OGIER IS KING OF THE KIDS

The oldest factory driver in the World Rally Championship showed the youngsters how to win on the Monte Carlo Rally.

Sebastian Ogier, 42, should have only been a bit player despite running on his home event, and yet . . .

He showed what is what is wrong with the WRC, using solid speed over roads he knows, boosted by plenty of smarts, to claim his 10th Monte crown in a Toyota Yaris WRC.

The margins at the finish were plenty close, but no surprise in a competition where the cars have regulated engine power and run on the same Kumho tyres, and where crews – despite being restricted to two passes on their Recce run – can watch endless video footage to refine their pacenotes and make the roads more like a racetrack than a rally stage.

There were some significant changes for the start of the 2025 season, headlined by the end of hybrid drive for the Rally1 cars. This was not a sporting decision, but a cost cutting move triggered by maintenance bills for the common hybrid package.

The cars are now also lighter and have a very slightly smaller turbocharger restrictor, running on eFuel.

Hankook has become the single tyre supplier, replacing Pirelli, as the South Korean company makes a major marketing drive through the WRC.

The FIA had the chance to be bold for 2025, killing the super-costly Rally1 cars and going instead for a hotrod version of the super-popular Rally2 formula – which works so well across the world, including Australia – but played safe with more of the same.

At least the muddled and confusing points system used in 2024, created with Saturday bonuses for people with a short attention span, is gone. But there are still bonus points for the Power Stage, to try and create artificial drama at the end of events.

So you can drop out, repair your car, return for a last-stage sprint and score up to five points where the overall winner gets 25 for a full event.

But back to the Monte . . .

Ogier, an eight-time world champion with Volkswagen, Ford and Toyota, started slowly and drove smartly to an 18.5 second win. His ten triumphs now put him clear of Sebastian Ogier, who has nine world championships but only eight victories on the Monte – despite scoring his final one as a greybeard in a part-time season with Ford in 2022.

Elfyn Evans, who has been a 'yeah, but, nah' runner for Toyota, was still only the best-of-the-rest in his Toyota Yaris. So second. Again.

Surprisingly, Adrien Fourmaux was third for Hyundai as he graduated from a pay-driver place at M-Sport Ford last year. It helped that he was on familiar roads and was able to ease his way into the event, but what about the others in the 10-strong factory entry fielded by Toyota, Hyundai and Ford?

Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville crashed his Hyundai i20N. Twice. On the same corner. So a desultory sixth.

Former world champion Ott Tanak also crashed and re-shaped his Hyundai, was never quick enough, and only managed fifth place.

Toyota's Japanese driver, Takamoto Katsuta crashed into retirement and so did the company's young Finnish hopeful, Sam Pajari.

Returning world champion Kalle Rovanpera, who took the equivalent of a 'gap year' in 2024 to play at Porsche Supercup and drifting and stuff, was slow and moaned about the Hankook tyres. Fourth was way less than he should have done.

Ford, which is more M-Sport with drivers who bring budget than a full-scale Puma factory team, did reasonably well with Gregoire Munster, who scored his first stage win before , although Irishman Josh McErlean was well out of his depth for seventh.

Now the series moves to its traditional winter rally, in Sweden, with lots more questions than answers.

Rovanpera needs to re-discover his speed and his rivals will need to make (far) fewer mistakes.

Ogier? He will be staying at home as his program for 2025 only includes another 'partial program'.

As for another Monte in 2026, he is undecided.

“I have no idea if this is my last one now. Maybe it would be a good one to stop," he said after number 10.

The final scores:

1. S Ogier / V Landais FRA Toyota GR Yaris 3h 19m 6.1s
2. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +18.5
3. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Hyundai i20 N +26.0s
4. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +54.3s
5. O Tänak / M Järveoja EST Hyundai i20 N +59.0s
6. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +5m 44.6s