“An absolutely fantastic start to the WRC season. Second at the ‘Monte’ – that is always going to be rather special. However, it was also the first rally with my new co-driver Anders Jæger – and to stand on the podium together is simply fantastic. I knew that Anders was talented, but he did a perfect job all weekend, for which he deserves my greatest compliment. It was typical ‘Monte’, making it the toughest possible debut for him. The many changes in the weather and varying road conditions, ranging from ice and snow to dry asphalt, meant we had to make a lot of amendments to the pace notes. We drivers also had to be wide-awake all the time. It is thanks to my ice spies, Bernt Kollevold and Timo Alanne, that we are stood on the podium as runners-up today. Not to forget the entire team, who all did a perfect job again. To sum it up: an absolutely fantastic day for us.”
FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Rally Monte Carlo – Final Results
01. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen, 3h 49m 53.1s
02. Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger (N/N), Volkswagen, + 1m 54.5s
03. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai, + 3m 17.9s
04. Mads Østberg/Ola Fløene (N/N), Ford, + 4m 47.7s
05. Stéphane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau (F/F), Citroën, + 7m 35.6s
06. Dani Sordo/Marc Martí (E/E), Hyundai, + 10m 35.5s
07. Ott Tänak/Raigo Mõlder (EST/EST), Ford, + 11m 39.9s
08. Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (GB/GB), Ford, + 18m 30.8s
09. Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN), Škoda, + 20m 41.0s
10. Armin Kremer/Pirmin Winklhofer (D/D), Škoda, + 20m 43.9s