyres are almost finished at the end but we are okay. I think everybody is in the same situation more or less."

Sun 10:55 - SS14: Stage Live
Bertelli's Fiesta RS blasted off the start line at 1050hrs

Sun 10:45 - SS14 Stage notes
La Bollene Vesubie – Sospel, 31.66km. No Rallye Monte-Carlo would be complete without the Col de Turini, and this year’s stage runs in its full-length version, with an extra 8km added at the finish from Moulinet to Sospel. A string of hairpins takes drivers to the summit at 1607 metres, with the approach to the pass and the first few kilometres of the descent prone to prone to snow and ice. The descent begins with more hairpins towards Moulinet, before a fast section into the finish.

Sun 10:43 - Up next: SS14
The 31.66km stage from La Bollene kicks off at 1050hrs

Sun 10:42 - SS13: JWRC update
Category leader Gilbert safely through. Riedemann is quickest, to close the gap on second-placed Veiby to just 4.8sec. Game on!

Sun 10:39 - WRC2 top 5 after SS13
1. Lefebvre (DS 3 R5): 3:18:11.5s, 2. Kremer (Skoda Fabia S2000): +2m53.0s, 3. Camilli (Ford Fiesta R5): +3m:02.1s, 4. Breen (Peugeot 2018 R5): +3m06.7s, 5. Koci (Ford Fiesta R5): +3m09.1s.

Sun 10:36 - WRC top 5 after SS13
1. Ogier (VW): 3:07:17.6s, 2. Latvala (VW): +47.4s, 3. Mikkelsen (VW): +1m52.7s, 4. Ostberg (DS 3): +2m44.8s, 5. Sordo (Hyundai): +3m13.9s

Sun 10:29 - SS13: Breen
Second quickest in WRC2 and delighted with a stiffer set-up to his Peugeot 208 T16. "The engineers have been working overtime," he says. He moves from fifth to fourth in class, 4.6sec behind Camilli.

Sun 10:26 - SS13: Camilli
The Frenchman is fastest so far in WRC2 - beating Koci's time by 8sec. He jumps from fourth to third in class, just 9.1sec behind Kremer.

Sun 10:23 - SS13: Koci
A good fight back from the Slovakian who lost second in WRC2 on Saturday with a broken drive-shaft. He completes 4.6sec quicker than Kremer. "Quite happy with the time, we have to fight for second place."

Sun 10:19 - SS13: Kremer
He is the first of three drivers in a tight battle for second in WRC2. "Not easy with the car, (it's a Super 2000 Skoda, not an R5 spec) There were too many narrow corners but I think it's okay."

Sun 10:17 - SS13: Lefebvre
The WRC2 leader clears. Looking good for a great start to his season. "I don't push. No mistakes. I only want to finish now. I am 2 minutes ahead of Kremer so I am looking only for the finish."

Sun 10:15 - SS13: Ogier clears
The rally leader safely though, 4sec slower than Meeke. His lead over his VW team-mate Latvala a comfortable 47.4sec with two stages to go. "I'm protecting the lead now. We went for a safe tyre choice. Okay, not the optimum for the stage but the most important thing is to try and win this rally."

Sun 10:12 - SS13: Latvala
No sign of a final day push for victory. No surprise there. "No point to take many risks where I am. I try to learn it for the Power Stage. That's all I can do."

Sun 10:09 - SS13: Mikkelsen
"No problems. Just trying to get safely through. Third place here would be very good."

Sun 10:07 - SS13: Ostberg
"Not so bad, quite an okay stage."

Sun 10:06 - SS13: Sordo
Third quickest so far. "Conditions are tricky in some places, there is ice on the road from the outside and snow from the cuts. I think Turini will be very difficult."

Sun 10:03 - SS13: Neuville
"My tyres were overheating a little before the finish but otherwise okay - a good stage."

Sun 10:03 - SS13: Evans
His Fiesta back to 100% after collecting broken suspension on Saturday. "The car is working great. Difficult to know what tyres to take, it seemed like the tarmac had a lot of grip."

Sun 10:01 - SS13: Prokop
He holds eighth place, but Loeb is closing fast. "Yeah, he's pushing hard. That was okay. Let's see how the Col de Turini looks. I expect it will be much worse."

Sun 09:58 - SS13: Loeb
"There's a lot of corner cutting and that has dragged lots of snow in the road that we did not expect." He is second fastest, 1.1sec slower than Meeke.

Sun 09:56 - SS13: Meeke quickest so far
The time to beat now 6m33.7s. "A very tricky mix of dry and damp. And spectators are pushing snow on the road. And they are doing it on the blind corners... Good practice for the Power Stage later."

Sun 09:54 - SS13: Solberg
"The engineers have found a great setting now - they have fixed the car," he says. Notoriously heavy on the brakes, Solberg is off smartish to cool them down

Sun 09:53 - SS13: Kubica
He completes second fastest, 1.6sec off Chardonnet's time. He doesn't hang around to say anything because his brakes are red hot and he wants to get moving to cool them down.

Sun 09:50 - SS13: Gear issue for Protasov
"We have some problem with the gearbox. No third gear, and without 3rd the hairpins are not easy." No service today don't forget, so this could be very bad news

Sun 09:48 - SS13: Tanak's save
"A big moment early on, there was a very late call on the pace-note. I had a bit of work to do to straighten it out. It's fine."

Sun 09:47 - SS13: Chardonnet
"Quite slippy at the beginning but it was okay, The finish line is not great - the braking after is short." There is a hairpin shortly after the stage end and Sebastien almost went off. His time is 6m40.9s.

Sun 09:45 - SS13: Bertelli completes
His time is 6m52.3s. "Clean condition. A couple of mistakes but we take it easy."

Sun 09:43 - SS13: Tanak slide
A hairy moment in the opening section for Ott, who touched a snow pile in a corner and lost the rear. Good save!

Sun 09:41 - Tyre options
Michelin have confirmed who has what on Sunday’s stages: Ogier: 3 Super soft + 2 soft. Latvala: 4 SS + 2S Mikkelsen: 3 SS + 2S Tanak: 4S + 2SS Evans: 4SS + 2S. Sordo, Neuville, Meeke, Loeb, Ostberg: 6s

Sun 09:38 - SS13: Live on WRC+
The stage looks almost completely dry. Some snow piles by the side

Sun 09:37 - SS13 Live and underway
Bertelli began the test at 0935hrs

Sun 09:37 - Sunday’s start list
Here’s how the World Rally Cars will line-up: 1. Bertelli, 2. Chardonnet, 3. Tanak, 4. Protasov, 5. Kubica, 6. Solberg, 7. Meeke, 8. Loeb, 9. Prokop, 10. Evans, 11. Neuville, 12. Sordo, 13. Ostberg, 14. Mikkelsen, 15. Latvala, 16. Ogier

Sun 09:35 - Sunday’s start order
is based on Saturday's rally classification reversed

Sun 09:32 - Stage conditions
The temperature is above freezing on both stages - which means we're not expecting a Monte snow-fest. Largely clean and dry asphalt for both. SS13 has one 1km section of dampness. SS14 has some ice patches just before and just after the Col de Turini.

Sun 09:30 - Weather update
It's another beautiful day here. Clear skies above the wrc.com desk of text and a temperature of 8˚Celsius.

Sun 09:28 - Cars update
They are now making the 38km journey from Monaco to the start of SS13 at Col de Jean

Sun 09:28 - Palace date:
The winner will cross the finish podium, at the Place du Palais, at 1349hrs

Sun 09:27 - Stage schedule
The day starts with the 10.16km Col St Jean – St Laurent test (SS13) before the crews tackle the long version of the Col de Turini as part of the 31.66km La Bollène Vésubie – Sospel (SS14). A second run on Col St Jean – St Laurent will serve as the Power Stage, starting at 1208hrs.

Sun 09:27 - Sunday’s morning
Crews left the new Service Park, (located close to the swimming pool on the F1 circuit) - from 0735hrs for a loop of three stages run consecutively

Sun 09:27 - Coming up today
After three days in and around Gap, the rally has moved south to a new base in Monaco, and to stages in the Alpes Maritime to the north

Sun 09:26 - Bonjour from Monaco
And welcome to our live text coverage of the final day of Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship

Sat 17:53 - Join us on Sunday
From 0930hrs for the first stage. Until then, keep an eye on the news section for all the latest from Rallye Monte-Carlo. Bonsoir!

