Solberg survives snowy off to close in on WRC Monte Carlo Rally victory

Oliver Solberg is just four stages away from becoming the youngest winner in Monte Carlo Rally history after surviving a dramatic, snowy Saturday that included a slide off the road and into a field for the Toyota Gazoo Racing driver.

The 24-year-old Swede holds a commanding 59.3s lead heading into Sunday’s final leg. Should he maintain his advantage, he’ll beat Sebastien Ogier’s 2009 benchmark to become the youngest-ever winner of the FIA World Rally Championship’s season opener and most iconic event.

Saturday’s leg concluded with a short, rain-lashed super special stage run on part of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit. It marked the first competitive WRC stage in the heart of the Principality since 2008, with spectators braving the conditions and packing every vantage point along the harbor as the rally cars’ anti-lag pops and crackles echoed through the streets. But before that, three snow and slush filled stages in the French Alps north of Monaco defined the rally’s penultimate day.

It was the third of those stages, the second pass of the 18.6-mile La Bréole/Bellaffaire test, where Solberg’s rally came close to. In rapidly changing conditions, he was caught out by a patch of snow and slid through a fence into a snow-covered field. The Swede somehow kept his GR Yaris Rally1 moving, rejoined the road and, remarkably, still went on to set the fastest time on the stage.

“I don’t know what happened, I was so careful the whole stage,” said Solberg. “I tried to follow the ruts and on the exit it was just full snow. I was very lucky to get out of it.

“It's been a fantastic day, and a fantastic week so far. Really tricky out there, of course, as everyone's seen. I think everyone's been off a little bit everywhere, but I am in a good position. Let's see tomorrow – it's probably going to be another crazy day.”

Behind the leader, the fight for the remaining podium positions continued to intensify between two of his Toyota teammates. Elfyn Evans strengthened his grip on second overall and now holds a 26.0s advantage over 10-time Monte winner Ogier. The Frenchman had applied pressure earlier in the day by winning the opening stage, La Bréole/Bellaffaire 1, but opted for a more cautious approach as snow gave way to slush and mud in the afternoon. A record-extending 11th win for the nine-time and reigning WRC champ now seems remote at best.

With his Toyota teammates well ahead in the top-two places, Sebastien Ogier won’t be adding another Monte Carlo Rally win to his record haul. Toyota Gazoo Racing photo

Adrien Fourmaux remained Hyundai’s leading runner, fourth overall in his i20 N Rally1 after a demanding day spent managing grip in deep ruts. His teammate, 2024 WRC champ Thierry Neuville, held on to fifth position, despite losing time with a spin on La Bréole/Bellaffaire 2.

Despite an early puncture, Jon Armstrong continued to impress on his Rally1 debut with M-Sport Ford. The Northern Ireland driver is sixth overall in the best of the Puma Rally1s.

The strong Rally1 debut continues for Jon Armstrong, who shrugged off an early puncture to maintain sixth in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. M-Sport photo

Behind Armstrong, there was disappointment for WRC returnee Hayden Paddon. The seventh-placed New Zealander had been focused on maintaining that position until the penultimate stage, where he slid off the road in his Hyundai and became stuck in a field, dropping to 13th overall at the overnight halt. The same test also claimed Toyota Rally1 sophomore Sami Pajari, who retired after hitting a tree in his GR Yaris.

M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta are the remaining Rally1 crews in the overall top 10. Munster sits eighth in his Puma, while Takamoto recovered to ninth after power steering problems lost him significant time on Friday.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Leo Rossel is heading toward a maiden Monte Carlo Rally class after a composed Saturday performance that saw him distance himself from the Alpine attrition behind.

The Citroen C3 Rally2 driver heads into Sunday with a comfortable 1m27.7s cushion at the head of the class, and holding seventh in the overall standings. But while Rossel provided the consistency, the returning Lancia marque provided some of the day's biggest talking points.

For much of the leg, it appeared to be a Rossel-Nikolay Gryazin duel. The latter, debuting the new Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, sat in second and was hounding Rossel’s lead. However, the Bulgarian’s challenge came to a sudden end on La Breole/Bellaffaire 2, where Gryazin lost control in a high-speed section, sliding off the road and into retirement. It was a bitter blow after he’d showing the Lancia's potential as a genuine victory contender.

Citroen C3 driver Leo Rossel has a healthy lead in the WRC2 class after a chasing Nikolay Gryazin crashed out in his Lancia. Red Bull Content Pool

Sunday’s finale features four stages and 44.7 competitive miles, including two runs over the legendary Col de Turini as part of the 14.6-mile La Bollene-Vesubie/Moulinet test. The second pass is the rally-ending, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage, which you can catch live on RACER Network and the RACER+ at 7:00am ET.

WRC Monte Carlo Rally, positions after Saturday/Leg Two, SS13
1 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3h16m34.1s  
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +59.3s
3 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m25.3s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +6m02.9s
5 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +7m23.0s
6 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +10m03.9s
7 Leo Rossel/Guillaume Mercoiret (Citroen C3 – WRC2 leader) +10m57.7s
8 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +11m29.3s 
9 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +11m36.9s
10 Roberto Dapra/Luca Guglielmetti (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +12m25.6s

• Watch the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage action from the Monte Carlo Rally LIVE on RACER Network and the RACER+ App on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 7:00am ET, with re-airs on RACER Network at 8:30pm ET and 11:30pm ET.
• Plus, for a deeper dive into the FIA World Rally Championship, check out the WRC Magazine Show on RACER Network. Catch the latest episode on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 8:00pm ET and 11:00pm ET.  
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