Saturday at Rally Monte-Carlo was another reminder that this rally does not reward reputation — only focus, bravery, and survival.
Oliver Solberg continues to lead, even after a heart-stopping moment where he briefly veered off the road. It was the kind of scare that has ended many Monte-Carlo dreams before they truly began. Solberg gathered it up, carried on, and with that moment of composure, edged closer to history — almost becoming the youngest winner of Rally Monte-Carlo.
Behind him, Toyota Gazoo Racing remain firmly in control.
Elfyn Evans sits second, steady and calculating, while Sébastien Ogier — the master of Monte-Carlo — lurks in third, close enough to pounce should opportunity arise. It’s a familiar Toyota 1-2-3, but led by a name few would have predicted at the start of the weekend.
For Hyundai, Saturday has felt like no man’s land.
Adrien Fourmaux holds fourth, with Thierry Neuville in fifth — competitive, but not quite in contention as the rally enters its decisive phase. In conditions like these, being “almost there” often means nowhere at all.
And Monte-Carlo was unforgiving once again.
The roads remained treacherous — icy in the shadows, greasy on worn asphalt, and constantly changing. One lapse in concentration is all it takes to be sliding helplessly toward the ditch. Sami Pajari found that out the hard way, his rally ending abruptly after hitting a tree — another cruel reminder of how thin the margin is here.
Now, Super Sunday awaits.
Is this the moment where Oliver Solberg writes his own chapter of Monte-Carlo history?
Will the pressure finally tell, allowing experience to strike back — perhaps through Ogier, or even a late charge inspired by the spirit of Kalle Rovanperä, whose own rise once followed a similar script?
Or is this simply the day where a young driver stops asking for permission… and proves he belongs at the very top?
Monte-Carlo decides everything on Sunday.
Rally Fanatics 
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