Thierry Neuville opens the rally season with a win in Monte Carlo: “I have no words to describe it” | More sports

Monte Carlo began Thursday evening with two stages won by Evans. He held the lead until Friday evening, but was already attacked by Neuville and Ogier. Neuville took the lead on Saturday morning, but Ogier was close behind and replaced our compatriot as leader briefly on Saturday afternoon. In the final special stage on Saturday, Neuville was not shy about taking risks and taking the lead again. Then talk about the perfect trip. On Sunday morning, Neuville won two stages and led Ogier by 13.5 seconds. The Belgian was also unstoppable in the final power phase. Barring one misstep, Neuville rode a perfect race, which he finished in dominant fashion. “I have no words for it. It's amazing. I felt comfortable in the car throughout the race. The team worked perfectly.”

Neuville wins the Monte Carlo Grand Prix for the second time after 2020. He is also the first leader in the World Cup standings. On Saturday evening, he scored 18 points. On Sunday, 12 more points were added from the strength stage and Sunday stages. His direct title rivals Evans and Tänak follow him with 9 and 15 points.

Grégoire Munster (Ford Puma Rally1) made two mistakes on his Rally1 debut, one of which he paid for in cash. After slipping on Saturday he had to give up. It started again on Sunday. He added: “There are definitely positive points that I bring with me, but I still want to apologize to my team. The car was perfect.”