Reigning FIA World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier has inched into the lead of Rallye Monte-Carlo after today’s opening loop of three stages. The Frenchman trailed overnight leader Kris Meeke through the first two tests but fought back after a slow puncture in the second stage to take a 1.5 second advantage into the afternoon stages. Andreas Mikkelsen, who starts the 2016 World Rally Championship season with a new co-driver, holds station in third, albeit already over 30 seconds adrift of team-mate Ogier.

Jari-Matti Latvala had a steady run this morning and holds fourth, just 3.4 seconds ahead of Thierry Neuville who heads the assault for Hyundai in the new generation i20 WRC. He and team-mate Dani Sordo have been struggling with handling issues and the Spaniard holds seventh at the midday service. Hayden Paddon, in the team’s 2015 specification car, was fifth last night but the New Zealander went off the road in the first stage, hit a tree and took a wheel off. Mads Østberg, back in M-Sport’s Fiesta RS WRC this season, is sixth and his team-mate Eric Camilli – who is competing in his first event in a world rally car – was an impressive fifth quickest through stage four and holds eighth going into the afternoon stages. Robert Kubica, eighth overall last night, went off the road this morning.

In the FIA WRC 2 Championship, Elfyn Evans has set a blistering pace, taking three stage wins to overcome more than a minute’s deficit after a puncture in last night’s first stage. The FIA WRC 3 Championship category is being led by Norway’s Ole Christian Veiby in a Citroën DS3 R3.

Rallye Monte-Carlo – Unofficial Results after Section 2