The 87th edition of the Monte Carlo Rally, which ended on 27 January, saw Sébastien Ogier win this legendary competition for the seventh time in his career. The public was able to witness a real duel between Sébastien and his rival, Thierry Neuville. In the final classification, the new Citroën driver finished just 2.2 seconds ahead of Neuville's Hyundai, a result never seen before at this track. The battle between the two drivers became truly epic on stage 16, when the gap between them was reduced to just four tenths of a second. The Citroën ran into technical problems on stage 14, which caused Ogier to doubt victory. "It was difficult, the car was no longer at 100% of its faculties," said the French driver. Despite the setback, Ogier's determination and his second place in the powerstage overcame his doubts, giving way to the emotion of victory, followed by a warm embrace with Thierry Neuville. This finale cannot fail to remind us of the 1979 victory of Bernard Darniche (Lancia Stratos Team Chardonnet), just six seconds ahead of Swedish driver Björn Waldegård (Ford Escort RS 1800), marking at that time the lowest gap in the Monte Carlo Rally. Another member of the Richard Mille family also made headlines during the weekend. In fact, in this rally, multiple world champion Sébastien Loeb joined the new manufacturer Hyundai, achieving a well-deserved 4th place, just 2 minutes and 28 seconds behind the winner. The return to Citroën bodes well for Sébastien Ogier and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia, who together have just handed the French team victory number 100 in the WRC. Another good reason to celebrate this triumph.