Sat 17:53 - Three stages to go
A total of 51.98 competitive kilometres. And with the snowfest of the Col de Turini in Sunday’s mix this rally is far from over!

Sat 17:53 - That’s all from Saturday’s stages
And the end of our live text service for today. We will return on Sunday for the grand finale

Sat 17:48 - JWRC top 5 after day 3 (after SS12)
1. Gilbert (DS 3 R3T): 3:26:22.5s, 2. Veiby (DS 3 R3T): +3m45.7s, 3. Riedemann (DS 3 R3T): +3m56.4s, 4. Tempestini (DS 3 R3T): +6m09.8s, 5. Rossel (DS 3 R3T): +13m10.0s.

Sat 17:44 - WRC2 top 5 after day 3 (after SS12)
1. Lefebvre (DS 3 R5): 3:11:00.7s, 2. Kremer (Skoda Fabia S2000): +2m58.8s, 3. Koci (Ford Fiesta R5): +3m19.5s, 4. Camilli (Ford Fiesta R5): +3m:20.5s, 5. Breen (Peugeot 2018 R5): +3m20.9s

Sat 17:41 - WRC top 5 after day 3 (after SS12)
1. Ogier (VW): 3:00:39.9s, 2. Latvala (VW): +42.8s, 3. Mikkelsen (VW): +1m49.8s, 4. Ostberg (DS 3): +2m42.8s, 5. Sordo (Hyundai): +3m16.1s

Sat 17:11 - SS12: Delecour heads RGT
"The last stage was so difficult for the Porsche. Going up through the snow I was looking behind all the time! After that I pushed to the maximum." He leads RGT by more than 3min from Romain Dumas.

Sat 17:06 - SS12: Gilbert leads JWRC
The Frenchman wraps up a great day. His lead in JWRC now up to 3m45s.

Sat 17:03 - SS12: Giordano delayed
"I spun 4km before the end. The engine stalled and didn't want to restart. We called the engineers and in the end it started."

Sat 16:58 - SS12: Tight in WRC2!
A fantastic podium fight in prospect tomorrow - just 22.1sec separates second to fifth place.

Sat 16:53 - SS12: Koci gutted
He's lost 3min 30s and slips to third in WRC2 - just 1sec ahead of Eric Camilli. He completes shaking his head. "It was perfect, the battle was there. The drive-shaft is broken, all the oil drained out and we have only rear-wheel drive. Such a disaster. I came here to fight for points. but I'm happy we can continue and tomorrow we fight."

Sat 16:51 - SS12: Kremer
He could be up to second now. "Second would be nice but we won't know for sure until Sunday!"

Sat 16:47 - SS12: Lefebvre clear
And now with a handsome lead in WRC2 thanks to Koci's driveshaft problem

Sat 16:46 - SS12: Protasov settling-in
The Ukrainian is getting to grips with a new car and complex tyre selections here. "There is so much to learn. This is my third Monte and my most difficult."

Sat 16:44 - SS12: Solberg off
But he's still smiling. "I went straight off - my fault. I have never driven a stage with tyres like this."

Sat 16:42 - SS12: Tanak passes Solberg
The two arrive at the stop control at about the same time. "Feeling good," says Tanak. "We are not fighting any more, so we can do some work for the team. On this one though we were stuck behind Henning for a time."

Sat 16:38 - SS12: Sordo
"We should have taken a stud here. The car was under-steering a lot."

Sat 16:37 - SS12: Prokop
"I'm not confident at all, but happy that we have got to the end of the day."

Sat 16:36 - SS12: Evans limps through
He drops 2m29s because of his damaged suspension. The left rear corner is held together by ratchet straps. "Extremely slow, we lost a load of time," he says. "I've got a lot more work to do to get the car back to Monaco, but I reckon we'll do it."

Sat 16:32 - SS12: Neuville
Third quickest so far on his first time through the stage. "A really nice stage, the car has really nice balance," he enthuses.

Sat 16:31 - SS12: Ostberg engine woes
"We have a big engine problem. We drove a few kilometres with three cylinders, and we had to stop completely to reset it. I don't know exactly what it is." He completes 52sec slower than Meeke.

Sat 16:28 - SS12: Mikkelsen
Fourth-quickest, 37sec slower than Meeke. "Hats off to my weather crew. A great job."

Sat 16:27 - SS12: Latvala catching up
Another great time means he is only 42sec off Ogier's lead. All unintentional, apparently. "I don't understand, I have no intention to catch him, but I really enjoyed this stage, I have a great rhythm."

Sat 16:26 - SS12: Ogier
"It's a beautiful stage, but in these conditions my studded tyres were the safe option." Did you have a moment? "No. That’s wrong".

Sat 16:24 - SS12: Loeb rues slick choice
He completes 48.3sec slower than Meeke. "We tried to use the slicks to see how it was. I had to be very careful in the middle bit. Not my best stage."

Sat 16:20 - SS12: Meeke fastest so far
In 24m32.9s - 8.5sec quicker than Kubica. "We tried the crossover combination of 2 studded and 2 super softs. I had a spin and lost 10 or 12 seconds - I could have been faster!"

Sat 16:18 - SS12: Kubica completes
"Very difficult because we have handbrake failure. So with slicks, on ice and no handbrake - not easy. I had to throw the car sideways into hairpins. Much more ice than I expected."

Sat 16:16 - SS12: Chardonnet's verdict?
"It was the same as every year. All dry except for four or five kilometres of ice and snow."

Sat 16:15 - SS12: Problem for Loeb?
The split at 24km shows he has dropped 52sec to Meeke. He was 25sec quicker before.

Sat 16:13 - SS12: Ogier moment too?
WRC TV crews report a slippery moment just before the point where Meeke spun

Sat 16:08 - SS12: Meeke spins
WRC TV crews report an error at 22km

Sat 16:07 - SS12: Issues for Koci
A grim stage ahead for WRC2 front-runner Martin Koci. The Slovakian thought he had picked up a puncture on SS11, but it turned out to be a broken drive-shaft.

Sat 16:03 - SS12: Easy does it Evans
The Welshman damaged his Fiesta's left-rear suspension on the previous test. He and co-driver Dan Barritt have done their best to patch it up on the road section, but they are going to have to tread carefully on SS12.

Sat 15:51 - SS12: Stage live!
A small delay to the start time. Chardonnet started at 1549hrs.

Sat 15:21 - SS12: stage conditions
The road is largely dry except a 4km section of ice and snow at the Col de Fontbelle (at 1300m, the stage's highest point) about 25km in.

Sat 15:14 - SS12: Stage notes
Sisteron – Thoard, 36.85km. The climb of the Col de Fontbelle is one of the rally’s highlights. After initial hairpins and a faster section, the stage passes through small villages before reaching the col. It is closed to traffic in the winter so 2km either side of the summit are invariably covered in snow and ice. The result is a confusing puzzle surrounding tyre choice and a section that can change the face of the rally.

Sat 15:12 - Next up: SS12
Crews are heading south to the start of Saturday's final stage, the 36km Sisteron - Thoard (SS12). It starts at 1543hrs

Sat 15:01 - SS11: A bit hairy for Delecour
The French ace leads the new RGT class in his Porsche 911. "We had two studded snow tyres in there - not ideal on clean tarmac," he said. "We'll need them for the next stage though. We have another two studded tyres in the car, so we have a full set for the ice on the next stage."

Sat 14:57 - SS11: Gilbert
The JWRC leader safely through. "A good stage. Now we have a good gap." Indeed he does. After SS11 he is 3m41s ahead of second place man Ole Christian Veiby.

Sat 14:49 - SS11: Camilli quickest in WRC2
He pips Lefebvre by 0.3sec

Sat 14:46 - SS11: Breen transformed!
The Peugeot driver is second quickest in WRC2, 2.7sec slower than Lefebvre. And he's delighted. "Finally! I have to take my hat off to my engineer, he's made a big, big, big improvement. After our test I thought I knew how to set the car up - but now we are on the correct set-up. My rally starts here!"

