The iconic Rally Monte-Carlo kicked off on Thursday evening under darkness. Competing in his home region, Ogier set a commanding fastest time in the opening special stage.
Ogier outpaced his teammate Elfyn Evans by 3.9 seconds on the stage.
“It was a pretty good feeling, I expected a bit tougher conditions, but it was nice to drive,” Ogier reported at the stage finish.
Defending world champion Thierry Neuville came in third, 4.4 seconds behind Ogier’s benchmark.
“It was different. First time in these conditions with this tyre, just trying to discover. Don’t know where the grip will change, tricky in these conditions to kick off,” Neuville said, referring to the new Hankook tyres supplied for this season.
Other drivers fell further behind the leader. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux was fourth (+10.8) and Ott Tänak fifth (+13.5). Toyota star Kalle Rovanperä lost a substantial 15.6 seconds to Ogier.
Rovanperä, in sixth place, attributed his deficit to his starting position.
“I’m not surprised to be honest, starting to be quite dirty,” Rovanperä noted.
“Others drove this stage twice last year, but this was our first pass in the dark, so it wasn’t easy.”
Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta mentioned he suffered from a certain issue at the rally’s start. Katsuta ended up seventh, behind Rovanperä, on the opening stage.
Two more special stages remain on Thursday night in Monte-Carlo. The rally concludes on Sunday.
Rally Monte-Carlo standings after SS1/18:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 11:30.4 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +3.9 |
| 3. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +4.4 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +10.8 |
| 5. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +13.5 |
| 6. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +15.6 |
| 7. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +17.4 |
| 8. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +22.5 |
| 9. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +26.5 |
| 10. | Nikolay Gryazin | Skoda | +53.9 |
| 11. | Yohan Rossel | Citroen | +54.1 |
| 12. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +55.8 |
Itinerary, Rally Monte-Carlo:
Wednesday 22.1.
16.01 Shakedown: Route de la Garde (3,30 km)
Thursday 23.1.
18.05 SS1: Digne-les-Bains / Chaudon-Norante 1 (19,00 km)
19.53 SS2: Faucon-du-Caire / Bréziers (21,20 km)
21.06 SS3: Avançon / Notre-Dame-du-Laus 1 (14,00 km)
Friday 24.1.
09.31 SS4: Saint-Maurice / Aubessagne 1 (18,70 km)
10.34 SS5: Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes / La Bâtie-Neuve 1 (16,70 km)
11.42 SS6: La Bréole / Selonnet 1 (18,30 km)
15.23 SS7: Saint-Maurice / Aubessagne 2 (18,70 km)
16.26 SS8: Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes / La Bâtie-Neuve 2 (16,70 km)
17.34 SS9: La Bréole / Selonnet 2 (18,30 km)
Saturday 25.1.
08.59 SS10: La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire 1 (27,00 km)
10.05 SS11: Aucelon / Recoubeau-Jansac 1 (20,90 km)
11.08 SS12: La Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont 1 (17,90 km)
14.59 SS13: La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire 2 (27,00 km)
16.05 SS14: Aucelon / Recoubeau-Jansac 2 (20,90 km)
17.08 SS15: La Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont 2 (17,90 km)
Sunday 26.1.
06.39 SS16: Avançon / Notre-Dame-du-Laus 2 (14,00 km)
08.32 SS17: Digne-les-Bains / Chaudon-Norante 2 (19,00 km)
12.15 SS18: La Bollène-Vésubie / Peïra-Cava (Power Stage) (17,90 km)
