2023 WRC: Ogier secures record-breaking ninth Rallye Monte Carlo win
22nd January 2023Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier has become the most successful driver in Rallye Monte Carlo after the Frenchman secured his ninth win in the French Alps.
How the final day unfolded…
After an early retirement on Saturday, M-Sport Ford’s Pierre-Louis Loubet – who was positioned 61st in the overall standings – wanted to ease his way through the opening stage of the day (SS15) to save his Pirelli tyres.
This was a tactic the Frenchman opted for to allow him to save his tyres for the Wolf Power Stage. However, the Ford driver’s day got off to a bad start as he tackled the opening corner poorly, and lost valuable seconds as a result.
By the end of the stage, it was reported the Frenchman’s handbrake was failing to work efficiently. However, the day soon went from bad to worse as it was later reported he had a water leak on the penultimate stage which ended his Monte-Carlo rally prematurely.
Thierry Neuville secures third over Tanak and Evans
Hyundai’s new leading man, Thierry Neuville, secured the final podium position by the end of the event after securing the position over Ford’s Ott Tanak and Toyota’s charging Welshman, Elfyn Evans.
However, this final podium position could have fallen to Evans on the opening corner of the 15th stage.
As the Belgian bolted down into the first hairpin, the Hyundai went in too deep as he attempted to rotate the car around. Fortunately, there was a car-sized gap around the outside of which Neuville managed to slip into and – quickly – pull away from.
Speaking after the 15th stage, Neuville complained there was an issue with the hybrid system and its mapping.
Toyota’s dominance
Toyota remained ever dominant across the final day, like they had been throughout the entire event, as they secured the final four stage wins. The remaining wins were shared equally between Ogier and, Toyota’s reigning world champion, Kalle Rovanpera as the two world-class drivers battled it out for top honours.
Ogier secured the opening stage of the day before Rovanpera secured the win on SS16. The results quickly repeated themselves, respectively, on SS17 and SS18, as the pack raced back through its second loop of the morning’s stages.
While Rovanpera secured the final stage of the event, and took the maximum amount of points from the Wolf Power Stage, the rally was practically wrapped up by the end of the penultimate stage, 23.5 seconds separated Ogier from – second-placed – Rovanpera.
Due to the time difference, it allowed Ogier to cruise to the finish line on the power stage to secure his 56th rally win and his ninth Monte Carlo victory to become the most successful driver at the venue. Ogier also picked up the final available point for good measure after he finished fifth in the power stage, 4.7 seconds behind Rovanpera.
Top three:
- Sebastien Ogier, Toyota
- Kalle Rovanpera, Toyota
- Thierry Neuville, Hyundai
That’s all for the article; 2023 WRC: Ogier secures record-breaking ninth Rallye Monte Carlo win!
What did you think of Sebastien Ogier’s achievement? Let us know in the comments!
Read more WRC here:
- Rallye Monte-Carlo: Ogier remains ahead after Rovanpera attack
- Rallye Monte-Carlo: Ogier maintains WRC lead on Friday
- Rallye Monte-Carlo: Ogier dominates opening day to take early lead
- WRC 2023 Monte Carlo Preview
- Toyota reveal WRC 2023 Yaris Rally1
- WRC, World RX and fans mourn death of Ken Block
Give us a follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest news from the world of Motorsport! You can also support us on Patreon!
Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