Sat 14:42 - SS11: Koci puncture?
Splits show he lost time in the final section. "I think we have a puncture. We must check. We had the same super-soft tyres as Lefebvre." He began the stage trailing Lefebvre's lead by 6.7sec. He ended it 11.4sec back.

Sat 14:39 - SS11: Lefebvre
A clean run from the WRC2 leader. "The first dry stage. A good run, the time should be okay."

Sat 14:38 - SS11: Protasov
Slowest of the World Rally Car drivers so far, 1m10s off Loeb's stage winning pace. "We have a soft and snow tyre cross. Okay, probably not the best here but it should be better on the next one."

Sat 14:35 - SS11: Tanak
The Estonian is 10th fastest so far. "I'm giving myself some time to get the confidence back," he says. "The car is fine. In 30 minutes the mechanics made it like new. I'm very grateful."

Sat 14:31 - SS11: Issue for Sordo
The Spaniard reports a steering problem - the column seems to have worked loose and that, unsurprisingly, is quite a distraction.

Sat 14:24 - SS11: Neuville
"Not easy, in a few places the super-softs were overheating a little, but they should be a better option for the stage to come."

Sat 14:23 - Tyre options
Michelin have confirmed who has what for Saturday afternoon’s loop: Loeb: 4 soft + 2 snow. Evans/Meeke: 2 soft + 2 studded + 2 Super soft. Solberg/Ostberg: 4 soft + 2 studded. Ogier/Latvala/Mikkelsen: 4 soft + 2 snow. Tanak/Neuville: 4 Super soft + 2 studded. Sordo: 4 soft + 2 snow

Sat 14:22 - SS11: Ostberg
"The first all-tarmac stage of the rally. Quite dry. I liked it."

Sat 14:20 - SS11: Mikkelsen
"It was okay. I'm trying to be fast and clever at the same time." He is 9.1sec slower than Loeb.

Sat 14:19 - SS11: Latvala
He, like all the VW crews, is running soft-compound slick tyres all round. "Good, good," he says. "Quite a few really, really fast places and bumps. Nice to drive in fully dry conditions. The car was quite good - just a little understeer near the end."

Sat 14:16 - SS11: Ogier completes
Fourth-fastest so far, 7.4sec slower than Loeb. "Yeah, a good stage, no problems for us. Soft tyres," he says

Sat 14:15 - SS11: Loeb fastest so far
His time is 10m42.4s "Nothing special through here."

Sat 14:12 - SS11: Meeke
The Brit completes 3.8sec slower than Kubica. "We have a mixture of tyres, which affects the balance a little. But okay, we had a good rhythm."

Sat 14:10 - SS11: Kubica
"This stage was very bumpy and difficult." His benchmark time is 10m44.2s.

Sat 14:09 - SS11: Chardonnet clears
"It was good. We took some pleasure in there. We are on the super soft tyres and the car was moving about a bit. All good though, no problems."

Sat 14:03 - SS11: Live and underway
Chardonnet was first to start at 1355hrs

Sat 14:00 - Tanak 100%
The Estonian's Fiesta RS left service on time after a thorough check-up at M-Sport. His car has a new clutch and gearbox.

Sat 12:38 - Next stage: SS11
It should have been a repeat of the Prunier - Embrun stage. Instead, after the earlier cancellation, it will be the first pass. First car due at 1355hrs. We’ll take a break until then. Ciao!

Sat 12:37 - Up next: Service
Crews are en route to Gap for the midday 30-minute service. First car due at 1234hrs

Sat 12:37 - JWRC top 5 after SS10
1. Gilbert (DS 3 R3T): 2:45:11.9s, 2. Veiby (DS 3 R3T): 3m03.9s, 3. Riedemann (DS 3 R3T): 3m41.4s, 4. Tempestini (DS 3 R3T): 6m12.5s, 5. Re (DS 3 R3T): 11m17.8s.

Sat 12:30 - WRC2 top 5 after SS10
1. Lefebvre (DS 3 R5): 2:33:28.4s, 2. Koci (Ford Fiesta R5): +6.7s, 3. Kremer (Skoda Fabia S2000): +2m24.1s, 4. Breen (Peugeot 2018 R5): +3m17.0s, 5. Camilli (Ford Fiesta R5): +3m:49.3s

Sat 12:26 - WRC top 5 after SS10
1. Ogier (VW): 2:24:38.8s, 2. Latvala (VW): +1m04.9s, 3. Mikkelsen (VW): +1m49.4s, 4. Ostberg (DS 3): +2m28.1s, 5. Evans (Ford): +2m35.9s

Sat 12:10 - SS10: Tanak explains
He reaches the finish but getting stuck in a ditch has cost him about 18 minutes. His Fiesta has light left-front damage. What happened? "Just a long corner over a crest. We went over and there was a patch of gravel. We lost the front and went into a ditch. Big thanks to the spectators who helped us out."

Sat 12:06 - SS10: Breen clear
The Irishman now up to fourth in WRC2

Sat 12:05 - SS10: Bertelli update
His car is marooned off the road. There are not enough spectators around to help get it back on.

Sat 12:04 - SS10: Lategan stopped
More upset in WRC2 - Lategan was sixth in class

Sat 12:04 - SS10: Maurin stopped
The WRC2 driver was fourth in class

Sat 12:02 - SS10: WRC2 nailbiter!
An incredibly close battle between WRC2 leaders Lefebvre and Koci - they are split by just 0.2sec! Lefebvre holds the lead by 6.7sec. "One of the hardest stages I have ever done, but it's a good fight!" said Koci

Sat 11:57 - SS10: Tanak moving
He began slowly, but is now back to full speed

Sat 11:57 - SS10: Chardonnet in
He's lost about 32 minutes but his car looks pristine. What happened? "We went off at an icy section. I was driving quite carefully, but I tried to push a little more and we went straight on at a corner and down off the road. The spectators helped us back on. Not so much damage."

Sat 11:54 - SS10 Tanak update
A crowd of around 100 spectators are on scene trying to get Tanak's car back on stage. If he's in a ditch, it must be a deep one

Sat 11:52 - SS10: Solberg
Not a fan of asphalt at the best of times, Henning is slowest of the World Rally Car drivers so far - 3m41s off Kubica's stage-leading time. "Just a steady run through. I want to get to the finish," he says.

Sat 11:47 - SS10: Prokop
The Czech driver was caught and passed by Sordo in the stage. "I lost confidence very early in the stage. I was not able to manage the corners at speed. I'm happy to get to the finish."

Sat 11:46 - SS10: Sordo
"A good stage, but I caught Prokop, got a bit distracted and went off. I think the car is okay."

Sat 11:45 - SS10: Tanak update
Spectators are on the scene, trying to push Tanak's Fiesta back onto the road

Sat 11:43 - SS10: Tanak off!
WRC TV crew reports he has gone off at the 38.8km point - right in front of them

Sat 11:43 - SS10: Evans
Completes 1m10.2sec slower than Kubica. "We went quite hard in the clean bits, but it's difficult to know where you can and can't push."

Sat 11:39 - SS10: Ostberg
"Very, very tricky with slick tyres on ice. A few times I wished I was Fred Flintstone so I could get my feet down for some more grip!"

Sat 11:36 - SS10: Bertelli off
At about the same point where Chardonnet went off

Sat 11:35 - SS10: Chardonnet update
He is on the move again.

Sat 11:35 - SS10: Latvala
"I don't understand how Ogier is so much slower. I spun in there and was afraid I had lost a minute or so. A big challenge."

Sat 11:33 - SS10: Ogier relaxed
Despite losing 40sec to his team-mate Latvala, and a massive 1m49sec to Kubica here. "Everything is okay. We were very safe with the tyre choice. I was very careful on every icy section."

Sat 11:32 - SS10: Loeb
He reaches the finish 41.2sec slower than Kubica. "I had to be very cautious in the ice. The motivation is not the same as yesterday."

Sat 11:28 - SS10: Meeke
Running on soft compound tyres, he completes 33.4sec slower than Kubica. No chance to match the pace of Kubica on the super softs - he says

Sat 11:27 - SS10: Kubica in
And it's an astonishing time from the look of the splits - almost 1m30sec quicker than Ogier! "Nothing special - just driving," he says. "We had good tyres (super-softs), but the conditions were very tricky. Our gravel crew did a very good job. I think I have driven nicely. We saw Chardonnet out on a hairpin - ice on braking I think - very low speed."

