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WRC Rally: Monte Carlo Master Sébastien Ogier wins legendary 10th title

And another makes 10 for French driver Sébastien Ogier in Monte-Carlo! © ACM / M. Le Juste

It was a historic weekend for France at the Monte Carlo Rally. In his Gazoo Racing Toyota Yaris, Sébastien Ogier not only lifted the 10th trophy of his career and his 9th in the WRC, but also achieved an additional feat, winning the Power Stage.

It was one of the most eagerly-anticipated events in the WRC: on Sunday 26 January, the 93rd Monte Carlo Rally saw Sébastien Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais triumph once again on the winding and unpredictable roads around the Principality.

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Right from the get-go, on Thursday evening, the eight-time world champion started out strong with two fastest times, taking the lead in the rally. And he held on to it from then on. The Frenchman truly showed his dominance on the Friday afternoon, after SS8. Ogier withstood the onslaught of his rivals in increasingly difficult conditions, retaining his place at the top of the leader board.

The cherry on the cake was when the French driver won the Power Stage,for the 46th time. He took the victory by a slender two tenths of a second ahead of Elfyn Evans. The Toyota driver now leads the World Drivers’ Championship after a testing weekend.

“What a weekend! We had a sweat on a few times. I think my lucky star followed me all the way. By which I mean my uncle, who died last year. This win is for him,” said Ogier after a thrilling 93rd edition.

The 2025 Monte-Carlo Rally was no walk in the park for Sébastien Ogier. The competition was fierce, with world champions such as Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Kalle Rovanperä, but also on-form drives such as Elfyn Evans (2nd) and Adrien Fourmaux (3rd).

It’s been almost two decades since the Monegasque rally field was so strong. It was an intense battle throughout the four days of competition, and the outcome remained uncertain right up to the last Special stage.

The French driver was able to fend off his rivals thanks to his experience and perfect tyre management. With a lead of 18.2 seconds heading into the final stage, he kept his cool. It all came down to the final descent, where a small slip-up by Evans was enough to give Ogier the win.

An increasingly popular Monte-Carlo Rally

This 2025 edition was attended by an even larger crowd than in previous years. Spectators from all four départements the rally passed through (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes and Drôme) were treated to spectacular races and epic battles.

The 27th Monte-Carlo Historic Rally, which gets underway on Wednesday 29 January and runs until Wednesday 5 February, is hoping the crowds will turn out then too!