Ogier had set the fastest times on the first two stages of the rally and began Thursday evening’s final stage with strong momentum. However, the Frenchman made an error and ultimately lost significant time.
Ogier slid into a ditch on a muddy corner but managed to wrestle his Toyota back onto the road. The incident could have ended much worse.
“There was a lot of mud on the road, and it caught us by surprise. It’s always lucky to get away with that,” Ogier said.
Ogier finished the stage 23.5 seconds behind his teammate Elfyn Evans, who set the fastest time. As a result, Ogier dropped to third in the overall standings.
The rally lead was taken by reigning champion Thierry Neuville, who holds a two-second advantage over Evans. Ogier, meanwhile, trails the Belgian Hyundai driver by 12.8 seconds.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak ended the opening day in fourth place, but he is already nearly half a minute behind Neuville. Tänak’s teammate Adrien Fourmaux sits in fifth position.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä struggled to find his pace during Thursday’s evening stages. He is currently sixth overall, 43.9 seconds off the lead.
“Only on this last stage was the pace where it should be given my starting position. The first two stages were proper shit,” Rovanperä remarked.
M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster is seventh, followed by Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari. Pajari, who is beginning his first full season in the top category, is already nearly a minute and a half behind the leader.
The Rally Monte-Carlo continues on Friday with six special stages scheduled. The event will conclude on Sunday.
Rally Monte-Carlo standings after SS3/18:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | 32:58.8 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +2.0 |
| 3. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +12.8 |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +27.0 |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +30.0 |
| 6. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +43.9 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +48.8 |
| 8. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +53.3 |
| 9. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1:24.4 |
| 10. | Nikolay Gryazin | Skoda | +2:16.7 |
| 11. | Yohan Rossel | Citroen | +2:23.9 |
| 12. | Josh McErlean | Ford | +2:53.9 |
Itinerary, Rally Monte-Carlo (CET):
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)
