WRC 2017 - Sebastian Ogier claims victory at the Monte Carlo rally
SEBASTIAN Ogier eased to victory in Monaco in the Ford Fiesta WRC Car, marking his fourth consecutive Monte Carlo rally win.
Monte Carlo WRC champion Sebastian Ogier (R) lifts the gold with Julien Ingrassia (L)
Ogier claimed the final even in the mountains above Monaco with a time of 2 min 15.0 seconds.
The victory marks M-Sport's first win since November 2012.
Jari-Matti Latvala finished second in a Toyota Yaris, a huge result for the Japanese carmaker who made their return to WRC this year after a 17-year absence.
Latvala struggled initially but after car modifications he climbed the ladder before edging past Tänak after the ignition coil pack in his Ford Fiesta WRC broke.
Due to final day engine problems M-Sport's Ott Tänak slipped down from second to third place.
Ogier took the lead late on Saturday when event-leader Thierry Neuville broke the suspension of his Hyundai i20 Coupe after an impact.
Neuville ending up coming fourth being pipped to third place by M-Sport's Tänak.
I was hoping to win but to take it from the first rally, feels really amazing
“I was hoping to win but to take it from the first rally, after only one month together and with so little preparation, feels really amazing,” said Ogier after the competition.
“The conditions didn’t make our life easy this weekend, starting first in the snow on day one and finishing with more and more snow.”
Craig Breen finished fifth in a Citroën C3 with Elfyn Evans completing the top six in another Fiesta.
Ogier finished the challenging snow circuit above Monaco in 2 minutes and 15 seconds
Craig Breen finished fifth in a Citroën C3
The Welshman won three stages on Saturday to offset a disappointing start when he dropped several minutes in snow and ice.
More snow and ice are in store for competitors at the second round next month.
Rally Sweden is based in Torsby on 9-12 February.