Sat 11:24 - SS10: Splits watch...
Ogier giving away a lot of time to his rivals here. Latvala 31sec quicker at the 32km point!

Sat 11:16 - SS10: Splits watch...
Kubica is the pace-setter so far. At the midpoint (25km) split he is 29sec quicker than Meeke and 37sec quicker than Loeb!

Sat 11:09 - SS10: Ice report
3km of sheet ice reported after one of the two cols. The rest is dry. This stage peaks at almost 1200m above sea level.

Sat 11:06 - Tyre choices
News from Michelin on who has what this morning: Loeb, Meeke, Ostberg, Neuville, Sordo, Tanak, Solberg: 5 Soft tyres. Ogier, Latvala, Mikkelsen: 4 Super Soft 2 Studded. Evans: 4 Soft 2 studded

Sat 11:03 - SS10: Chardonnet stopped
He has stopped at 15km. No word on why yet.

Sat 10:53 - SS10: Live and underway
Chardonnet started the stage at 1050hrs. The schedule moved back by one minute.

Sat 10:44 - SS10: Stage notes
Lardier et Valença - Faye, 51.70km. The longest stage of the rally has a 5.3km section added to the version used last year. It’s a mix of new asphalt and an older surface and contains many long, fast corners. It climbs two cols, Espréaux and Faye, with many technical sections to challenge drivers.

Sat 10:18 - Up next: SS10
With no SS9, the drivers' first taste of competition today will come at 1049hrs, with the marathon 51.70km Lardier Et Valenca - Faye (SS10)

Sat 09:30 - Weather update
It’s another beautiful day here Gap, with clear skies above the wrc.com desk of text and a fresh temperature of 1˚Celsius. It's a similar story out on SS9 and SS10. There are still sections of ice on the road - especially in shaded areas

Sat 09:24 - Start intervals
World Rally Car crews will tackle the stages at two-minute intervals

Sat 09:23 - Saturday Start List
Here’s how the World Rally Cars will line-up: 1. Chardonnet, 2. Kubica, 3. Meeke, 4. Loeb, 5. Ogier, 6. Latvala, 7. Mikkelsen, 8. Ostberg, 9. Neuville, 10. Evans, 11. Prokop, 12. Sordo, 13. Solberg, 14. Tanak, 15. Bertelli, 16. Protasov

Sat 09:23 - Saturday’s start order
Is based on last year’s championship positions, headed by Rally2 restarters. And after two lively days on the stages, there are quite a few of those…

Sat 09:22 - Saturday afternoon
After service, competitors will tackle the Prunières – Embrun stage (cancelled this morning) and then head towards Monaco via the 36km of the famous Sisteron – Thoard test. First car is due to reach the Parc Ferme in Monaco at 1858hrs.

Sat 09:18 - SS9: Now a liasion section
Competitors will drive the stage, but non competitively, and will continue on to to the next stage - SS10 - at Lardier et Valenca

Sat 09:16 - SS9: Too many spectators
FIA Safety delegate reports too many spectators in the last few kilometres. Stage cancelled on safety grounds

Sat 09:14 - SS9: Cancelled
News just in from rally organisers

Sat 09:13 - Saturday morning
Crews left Gap from 0810hrs for a loop of two stages run consecutively: the 19km Prunières – Embrun (SS9) and the 51.7km monster of Lardier et Vaneca (SS10). After that, crews will return to Gap for a 30-minute midpoint service from 1234hrs.

Sat 09:12 - Coming up today
Saturday’s leg takes the crews from the rally base in Gap to the bright lights of Monaco and features four stages

Sat 09:12 - Bonjour again from Gap
Welcome back to our live text coverage of Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship

Fri 17:42 - That’s all from Friday’s stages
And the end of our live text service for today. We will return on Saturday ready for the second full day of competition which starts with SS9 at 0916hrs. Until then, keep an eye on the news section for all the latest from Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Fri 17:32 - JWRC top 5 after day two (SS8)
1. Gilbert (DS 3 R3T): 2:09:07.5s, 2. Veiby (DS 3 R3T): 1:26.8s, 3. Folb (DS 3 R3T): 3m01.3s, 4. Riedemann (DS 3 R3T): 3m31.5s, 5. Tempestini (DS 3 R3T): 4:01.6

Fri 17:29 - WRC2 top 5 after day two (SS8)
1. Lefebvre (DS 3 R5): 1:59:50.1s, 2. Koci (Ford Fiesta R5): +6.5s, 3. Kremer (Skoda Fabia S2000): +2m04.9s, 4. Maurin (Ford Fiesta S2000): +2m35.0s, 5. Breen (Peugeot 2018 R5): +2:50.3

Fri 17:21 - WRC top 5 after day two (SS8)
1. Ogier (VW): 1:52:07.4s, 2. Latvala (VW): +1m45.4s, 3. Mikkelsen (VW): +2m34.8s, 4. Tanak (Ford): +2m44.4s, 5. Ostberg (DS 3): +3m02.9s

Fri 17:16 - SS8: Giordano's misery
Second in WRC2 after SS6, he ends the day eighth and more than six minutes adrift. It all went wrong on the penultimate stage. "I hit a wall, punctured a tyre and broke my left-rear suspension," he explained. "I had to drive this whole stage with no suspension."

Fri 17:06 - SS8: Rapid progress for Koci
He's second in a tight WRC2 battle, 6.5sec behind Lefebvre. "I have to say I'm very surprised by the times," he said. "We came here to try to be able to be in the top 5, or to be competitive. It's my first time here, and my first time in the car. I've really enjoyed myself. I'm happy to be here for now, I will try to get closer to Lefebvre."

Fri 17:01 - SS8: Lefebvre
The Frenchman is our WRC2 leader at the end of Friday's competition. "It's a good day for us," he says. "This morning I lost time to Koci, but this afternoon I pushed him a little. A good afternoon for us."

Fri 16:58 - SS8: WRC2 drivers
Coming through now

Fri 16:57 - SS8: Loeb update
He's trying to get his car back to service, using ratchet-straps to hold the rear suspension in place.

Fri 16:46 - SS8: Disaster for Citroen
Meeke doesn't look like he's getting out of SS8 at all. That's Citroen's two best-placed cars out of contention on the same stage and in eerily similar-sounding circumstances.

Fri 16:41 - SS8: Loeb completes
But with terminal-looking broken left-rear suspension. "It happened when I hit - a little bit - a rock in an icy place. Not too hard, but it broke - I don't know exactly what - but something is wrong. I had to try really hard because I knew with the road conditions it was impossible in this [road] position, so I tried really hard with a different tyre choice and did a mistake. Will it get back to service? I will try."

Fri 16:36 - SS8: Bertelli clears
"I'm happy, my first outing in the World Rally Car and we're doing okay."

Fri 16:34 - SS8: Loeb update
Rear wheel reported to be running at 45˚ angle. He's 4m27 slower than Ogier at the 21km split.

Fri 16:33 - SS8: Meeke stopped again
He's nearly at the end of the stage

Fri 16:31 - SS8: Tanak
"A perfect day. No problems and a comfortable pace."

Fri 16:30 - SS8: Loeb update
WRC TV crews report a rear-left wheel problem

Fri 16:27 - SS8: Loeb running slowly!
He has lost 1min 30sec at the 3rd split (15.5km)

Fri 16:25 - SS8: Prokop
"Very difficult to know if our studded tyres were the best for the afternoon. The road was clear a lot of the time and we were sliding about on the studs."

Fri 16:24 - SS8: Evans
"A bit of a frustrating afternoon with the tyre choices we made. Apart from a spin on Stage 6 it has been okay."

Fri 16:21 - SS8: Neuville
Learning remains the top priority for Thierry, who has a history of early exits from the Monte. "I enjoyed this stage a bit more but we have to keep in mind that we want to get to the finish. Testing aside, I'm probably the driver with the least experience here. I've learned a lot."

Fri 16:18 - SS8: Ostberg
"A really enjoyable day in very mixed conditions. I enjoyed this last stage, but the crossover tyre pattern makes the handing odd. I enjoyed the left-hand corners..."

