One-two finish for TGR WRT at Monte Carlo

Last weekend at the 2025 Monte Carlo rally, Sébastien Ogier clinched his record-extending 10th win, helping Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team secure a one-two finish. This marks Ogier’s third Monte win with TGR-WRT and his second with co-driver Vincent Landais, boosting Toyota’s overall tally to six wins in this legendary event.

The rally, as usual, threw a mix of conditions at the competitors—dry asphalt, icy patches, mud, and gravel. Teams had to grapple with a revised 2025 technical package: no hybrid systems and debuting Hankook tyres for the top Rally1 cars. Yet, the fight for victory was fierce and came down to the final stage over the Col de Turini on Sunday.

Ogier edged out a 20.3-second lead over teammate Elfyn Evans before the final day, with Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux and Ott Tänak close behind. The unpredictable weather made tyre choice tricky, but Ogier and Evans’s strategy of combining studded winter tyres with supersoft slicks paid off. They were significantly faster on the icy first stage but lost some ground on the drier second stage.

In the Power Stage, the mixed conditions tested everyone, but Ogier emerged on top, just 0.215 seconds ahead of Evans, who had a close call brushing a bank. Ogier’s 15th victory for TGR-WRT ties him with teammates Kalle Rovanperä and Carlos Sainz for the most WRC wins for Toyota.

Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin kicked off their season with a strong performance, topping the Super Sunday classification to earn five extra points. Meanwhile, Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen’s consistent performance secured them fourth overall, ahead of Tänak.

Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari showed promise, with Katsuta winning a stage and Pajari gaining valuable experience, although both had unfortunate slides on Sunday’s first stage.