Rossi claims early advantage at Rallye Monte-Carlo

Rossi has established himself as the early leader in the WRC3 category at Rallye Monte-Carlo. Piloting his Ford Fiesta Rally3, the Frenchman is looking to secure a podium finish to complete his collection of top-three results at the event, having previously secured second and third place finishes in prior years.

The competition saw a significant shift during Thursday’s second stage when defending champion Matteo Fontana went off the road. Unable to receive spectator assistance, Fontana was forced to restart Friday under a 10-minute penalty. Benefiting from this incident, Rossi built a substantial three-minute cushion over Eric Royère and opted for a conservative pace for the remainder of Friday's stages.

While Rossi manages his lead, the battle for the lower podium positions remains tight. Fontana has shown remarkable recovery pace, narrowing the gap to second-placed Royère to under three minutes by the end of Friday’s action. Meanwhile, WRC3 debutant Jean Christophe Guibert currently maintains the third position heading into the weekend's stages.