Fri 16:16 - SS8: Meeke update
He's up and running again, but with the loss of more than 4 minutes. He has slotted in front of Prokop. He doesn't appear to be at full speed.

Fri 16:15 - SS8: Mikkelsen
"A lot of sideways driving - it was quite fun."

Fri 16:14 - SS8: Kubica double crash
He completes with extensive damage to the left-hand front corner of his Fiesta RS - and a punctured tyre. "We had a massive moment at high speed. We went off, and thanks to the spectators we got back, then later at a junction we went off again, slid on the snow, hit a tree and punctured the tyre. We drove 10km like that."

Fri 16:11 - SS8: Ogier
The new rally leader completes looking more relaxed than earlier. Can he hold the lead? "I had no idea that I was in the lead. Let's wait and see. The tyres were not ideal for here, but it's all I had."

Fri 16:07 - SS8: Chardonnet's view
"The afternoon certainly went better than the morning. There's a lot of movement in these winter tyres, but we are improving."

Fri 16:01 - SS8: Kubica stops!
At the 2km point. He is going again, but has lost more than 2m30s. Ogier has passed him.

Fri 15:59 - SS8 Live
We flick straight over to Saturday's final challenge. Chardonnet started at 1549hrs.

Fri 15:56 - SS7: Loeb loses lead!
He's fifth fastest, 15.9sec slower than Kubica, and drops to second, 8sec behind new leader Ogier. "I thought I had a good stage but I lost about 5sec in a hairpin. It was slippery I pushed really hard. My tyre choice was not bad."

Fri 15:51 - SS7: Spin for Loeb!
Only a small one, but his splits are DOWN on Ogier now and this could cost him the lead

Fri 15:50 - SS7: Small off for Solberg
"I went straight on at a junction and had to reverse."

Fri 15:49 - SS7: Sordo
Fourth quickest, 13.7sec slower than Kubica. "It was good. We has a cross of the slick and winter tyres. The slicks worked well here."

Fri 15:44 - SS7: Evans
"Two snow and two studded tyres. Very little ice on the road so not a great stage."

Fri 15:42 - SS7: Kris Meeke
His time is third-quickest so far, 13.4sec slower than stage leader Kubica. "Very dirty, but we were on a different tyre choice. I didn't do much testing with the crossover, but I'm happy with how it performed."

Fri 15:39 - SS7: Ostberg
The Norwegian is running the same non-studded tyres as Loeb on his DS 3, so is a useful indicator of how the set-up performs. "Not so bad." he says, which from Mads is high praise.

Fri 15:36 - SS7: Latvala
"I was expecting conditions to be better in there. There was snow near the start and lots of slippery mud near the end. "I have snow tyres all round. I'm not sure if it was the best choice but I felt okay." He completes 17.6sec slower than Ogier.

Fri 15:33 - SS7: Ogier
He is running a cross of studded tyres and super softs - and is 1.3sec slower than Kubica. And he's not happy. "Very slippery and I do not have good tyre choice."

Fri 15:30 - SS7 Kubica
"Lots of mud and snow about but it was more complicated on the first loop." His time of 14m36.1 is is fastest so far.

Fri 15:28 - SS7: Charonnet's verdict
"Very slippery and dirty, and lots of mud about, but it's the first stage I've enjoyed driving today."

Fri 15:25 - SS7: Underway
The stage went live at 1511hrs. Zero car driver reports less ice on the road than the earlier pass. Some snow flurries. Temperature of -1˚C at the finish control.

Fri 15:21 - SS6: Loeb fastest!
Amazingly, Seb is the stage winner - 3.6sec quicker than Ogier - on four non-studded winter tyres,. "I told him [Ogier] before the stage that I thought it was better to take the studded tyres here - that I had the wrong ones. I was a little surprised by the amount of snow and ice in there. But in the end it was okay for us. A decent time."

Fri 15:15 - SS6: Tanak
A cross of snow tyres for the Estonian. "I was surprised by the amount of snow and ice in there."

Fri 15:12 - SS6: Sordo
Slowest through so far on an unusual choice of WORN studded tyres. He has elected to save his fresh studs for Saturday.

Fri 15:09 - SS6: Concern for Loeb?
He and Ostberg are the only two drivers with NO studded tyres. Ostberg had a scary run. How will Loeb get on? He's just started...

Fri 15:06 - SS6: Kris Meeke
"It's got colder since the safety note crews went through. There is ice where they said it was clear. You have to drive it as you see it."

Fri 15:03 - SS6: Neuville
"You really need four studded tyres in here."

Fri 15:02 - SS6: Ostberg
The Norwegian is the first driver through on four winter (non studded) tyres. "With no studs in there it's scary" he says.

Fri 15:00 - SS6: Latvala more content
And fastest so far - by 0.1sec - on the same winter/studded crossover as Ogier. He reckons the combination was the right one for the conditions.

Fri 14:57 - SS6: Ogier fastest
so far - 1.1sec quicker than Kubica on what looks like a winter & studded crossover combo. But Ogier seems agitated and refuses to comment on how his tyre choice performed. "I don't speak to the radio anymore." he says, before driving off.

Fri 14:53 - SS6: Kubica through
On a crossover selection of Pirelli's winter and studded winter tyres. "It's slippery in there and also a lot of fog out there so we took it steady." His time is 12.4sec quicker than Chardonnet.

Fri 14:51 - SS6: Chardonnet clears
And his benchmark time is 10m42.1s. "We made it. We pushed quite a lot at the end, but on four snow tyres without studs it was difficult - especially at the start. On the next stage it should be a little drier."

Fri 14:49 - SS6 LIVE
Chardonnet started at 1438hrs

Fri 14:47 - Tyre choices
No obvious answer for the afternoon stages. Instead, drivers have gone out with a varied assortment of tyres. Here's who has what: Ostberg/Loeb: 4 snow tyres 2 Super Soft. Ogier : 4 studded 2 Super Soft. Sordo/Neuville/Meeke/Latvala/Mikkelsen/Tanak : 2 snow 2 studded 2 Super Soft. Evans/Solberg : 4 studded 2 snow

Fri 14:44 - SS8 weather
Fog here too, and a plunging temperature

Fri 14:43 - SS7 weather
Snow falling at the 18km point. Still plenty of ice.

Fri 14:43 - SS6 weather
Dense fog after 4km. Clears 4km before the end. Still really icy. More mud on the road than earlier

Fri 14:42 - Weather update
Still bright and sunny here in Gap, but conditions on the afternoon loop of stages are a little different to earlier. Here's what the WRC TV crews are reporting:

Fri 14:39 - Welcome back.
Stage 6 is about to get underway

Fri 12:40 - We'll be back at 1430hrs
To bring you all the news from the stages. Until then, keep an eye on the news section for all the latest from Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Fri 12:39 - Next stage: SS6
Crews will tackle the same trio of stages again this afternoon. They will start the repeat of La Salle en Beaumont - Corps (SS6) at 1438hrs.

Fri 12:34 - Up next: Service
Crews are arriving at the Gap Service Park for the midday 30-minute service.

Fri 12:33 - JWRC top 5 after SS5
1. Gilbert (DS 3 R3T): 1:21:54.1s, 2. Folb (DS 3 R3T): +2.0s, 3. Veiby (DS 3 R3T): +1m01.2s, 4. Riedemann (DS 3 R3T): +2m17.9s, 5. McKenna (DS 3 R3T): +2:37.8.

Fri 12:24 - WRC2 top 5 after SS5
1. Lefebvre (DS 3 R5): 1:16:21.4s, 2. Koci (Ford Fiesta R5): +1.7s, 3. Giordano (DS 3 R5): +1m00.6s, 4. Maurin (Ford Fiesta S2000): +1m01.7s, 5. Kremer (Skoda Fabia S2000): +1:14.6.

Fri 12:19 - WRC top 5 after SS5
WRC top 5 after SS5. Loeb (DS 3): 1:11:41.4s, 2. Ogier (VW): +3.0s, 3. Latvala (VW): +1m10.7s, 4. Tanak (Ford): +1m35.0s, 5. Evans (Ford): +1m48.4s

Fri 12:10 - SS5: Breen downbeat
He's seventh in WRC2 after a rotten event so far. Two offs on Thursday night were followed by a puncture on SS4 today and, worryingly, a diff that doesn't feel quite right.

