Solberg maintains Rallye Monte-Carlo lead despite challenging Saturday conditions

Oliver Solberg navigated a difficult start to Saturday’s action at the Rallye Monte-Carlo, managing his pace through the icy La Bréole / Bellaffaire stage before extending his overall lead on the subsequent Vaumeilh / Claret test. The Swede took a stage victory on the latter, moving his advantage over Elfyn Evans to over one minute before the midday service in Gap.

Sébastien Ogier and Evans continued their close battle for second position. While Ogier initially gained ground, Evans responded on the second stage of the morning to re-establish a 10.3-second buffer. Both Toyota drivers struggled with shifting grip levels and inconsistent ice notes as the road surface transitioned rapidly during the morning loop.

Behind them, Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville remain fourth and fifth respectively. Meanwhile, in the WRC2 category, Léo Rossel holds onto the class lead, though the gap to Nikolay Gryazin has narrowed to 15.7 seconds. Competitors now head to service before preparing for the afternoon repeat of the La Bréole / Bellaffaire stage and the Monaco street circuit finale.