Monte Carlo WRC: Neuville sets up Ogier showdown
Thierry Neuville set up a tense finish to the 2019 World Rally Championship season-opening Monte Carlo Rally by taking time out of leader Sebastien Ogier on Sunday morning's two stages.

Just 3.2 seconds separates the pair with two stages of the rally to run, while Ott Tanak continued his recovery and has moved ahead of Sebastien Loeb and Jari-Matti Latvala into third in his Toyota Yaris.
Ogier and Neuville started the morning loop separated by 4.3s in the classification, but Neuville appeared faster on the opening test - the 11.30-mile La Bollene Vesubie-Peira Cava test - and had been as much as 2.1s up on Ogier at the final split.
But six-time champion Ogier clawed back time on the run to the stage finish and limited his time loss to a second, and was only a tenth slower than Hyundai driver Neuville on SS14, the 8.43-mile La Cabanette-Col de Braus stage.
A similar loss of time on the repeat loop of stages that will conclude the rally would still allow Ogier to equal Loeb's haul of seven Monte Carlo Rally wins on his first start back at the Citroen squad.
Tanak was the star of Saturday's stages, winning all four of the day's tests, and the Estonian clinched a further two stage wins on Sunday morning as he elevated himself back into a podium position.
The Toyota driver had led the rally overnight on Thursday, but lost the lead on Friday morning. He then forfeited a heap of time that afternoon when he had to change a puncture on a stage.
But Tanak's charge, allied to retirements in front of him, meant he started Sunday's first loop fifth and within 18s of third-place Loeb.
His first stage win of the morning brought him to within 6s of the podium and he then jumped both Loeb and Latvala - who struggled with confidence in his Yaris - with a sixth-straight stage win on SS14.
Loeb is now 2.8s behind Tanak on his first start in Hyundai colours, with Latvala a further second behind.
Kris Meeke, in a lonely sixth after losing time with a wheel-rim drama on Friday, set the fourth-fastest times on both of Sunday morning's stages.
M-Sport driver Gus Greensmith continues to lead the WRC2 runners, and has an advantage of more than a minute over the next-best car - the Citroen C3 R5 of Yann Bonato.

Previous article
Monte Carlo WRC: Ogier stays ahead, Loeb takes third
Next article
Monte Carlo WRC: Ogier beats Neuville in dramatic finish

About this article
Series | WRC |
Event | Rally Monte Carlo |
Drivers | Ott Tanak , Thierry Neuville , Sébastien Ogier |
Teams | Citroën World Rally Team , Hyundai Motorsport |
Author | Jack Cozens |
Monte Carlo WRC: Neuville sets up Ogier showdown
Trending
Why WRC's hybrid path could leave it at a crossroads
With all three major manufacturers committing to the World Rally Championship’s hybrid era from 2022, the future of the series is assured for now, but it could lead to trickier twists and turns further down the road
How Tanak froze out the competition at the Arctic Rally
Ott Tanak made up for a disastrous Monte Carlo Rally by leading all the way on the snow-kissed stages of the Arctic Rally Finland and in the process hit back at an event Toyota had been expected to dominate…
What to look out for in the 2021 WRC
As the 2021 World Rally Championship prepares to launch amid tight COVID-19 restrictions in Monte Carlo, here are the eight things unrelated to the pandemic that you should keep an eye on this year
Evans on the talking points of WRC 2021
He came close to the title last year, and now Toyota's Elfyn Evans gives his verdict on what to expect from 2021 as the World Rally Championship prepares to reconvene for the Monte Carlo season opener.
Why Britain's continued WRC absence is a wake-up call
With Rally GB dropping off the World Rally Championship calendar for the second year in a row, one of Britain's best-attended sporting events faces an uncertain future. It's an unfortunate situation that points to troubling times ahead
The Top 10 WRC drivers of 2020
A drastically-shortened 2020 season gave the World Rally Championship protagonists precious little stage mileage to strut their stuff, but as ever the cream rose to the top across the seven events. We rank the year's best performers
The twists and turns of a turbulent 2020 WRC season
The 2020 World Rally Championship bestrode all 12 months of the Gregorian calendar, and in terms of the competition it was a cracker. Moreover, it was an inspiration in dark days for the world and our industry.
The early setbacks that shaped the WRC's greatest driver Loeb
A series of close calls in his formative years threatened to leave rallying's top echelon tantalisingly out of reach for the man who would go on to claim nine WRC titles. In an exclusive interview, Sebastien Loeb recalls the key steps on his road to dominance.