Fri 12:06 - SS5: Koci clears
The Slovakian clears the morning loop second in WRC2, trailing Lefebvre by just 1.7sec. Without a puncture on SS4 he might be leading the category.

Fri 12:02 - SS5: Lefebvre
The overnight WRC2 leader hasn't been fastest on any of the three stage today, and his lead is down to 1.7sec. "I have snow tyres with studs and maybe it would have been better without. For the moment it's a good morning, I will push a little more this afternoon."

Fri 11:57 - SS5: WRC2 runners
Are nearing the stage end. And it's category leader Stephane Lefebvre who is up first

Fri 11:54 - SS5: Loeb loses ground
He's smiling at the finish control, but he is 22sec slower than Ogier through the stage. Loeb completes the morning loop just 3sec ahead in the standings. "Sometime you have to fight." he says. "Very, very muddy and I have to take big, big risks to drive like this."

Fri 11:50 - SS5: Tanak
He's 38.7sec slower than Kubica. "It's a relief to get to the end of the loop. With no studs we're sliding around a lot. For sure that's better for the people watching than for us in the car."

Fri 11:45 - SS5: Sordo
"Okay, but very dirty in places and I don't take a good feeling in these conditions. Lots of gravel and ice in places. I don't like it."

Fri 11:44 - SS5: Prokop
"It's tricky to adjust to the surface changes, but I'm happy with the clean run so far."

Fri 11:42 - SS5: Evans
"We touched a bank in a slippery section near the start. That's what happens when you lose your studs. Generally it didn't feel so bad in there, but the time isn't great."

Fri 11:40 - SS5: Meeke
"Good notes from our safety crew, even though spectators are throwing more snow on here and there. Conditions are very changeable - there are stretches of bone dry asphalt in there."

Fri 11:38 - SS5: Neuville
"The road conditions are definitely getting worse, especially near the end. Sometimes the spectators are throwing snow on the road, sometimes it's the cars in front. Our gravel notes are often wrong as a result."

Fri 11:35 - SS5: Ostberg
He completes 27sec slower than Kubica. "You have to be happy for every stage you get through here! Try to go straight and you end up going sideways. When you see spectators you know that's where you'll be going sideways!"

Fri 11:33 - SS5: Kubica fastest so far
Ogier is 0.8sec slower, with Latvala third fastest so far, 14.9sec further back

Fri 11:31 - SS5: Latava eats Ogier's snow
"It was messy in some places. The snow is in the road. I had a smooth run, but I couldn't do much better than that. It's okay. I have a strategy."

Fri 11:29 - SS5: Ogier plays dirty!
His Polo completes with snow in the front bumper. Has he been off? "No, we tried to make some cuts and put some snow on the road for the guys behind. We have a disadvantage with this road position, so now we try to turn this to our advantage."

Fri 11:27 - SS5: Kubica
Another great looking time of 15m13.2s. "Yeah okay, but you have to get used to the conditions. We lost all the studs in the asphalt on the second stage, so wherever there is ice it's very tough. Not easy to survive."

Fri 11:25 - SS5: First Seb through
It's Chardonnet in the first DS 3, and he's feeling increasingly comfortable. "I needed more confidence to go fast in these conditions. It's getting better now and should improve more in the afternoon."

Fri 11:22 - SS5 LIVE
We are straight off to the next stage - the last of the morning loop. This one starts from the village of Les Costes - just 4km from the finish of SS4. Similarly icy conditions reported.

Fri 11:17 - SS4: Stage win for Kubica
His retirement last night means he is way down the leaderboard, but it's a terrific stage result. The Pole is one of just three World Rally Car runners using Pirelli tyres (along with Bertelli and Prokop).

Fri 11:14 - SS4: Loeb through
He can't match Kubica's pace, and completes 7sec slower, but he remains out front with a rally lead over Ogier of 24.3sec. Loeb said: "It was okay. I tried to push hard, but it was a bit like yesterday night - I didn't know how fast the others were."

Fri 11:11 - SS4: Tanak
Fourth fastest so far. 15.4sec slower than Kubica "Another good stage for me. We didn't have any problems."

Fri 11:09 - SS4: Protasov stopped
WRC TV crews report he is changing a front left puncture. He is parked at the 13.9km point.

Fri 11:07 - SS4: Sordo surprised
He's 35sec slower than stage leader Kubica. "It felt okay, so I thought my time would have been better - instead it was bad."

Fri 11:05 - SS4: Prokop's caution
"A clean stage for me. No mistakes, maybe I can go faster."

Fri 11:03 - SS4: Evans
Fifth quickest so far. "The cars in front are cutting a lot, so there is a lots of mud on the road."

Fri 11:01 - SS4: Kris Meeke
"Lots of mud pulled out on the road - and that can be as slippery as the ice. I'm trying to stay disciplined. Like most people we're on four studded tyres but the dry asphalt is hard on them."

Fri 11:00 - SS4: Neuville
"Difficult - I hardly recognize the road after the recce, the notes from the gravel crew are hard to use."

Fri 10:57 - SS4: Ostberg's stud loss
"Quite okay but the speed is not good enough. Maybe not perfect on the tyres - I tried to save them because there was lots of asphalt - I have no more studs."

Fri 10:55 - SS4: Mikkelsen
He completes 30sec slower than Kubica. "Not a good stage - the rhythm was terrible, but okay, we tried to save some studs for the next stage."

Fri 10:53 - SS4: Latvala
He too is slower than Kubica - by 5.3sec. "I feel more comfortable now. Certainly a lot better than the first one."

Fri 10:51 - SS4: Ogier struggles
He is 3sec slower than Kubica. That doesn't happen very often... "It was difficult because I didn't manage to keep the studs. Very slippery," he says.

Fri 10:49 - SS4: Kubica through
In a great-looking time of 15m27.0s! "Yeah, okay. That was icy and tricky"

Fri 10:49 - SS4: Chardonnet moment
He reports a big moment on the snow - he dinked his right front wheel but seems to have got away with it. His time is 16m34.6s

Fri 10:46 - SS4: Splits watch
Kubica appears to be on a flier here - his time comparable with Ogier's

Fri 10:42 - SS4: Stage notes
Aspres Les Corps – Chauffayer 1, 25.81km. This test, unused since 1994, runs north-east along one valley before turning back on itself in the opposite direction. It contains several extremely fast sections as it climbs and falls throughout, passing through several hamlets in the second half.

Fri 10:41 - SS4 LIVE
We're straight over to the next stage now - the start of which is just 6km from the finish of SS3. Chardonnet began it at 1029hrs

Fri 10:39 - SS3: Loeb extends his lead
He wins the stage with a time 15sec quicker than Ogier's. His rally lead over his rival now up to 28.3sec! "Not easy," he acknowledges. "A lot of fog, so you have to trust your notes 100 per cent - and on a new stage that's tricky. Some mud in some places but no mistakes. Okay, the time is not so bad. I'm happy."

Fri 10:35 - SS3: Tanank completes
He's not quite able to match his Thursday form, but 15sec off Ogier's time is still great. "Really. really crazy conditions. I'm keeping my own rhythm so all good for us."

Fri 10:31 - SS3: Sordo unhappy
It's not a bad time, 22.3sec off Ogier's, but the Spaniard sounds very uncomfortable with the amount of fog in the stage. It sounds like visibility is getting worse.

Fri 10:29 - SS3: Loeb in stage
And his first split time, at 5.8km, is 6.8sec quicker than Ogier's!

Fri 10:27 - SS3: Prokop through
"Okay - no problems for us. The fog at the beginning knocked my confidence at bit. Happy to get through."

Fri 10:26 - SS3: Great start from Evans
He's second quickest so far - 7.7sec slower than Ogier. "It was okay. It didn't feel too wild - I just tried to be neat and tidy. The right tyre choice too, I think." Another classic from the master of the understatement!

Fri 10:24 - SS3: Meeke satisfied
"Happy with my run. I took my own rhythm. You have to be disciplined here. Some light snow in there as well as the fog, so visibility wasn't great." He completes 20.5sec slower than Ogier.

