WRC
Solberg underlines Monte-Carlo mastery with commanding Friday drive
Oliver Solberg continued to defy expectation on Friday at Rallye Monte-Carlo, delivering another composed and authoritative performance to extend his lead beyond one minute.
On just his first event as a full-season Rally1 driver, the Toyota Gazoo Racing man not only withstood pressure from some of the sport’s most experienced drivers behind him, but repeatedly responded when conditions turned against him - ending the day with a 1min 08.4sec advantage after nine stages in the French Alps.
Friday’s six-stage leg demanded a very different approach to Thursday night’s opening loop. Snow and slush early in the morning gave way to mud and standing water in the afternoon, forcing crews to adapt constantly across the Alpine tests.
Solberg set the tone immediately by winning SS4 before suffering a front-left puncture on the first pass of Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert / La Motte-Chalancon. Rather than retreat into damage limitation, he struck back decisively by going fastest again on the following two stages to reassert control.
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Behind him, Friday became a steadily intensifying battle for second. GR Yaris Rally1 star Elfyn Evans had ended Thursday 24.4sec clear of nine-time world champion team-mate Sébastien Ogier, but that margin was steadily eroded as the day wore on. Evans briefly trimmed Solberg’s lead by winning SS5 and SS8, yet Ogier closed relentlessly.
With a blistering run over the night-time La-Bâtie-des-Fontes / Aspremont stage, Ogier cut Evans’ advantage to just 6.5sec. Evans, meanwhile, described a day of fluctuating confidence as ruts, mud and poor visibility made it difficult to judge commitment.
Almost four minutes behind in fourth overnight was Adrien Fourmaux, whose position belied a troubled afternoon. The Hyundai driver battled ongoing electronic issues affecting the fuel pump and handbrake on his i20 N Rally1, yet still emerged more than one minute clear of team-mate Thierry Neuville.
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Neuville’s day unravelled on SS9 when he was dragged into a ditch by a muddy cut just two kilometres into the stage. Pushed free by spectators, he lost more than three minutes and slipped to fifth overall, describing the leg as “a struggle” despite reaching the end of the day.
After tyre issues earlier in the day, Jon Armstrong adopted a survival-first approach in the final loop - a decision that paid off as he brought his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 home in sixth.
Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon ended seventh after a cautious but constructive day, overcoming a stall on SS9 and steadily building confidence in the i20 N Rally1. WRC2 runners Léo Rossel, Eric Camilli and Nikolay Gryazin completed the top 10.
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Takamoto Katsuta endured one of the toughest days in the field, slipping to 12th overall after a day blighted by tyre issues and power steering failure, while Josh McErlean failed to finish after sliding off on SS9.
The rally journeys south from Gap to Monaco on Saturday, where crews face four stages – culminating in a super special stage inside the Principality.
