WRC
Solberg tightens grip on Rallye Monte-Carlo lead
Oliver Solberg strengthened his hold on Rallye Monte-Carlo on Friday morning, delivering another assured performance to extend his lead after a punishing opening loop of snow and ice-lined stages.
he Toyota Gazoo Racing driver set fastest times on both La-Bâtie-des-Fontes / Aspremont and the earlier Laborel test to reach midday service with a 1min 04.2sec advantage over team-mate Elfyn Evans after six stages.
Despite suffering a front-left puncture on SS5, Solberg responded immediately, going fastest again on the final stage of the loop in mixed conditions that ranged from snow and slush over the first kilometres to wet asphalt towards the finish.
“There's a loooooong way to go,” Solberg said. “It will be a really hard afternoon.”
Evans mounted a brief fightback on the long Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert / La Motte-Chalancon test, capitalising on improving grip to claim his first stage win of the rally. But further losses on SS6 left the Welshman focused on consolidation rather than attack.
“Very difficult coming over the mountain,” Evans said. “The snow is wet and there is no grip at all.”
Behind the leading Toyota duo, Sébastien Ogier ran third overall at the mid-leg halt, unable to match Solberg’s pace in the slush-heavy sections but continuing to stay clear of the Hyundai drivers behind.
“We are going to lose a lot in the slush,” Ogier admitted. “We do what we can.”
Elfyn Evans & Scott Martin
© Toyota
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team placed two cars inside the top five, with Thierry Neuville climbing to fourth overall after a clean but cautious run through the loop. Adrien Fourmaux followed in fifth, still searching for confidence as conditions continued to evolve.
“It was very snowy at the beginning with a lot of slush,” Fourmaux said. “On the fast part I was a bit too careful.”
One of the standout performers of the morning remained Jon Armstrong, who brought his M-Sport Ford home sixth overall after another measured run on his Rally1 debut, despite tricky conditions and tyre compromises.
Further back, Takamoto Katsuta (P8) dropped time after suffering two punctures, while Grégoire Munster (P14) also faced similar issues. Hayden Paddon completed the morning loop eighth overall ahead of WRC2 drivers Léo Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin.