Fri 10:22 - SS3: Neuville
He is 18.3sec slower than Ogier. Does he think the stage is improving with each passing car? "It's still very, very tricky. Some corners getting better perhaps, but some getting more slippery. My aim is just to get to the finish!"

Fri 10:19 - SS3: Ostberg clears
The Norwegian is third quickest so far, 15.6sec slower than Ogier. He's on a full studded tyre set-up. Was that the right choice? "All I can say for sure is that slicks wouldn't have been right, I'm happy with the tyres I have."

Fri 10:17 - SS3: Mikkelsen
"What a stage! I thought today would be easier than last night - but no. There was more ice than I expected and in the fog there was no visibility at all - not ideal when you are trying to see where the grip is."

Fri 10:16 - SS3: Latvala cautious
He is 27.7sec slower than Ogier. "I took it very steady. Very demanding conditions and it's a long rally. Lots of black ice and fog here. No reason to take any kind of risk. There are good stages to come."

Fri 10:14 - SS3: Ogier's tyre concern
He's on studded tyres and is fastest so far in 10m38.9s. "Okay, but I expect to lose time on this one. It will get better, and clean for sure for the guys behind. Were studs the right tyre choice? I'll tell you at the end of the loop."

Fri 10:12 - SS3: Icy ride for Kubica
"All okay but very slippery. We didn't have full studs because our gravel crew said there was only 4km ice. It was more like 10km. And fog too. We took it cautiously."

Fri 10:10 - SS3: Chardonnet completes
His Thursday was ruined after he clipped a rock and broke his suspension. "Very difficult. I didn't take any risks. Very slippery at beginning and some thick fog too. After yesterday I decided to build experience and confidence."

Fri 10:08 - SS3: Stage notes
La Salle en Beaumont – Corps 1, 15.84km. After a fast and flowing opening 3km, the road winds up the Col de l’Holme with a rock face on one side of the road and huge drops on the other. Snow and ice can be expected here. It ends with an exposed descent to Corps. The stage has never been used in this format.

Fri 10:07 - SS3: Stage LIVE
Chardonnet in stage

Fri 10:06 - SS3: Zero car verdict
Former Lancia works team driver Bruno Saby has reached the finish in the road opening Zero car. What's it like in there, Bruno? "Icy. Very difficult."

Fri 10:03 - Tyre choices
Studded winter tyres are the preferred option this morning. Meeke, Loeb, Ostberg and Neuville left with 5 studded tyres. Evans, Tanak, Sordo, Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen have 4 studded and 2 (non-studded) winter tyres.

Fri 09:57 - Weather update
Above at the wrc.com desk of text in Gap we have clear skies and a fresh morning temperature of 1˚Celsius. WRC TV crews are reporting fog and low cloud on the morning loop of stages.

Fri 09:56 - Start intervals
World Rally Car crews will tackle the stages at two-minute intervals

Fri 09:56 - Friday’s start order
Is based on last year’s championship positions, headed by Rally2 restarters - which puts the returning Chardonnet and Kubica through first. Here’s how the World Rally Cars will line-up: 1. Chardonnet, 2. Kubica, 3. Ogier, 4. Latvala, 5. Mikkelsen, 6. Ostberg, 7. Neuville, 8. Meeke, 9. Evans, 10. Prokop, 11. Sordo, 12. Solberg, 13. Tanak, 14. Loeb, 15. Bertelli, 16. Protasov.

Fri 09:55 - Except Bouffier…
The Frenchman - who led here last year - retired on Thursday night as a result of the damage his car sustained in a shunt on SS2. He is our first and only WRC retirement so far.

Fri 09:54 - Cars update
They are now making the 75km journey from Gap to the start of SS3 at La Salle en Beaumont. The stage starts at 0956hrs

Fri 09:53 - Friday’s itinerary
The leg began at 0810hrs and the stage loops are split by the midday service in Gap at 1237hrs. The cars are due in Parc Ferme at 1802hrs

Fri 09:53 - Coming up today
After Thursday night’s two stages, we have a full day of action in the French Hautes-Alpes north of host town Gap, with two new loops of three stages (La Salle en Beaumont – Corps, Aspers les Corps – Chauffayer and Les Costes – St Julien en Champsaur)

Fri 09:52 - Bonjour from Gap!
And welcome back to our live text coverage of Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship

Thu 22:53 - That’s all from Thursday's stages
And the end of our live text service for today. We will return on Friday morning ready for the first full day of competition, which starts with SS3 at 0956hrs. Until then, keep an eye on the news section for the latest from Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Thu 22:51 - Day 1: the not so good
Dani Sordo (Hyundai) goes off on the first stage and loses 40sec. On SS2 Bouffier (Ford) stops, Kubica (Ford) spins and later retires with electrical problems. Chardonnet (Citroen) damages his car's suspension after clouting a rock on SS2.

Thu 22:44 - Day 1: the good
Monte Master Sebastien Loeb has an overnight rally lead of 13.3sec over Sebastien Ogier after Thursday's two stages. The two Sebs took one stage win each. Latvala is third, with Ford duo Ott Tanak and Elfyn Evans fourth and fifth.

Thu 22:40 - WRC2 top 5 after SS2
1. Lefebvre (DS 3 R5): 32:10.4s, 2. Koci (Ford Fiesta R5): +22.5s, 3. Giordano (DS 3 R5): +37.3s, 4. Breen (Peugeot 208 R5): +1m05.9s, 5. Maurin (Ford Fiesta R5): +1:07.4

Thu 22:35 - WRC top 5 after SS2
1. Loeb (DS 3): 30m08.2s, 2. Ogier (VW): +13.3s, 3. Latvala (VW): +36.1s, 4. Tanak (Ford): +38.6s, 5. Evans (Ford): +47.4s

Thu 22:16 - SS2: Kubica spins
He gets his Fiesta RS to the finish control with the loss of around four minutes. "We spun, and when we were in reverse we lost the lights and the alternator I think. First I lost all lights then the car was switching on and off. We managed to reset it and get going - which is the main thing - but we lost a lot of time."

Thu 22:14 - SS2: Loeb leads!
He completes third fastest, 17.6sec slower than Ogier, to hold the overnight lead by 13.3sec. "It was okay but a lot of gravel everywhere in every corner. I had a good tyre choice for the first stage but it wasn't the best for the second. I passed two cars in there - I'm not sure who they were."

Thu 22:10 - SS2: Problems for Kubica!
He too is driving slowly through. Sebastien Loeb has passed him.

Thu 22:08 - SS2: Tanak through
He's passed Bouffier in the stage. "The grip was changing a lot. There was a lot of gravel on the road too. I have done a lot better than I was expecting. I enjoyed it." He is 34.2sec slower than Ogier.

Thu 22:06 - SS2: Bouffier in trouble
He is moving slowly through the stage.

Thu 22:03 - SS2: Sordo's verdict
He was on the snow tyres and doesn't think they were the best choice for the conditions. He's also struggling with a lamp-pod which he knocked out of alignment on the opening stage.

Thu 21:59 - SS2: Prokop
"Okay for us. Quite clear, no problems. It was my aim to be here ready for day two, so I'm happy with that"

Thu 21:58 - SS2: Kris Meeke
The Brit slots his DS 3 fifth fastest so far. 44.8sec slower than Ogier. He reports dangerous conditions with lots of gravel on the road.

Thu 21:55 - SS2: Neuville celebrates
"The stage is very dangerous, so I had to keep a safe pace. Still, it feels good to be here, it's the first time I have reached the end of the opening day of the Monte!"

Thu 21:52 - SS2: Ostberg
"Difficult to find a rhythm. Not a good stage." He is 50sec slower than stage leader Ogier.

Thu 21:50 - SS2: Mikkelsen
"It was okay. I'm playing it very carefully. Lots of black ice so I'm taking no risks. I have fitted two snow tyres and two with studs. I think it was the right choice."

Thu 21:49 - SS2: Boot issue for Latvala
"Not a good stage. We have a problem with the boot - it was opening and that was distracting." He is 10.7sec slower than Ogier.

Thu 21:47 - SS2: Ogier's through
"I'm very happy to be here because the stage was difficult. I was surprised by my time on the first one. First on the road is very difficult and I have done a wrong tyre choice for this one. Studs were the correct choice for the first stage - but not this one."

