WRC Monza: Evans grabs lead to increase pressure on Ogier
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans has grabbed the Rally Monza lead to increase the pressure on his World Rally Championship title rival team-mate Sebastien Ogier.
Evans managed to transform a 6.5s deficit from the morning’s mountain stage loop into a 1.4s lead over Ogier after starring in the afternoon stages, held at the famous Monza grand prix circuit.
Sitting second, Ogier remains in the box seat to secure an eighth world title in his final full-time WRC event but is under more pressure should the Frenchman, who holds a 17-point lead over Evans, slip up.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville ended the day in third after notching up a win in stage 6 but the Belgian is 21.6s behind the championship fighting Toyotas.
Dani Sordo enjoyed a clean run to fourth ahead his impressive rookie Hyundai team-mate Oliver Solberg, whom he will share the Korean marque’s third entry next season. Solberg has produced arguably his best display to date in a WRC car.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, Hyundai’s Ott Tanak stand-in, Teemu Suninen, M-Sport’s Gus Greensmith and Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera filled sixth through to ninth. Rovanpera’s surprising pace is the result of been asked not to push by his team to allow Evans and Ogier to fight without the worry of needing to score manufacturer points to secure the constructors' title.
M-Sport’s Adrien Fourmaux retired from Friday’s action after a crash on stage 3, but is set to return on Saturday.
Evans scythed into Ogier’s lead in the first of three stages using the Monza grand prix circuit, famous historic banking and gravel service roads.
The Welshman completed a clean run through the tricky 14.49km test, ending 5.7s quicker than rival Ogier, who was battling a brake issue.
"It's very difficult to know how to apply yourself,” said Evans. “Do you brake late or early? It's such a lottery in a way. The conditions seem to be okay but it's very difficult to know.”
Sébastien Ogier, Julien Ingrassia, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC
Photo by: Toyota Racing
Hyundai’s Sordo emerged as Evans’ nearest rival ending the blast only 0.3s adrift in what developed into a hotly contested stage.
Team-mate Thierry Neuville showed strong pace despite a gearbox issue to clock the third fastest time,1.2s in arrears, while Solberg continued to shine in fourth on the stage timesheets.
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, who claimed his first stage win in the Power Stage at the Monza circuit last year, seemed set for another stage win, before stalling his Yaris at a tight left hairpin. The Japanese ended up fifth while Ogier could only manage the sixth fastest time.
Evans almost repeated the Stage 5 success in the second run through the Cinturato stage, but he did enough to wrestle the overall lead away from Ogier.
However, the Welshman was denied another stage win by 0.4s as Neuville took the honours fresh from a resolved gearbox problem.
"It was a good stage, but I got caught a little bit in the grass in the exit of a tight hairpin and I was spinning the wheels,” said Neuville.
“Obviously the speed isn't there as it should, so we are trying different things on the car to see if we can do something.”
Ogier was much happier with the feeling of his Yaris but was 2.5s shy of the pace, while Solberg clocked the fourth fastest stage time for the second test in succession.
"We had an issue on the first pass - a brake issue,” said Ogier. “The car stayed on the brakes for the whole stage. This one was okay and it was more consistent for me.”
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai Motorsport Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport
Evans completed his strong afternoon by pipping Ogier and Neuville by 0.1s over the tricky 10km an all-asphalt circuit test, with the added challenge of driving in darkness.
The spoils however belonged to Sordo, who prevented Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta a sixth stage win by 2.2s, while Evans was third fastest.
"We made a small change in the direction of my car [to how it was] in Catalunya," said Sordo. "Already when I finished the stage, I told my co-driver it's much better. It's a small change, but it's a big change."
Rally Monza continues on Saturday with crew set to tackle a further six stages.
WRC Monza - Classification after SS6
| Cla | Driver/Codriver | Car | Class | Total Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Elfyn Evans Scott Martin | Toyota Yaris WRC | RC1 | 58'42.900 | |
| 2 |  Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia | Toyota Yaris WRC | RC1 | 58'44.200 | 1.300 |
| 3 |  Thierry Neuville Martijn Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | RC1 | 59'04.400 | 21.500 |
| 4 |  Dani Sordo Candido Carrera | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | RC1 | 59'15.900 | 33.000 |
| 5 |  Oliver Solberg Elliott Edmondson | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | RC1 | 59'34.600 | 51.700 |
| 6 |  Takamoto Katsuta Aaron Johnston | Toyota Yaris WRC | RC1 | 59'49.800 | 1'06.900 |
| 7 | Gus Greensmith Jonas Andersson | Ford Fiesta WRC | RC1 | 1:00'07.500 | 1'24.600 |
| 8 |  Teemu Suninen Mikko Markkula | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | RC1 | 1:00'14.900 | 1'32.000 |
| 9 | Kalle Rovanperä Jonne Halttunen | Toyota Yaris WRC | RC1 | 1:00'33.800 | 1'50.900 |
| 10 | Yohan Rossel Jacques-Julien Renucci | Citroën C3 Rally2 | RC2 | 1:02'47.100 | 4'04.200 |
| View full results | |||||
Related video
How confronting self-doubt drove Ogier to become a WRC legend
This weekend's Rally Monza marks the end of an era in the World Rally Championship, as Sebastien Ogier prepares to bring down the curtain on his full-time career with an eighth title. For all his enduring success, the Toyota driver reveals in an exclusive interview that lingering insecurities have compelled his quest for perfection
The third generation McRae on his way to the WRC
The McRae family name is steeped in rallying history, with eight British titles between Jimmy, Colin and Alister - plus the small matter of the 1995 WRC title too. Next on the conveyor of talent is Alister's 17-year-old Max McRae, who’s setting out in Australia to conquer the world of rallying and return the famous name to the WRC...
Inside Hyundai’s radical approach to prepare for the WRC hybrid era
As the World Rally Championship undergoes its biggest shift in regulations for a generation, teams are taking radical measures to prepare for its new era. Hyundai's unique approach involved conducting a private 1500km rally in Italy and Autosport went to see how the team is preparing for 2022
How Neuville stole the show from Ogier vs Evans slugfest in Spain
While all pre-event chat focused on the two World Rally Championship title fighters, their closest challenger charged into the spotlight on Rally Spain. Thierry Neuville's star turn and another strong drive from Elfyn Evans in his fight with Sebastien Ogier made for an intriguing event as the 2021 campaign nears its crunch point
The steely determination behind the WRC’s Solberg 2.0
Two decades after Petter Solberg emerged as a World Rally Championship winner, his son Oliver is ready to take the WRC by storm. Having secured a part-time WRC factory drive for Hyundai in 2022, he's raring to repay the marque's faith in him and follow in his 2003 champion father's footsteps
Analysing the key moves in WRC’s 2022 silly season
The World Rally Championship will step into a new hybrid era in 2022, but the car changes haven't been the only excitement that has built within the paddock. WRC's 'silly season' kicked off in a big way and all the key driver moves for 2022 - of which there are many - look set to shake things up
How joining Finland’s exclusive club was Evans' true WRC coming-of-age
By his own admission, the fifth World Rally Championship victory of Elfyn Evans' career in Finland last weekend was the drive of his life. Winning five stages in a row and soaking up huge pressure from the Hyundais on the fastest gravel stages around, the Welshman put in a faultless showing that proved what he is truly made of
Does Neuville have a point with his Rally1 rant?
OPINION: Thierry Neuville's diatribe against the upcoming Rally1-spec machines that will usher in the World Rally Championship's new hybrid era was remarkable in an era where drivers are usually reticent to air their views in public. But are the Belgian's concerns about speed, safety and cost entirely valid?