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Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) won the Monte Carlo Rally, the opening race of the WRC championship, on Sunday afternoon. After an exciting battle, he had a lead of 16.1 seconds over Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Yaris Rally1) at the finish. Elfyn Evans (Toyota Yaris Rally1) was third. For Neuville it is the 20th victory of his career.
The Monte Carlo began on Thursday evening with two stage wins for Evans. He kept the lead until Friday evening, but was already being attacked by Neuville and Ogier. Neuville took the lead on Saturday morning, but Ogier was close behind and briefly replaced our compatriot as leader on Saturday afternoon. On the final special stage on Saturday, Neuville took no risks and took the lead again. He then talked about the perfect ride. On Sunday morning, Neuville won two stages, taking Ogier to 13.5 seconds. Even in the last power stage, the Belgian was unstoppable. Apart from one slip-up, Neuville drove the perfect race, which he finished dominantly. “I don’t have the words for it. It’s awesome. I felt comfortable in the car throughout the race. The team worked perfectly.”
Neuville wins the Monte Carlo for the second time after 2020. He is also the first leader in the World Cup standings. He scored 18 points on Saturday night. On Sunday, another 12 points were added from the Power Stage and the Sunday stages. His direct title rivals Evans and Tänak follow with 9 and 15 points respectively.
Grégoire Munster (Ford Puma Rally1) made two mistakes on his debut with a Rally1, one of which he paid for in cash. After the slip on Saturday he had to give up. He started again on Sunday. “There are certainly positive points that I take with me, but I would still like to apologize to my team. The car was perfect.”
© AFP
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