Europe 1 with AFP 6:35 p.m., January 22, 2023

Frenchman Sébastien Ogier, engaged in a partial program with Toyota this season in the WRC world championship, won the 9th Monte-Carlo Rally of his career on Sunday, a record in this event.

He beat Kalle Rovanperä and Belgian Thierry Neuville.

Winner in particular of two new specials this Sunday, Sébastien Ogier maintained his lead over Kalle Rovanperä and therefore won the Monte-Carlo Rally for the ninth time in his career.

The eight-time world rally champion won this first round of the year ahead of his teammate, the reigning Finnish world champion Kalle Rovanperä and the Belgian Thierry Neuville (Hyundai), 3rd.

Ogier, 39, now exceeds his compatriot, the nine-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb, on the record of the Monegasque event, eight victories on the clock, the last of which in 2021. The Alsatian was not aligned at the start of the rally this year.

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"It is enormous"

"It's huge (...), we need to take advantage of these moments and that's why we are always there, to win victories like this. Winning a victory as famous as that of Monte is priceless", savored Ogier, who is now teaming up with Vincent Landais as co-driver.

"I'm so happy for Vincent (...), for him it's a dream to win his first victory" in the WRC, he added.

The Toyota driver dominated the event from start to finish, winning nine of the 18 stages contested on the roads of the south of France.

At the foot of the podium, the Briton Elfyn Evans (Toyota) took 4th place, ahead of the 2019 world champion, the Estonian Ott Tänak (M-Sport Ford).

The other Frenchman entered in the premier category, Pierre-Louis Loubet (M-Sport Ford), experienced a nightmarish rally, the fault of an accident and various mechanical problems throughout the weekend.

The Corsican driver had to definitively retire on Sunday with two stages remaining, for his first full season in the World Rally Championship.

Thirteen races are on the program this year, the next being Rally Sweden (February 9-12) for a 100% snow-covered event a few hundred kilometers from the Arctic Circle.