Gap (AFP)

Winner of half of the stages for the moment, Sébastien Ogier is on his way to win his eighth Monte-Carlo Rally, but Briton Elfyn Evans, monster of consistency, is behind him with just 13 seconds before the last day on Sunday.

The day started again perfectly for Ogier, offensive from the first special stage at 6.30am.

The Frenchman confirmed he was the strongest in the dark and regained the lead in the entry general classification from Evans, his Toyota teammate.

Despite brake problems Thursday, a puncture and a spin on Friday, Ogier, seven-time world champion, won five specials out of ten and is in a strong position before the last four qualifying sessions on Sunday in this closed Monte-Carlo.

And he saw a formidable rival, the Estonian Ott Tänak, in 3rd position after the 7th special, give up after two punctures during the 8th and 9th specials on Saturday.

"Unfortunately we have to give up the rally because we had two punctures and only one spare wheel. No restart possible on Sunday (last day of Monte-Carlo, editor's note) due to the rules of the event," said the driver Hyundai, 2019 world champion.

This sector of Monte-Carlo along the Durance to the east of Gap definitely did not succeed in Tänak, who had made a spectacular exit from the road at over 180 km / h last year.

But Ogier did not have a perfect stage on Saturday.

Far from there.

In the second special of the day, at an altitude of 1,000 meters on average and on the snow between Saint-Clément-sur-Durance and Dreissinières (20.48 km), the cards have been redistributed.

On fresh snow, the first starters were favored while the following skated on slushy slush.

Thierry Neuville, winner last year but who is just discovering his new co-driver, took the opportunity to win his first special in 2021. The Belgian is 4th, more than a minute from Ogier but did not say his last word.

- "The most slippery stage of my career" -

In the first special "I attacked quite hard, it was very tricky. There were two or three hot moments with unpredictable changes in grip, thin layers of ice on very smooth tar," Ogier detailed.

As for the second test, "I think it's the most slippery stage of my career ... we couldn't do much except stay calm and not make mistakes so as not to waste too much time", he explained.

On this special Ogier lost 42 seconds on Neuville, but he regained four seconds on Evans, his main opponent.

Very consistent since the start of the "Monte" Thursday, which takes place in an unprecedented way without spectators because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Welsh vice-world champion then won the third special.

On the same 18.31 km route as the one in the morning just south of Lac de Serre-Ponçon, with the Charamel and Fillys passes then a rapid descent, Evans resumed at Ogier 1.3 seconds.

Under the falling snow, the pilots are expected in Monaco in the afternoon.

No Turini pass on the program this year but four specials in the Nice hinterland on Sunday to decide the winner.

The duel will continue between the two Toyotas, without forgetting the third: that of the young 20-year-old Finnish prospect Kalle Rovanperä, 56.8 seconds behind the Frenchman.

© 2021 AFP