Thu 21:38 - SS1 in summary
Citroen's superstar guest driver Sebastien Loeb leads the rally by 22.0sec after an astonishing time on an icy opening stage. Ott Tanak is second in a Ford Fiesta RS, with Volkswagen's defending champ Sebastien Ogier 8.9sec further back in third. What a start!

Thu 21:32 - SS2: Stage notes
Norante - Digne-les-Bains, 19.68km: Another new test for the current drivers, having not been used since 2000. After a fast start punctuated by hairpin bends, the tests climbs the Col du Corobin at 1230 metres on wide roads, before a steep descent to the finish just outside Digne-les-Bains.

Thu 21:31 - Standby for SS2
The next stage is live. Sebastien Ogier began it at 2129hrs.

Thu 21:28 - SS1: Breen off twice!
It's a rough start for the Irishman, who punts his Peugeot 208 off the road twice. He loses 1m10.4sec to category leader Stephane Lefebvre

Thu 21:24 - SS1: Chardonnet explains
"After four or five corners I found some snow and hit a big stone on the right rear. It was difficult to get the car through the stage. I don't know if we can continue tonight." The off costs him about 12 minutes.

Thu 21:22 - SS1: Issues for Lefebvre
Fastest of the WRC2 runners so far, but his prize drive gets off to an awkward start, and he completes the stage with rear damage and a blocked exhaust. "That was very difficult," he says. "We had a big moment a couple of kilometers before the finish." Sounds like he spun into a barrier. He's off to investigate.

Thu 21:17 - SS1: Chardonnet in trouble
The Frenchman is driving a DS 3 World Rally Car here, but he's in trouble. He is limping through the stage with reported suspension damage. He has dropped eight minutes so far.

Thu 21:11 - SS1: Bertelli and Protasov
Both all clear, in the 15th and 16th fastest times respectively.

Thu 21:10 - SS1: Loeb leads!
It's an astonishing time from the returning Frenchman who completes in 15m53.5s - a massive 30.9sec quicker than Ogier! And nobody is more surprised that Loeb. "So much ice around. It didn't feel like we were going fast at all. Three kilometres before the end I told [my co-driver] Daniel 'That's it, I've stopped - completely stopped' That's really how it felt. And then we saw the time!

Thu 21:04 - SS1: Kubica clears
With slight damage to the front-left of his Fiesta. "One moment, we went straight on in a braking zone. We have a lot of understeer" he said. He loses more than 22sec to Ogier.

Thu 21:02 - SS1: Tanak flies!
The Estonian grab fastest time so far - 8.9sec quicker than Ogier! "So difficult, but we didn't have any moments - and we saw that many people did. I feel so good to be back in a factory team. I'm doing my best and trying to be as relaxed as possible."

Thu 21:00 - SS1: Bouffier damage too
He led this rally in 2014, but this year's opening stage wasn't so good. "I didn't expect it would be this slippery. I had two moments and I'm happy to be here. For a first stage it was very difficult!"

Thu 20:58 - SS1: Sordo off
But on again. His Hyundai i20 WRC completes missing a right-hand light pod and with some panel damage. "I lost time in the first split. I braked too late, went off and stalled the engine. My co-driver Marc had to get out to help push us out of the ditch." He completes 40.5sec slower than Ogier.

Thu 20:54 - SS1: Prokop error
The Czech driver was quicker than Ogier at the opening split, but lost time when he kissed a barrier near the finish. "When you try to go fast it's impossible," he said. No obvious damage to his Fiesta. He ends 22.5sec slower than Ogier.

Thu 20:51 - SS1: Elfyn Evans
A time of 16m40.2s puts him sixth so far, 15.8sec off Ogier's time.

Thu 20:50 - SS1: Kris Meeke
The Brit brings his DS 3 to the finish in the second-fastest time so far. He is 1.7sec slower than Ogier.

Thu 20:48 - SS1: Neuville safely through
"That was horrible to drive," he says. "My first time in these conditions and a new stage too. I tried to be smooth." He is is 6.7sec slower than Ogier.

Thu 20:46 - SS12: Ostberg lost for words!
He's second quickest so far, 5.2sec slower than Ogier, but struggling to explain just how slippery the stage was. "Tricky is not the word. They haven't invented a word to describe this."

Thu 20:44 - SS1: Mikkelsen clears
And he's 23sec slower that stage leader Ogier. "Very tricky," he says. "I tried to drive with no risks. It's very slippery. It's going to get better and better for the guys behind I think."

Thu 20:43 - SS1: Latvala though
And he's 12.1sec slower than his team-mate. "No problem, it's not too bad. The conditions are very demanding - you can lose minutes when it's like this! It's very difficult to get confidence. I've never driven a Monte stage with so many grip changes."

Thu 20:40 - SS1: Sebastien Ogier
"Almost full ice everywhere. Quite little grip but okay, we tried to start very carefully. Not so much risk for us in here. Not really fast but not bad. An easy tyre choice though - no doubt you need studs here."

Thu 20:38 - SS1: Ogier completes
And he is through in a benchmark time of 16m24.4s

Thu 20:32 - SS1: Stage notes
This stage hasn't been used since 1983. It starts in exposed countryside before a tricky downhill section likely to be icy. The following climb of the Col de Laval is flowing, but the final section is twisty and testing.

Thu 20:30 - SS1: Neuville underway
And we're keeping our fingers crossed for him. Monte hasn't been good for him in the past. Last year he crashed his Hyundai after just 500m.

Thu 20:27 - SS1: Driver cams
This stage is being shown live on WRC+. From the look of Ogier's driver cam there is a fair bit of snow about. There is plenty piled by the roadside, but he's just driven carefully through a full snow section.

Thu 20:22 - SS1: Ogier in stage!
The Frenchman is underway. Sounds like his new Polo R World Rally Car is shod with four studded winter tyres

Thu 20:21 - Stage 1 conditions
Clear skies but the road is mostly damp and there are some patches of pressed snow and ice around. Temperature ranging between 1˚ C and -2˚ C depending on altitude.

Thu 20:19 - Weather update
Here at the wrc.com desk of text in Gap we have clear skies and a chilly temperature of 2˚Celsius

Thu 20:18 - Tyre decision time
WRC drivers have five types of tyre to choose from here. They will make their choices for tonight’s stages at a tyre fitting zone 10km before the start of SS1. Ogier was first to arrive there at 1950hrs. He and the other drivers will have 10 minutes to fit their chosen rubber.

Thu 20:17 - Start intervals
World Rally Car crews will tackle the stages at two-minute intervals

Thu 20:13 - Thursday’s start order
is based on last year’s championship positions - which puts Ogier through first. Here’s how the World Rally Cars will line-up: 1. Ogier, 2. Latvala, 3. Mikkelsen, 4. Ostberg, 5. Neuville, 6. Meeke, 7. Evans, 8. Prokop, 9. Sordo, 10. H. Solberg, 11. Bouffier, 12. Tanak, 13. Kubica, 14. Loeb, 15. Bertelli, 16. Protasov, 17. Chardonnet. The 18th and final World Rally Car entry, Jean-Michel Raoux, will start 45th on the road.

Thu 20:13 - Cars update
They are now making the 89km journey from Monaco to the start of SS1 at Entrevaux. Defending champion Sebastien Ogier was first to be waved over the start ramp in Casino Square at 1830hrs

Thu 20:09 - Thursday’s stages
Are both run in darkness. Up first is the 21.31km Entrevaux – Rouaine SS1 at 2021hrs, followed at 2129hrs by the 19.68km Norante – Dignes les Bains SS2. After both stages, the first car is expected to reach the sanctuary of the Service Park at 1126hrs.

Thu 20:05 - Coming up tonight
Are the season’s opening two stages - both en route from the ceremonial start at Place du Casino in Monaco, and the Service Park here in Gap, 250km north

Thu 20:05 - It’s great to be back!
Not exactly the longest of off-seasons, but 65 days after we said goodbye to 2014 in Wales we’re raring to go again!

Thu 20:04 - Bonsoir from Gap!
And welcome to our live text coverage of Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship

Thu 17:55 - Live text update
We'll be LIVE from the Service Park in Gap from 2000hrs (local)

Mon 18:43 - Rallye Monte-Carlo
SS1 live @ www.wrcplus.com