World champion Sebastien Ogier inherited the lead of the Monte Carlo Rally on Saturday when runaway leader Thierry Neuville crashed his Hyundai on the final stage ending the Belgian's victory hopes.
Sebastien Ogier eyes Monte Carlo win after Neuville crash
Neuville was 51 seconds ahead of the French Ford Focus driver when he ran wide at the exit of a corner with the impact causing damaged rear suspension which required lengthy repairs lasting 30 minutes.
The incident effectively ended the Belgian driver's hopes of a first Monte Carlo victory on Sunday.
Ogier will instead take a 47-second lead over fellow Ford driver Ott Tanak into the final day.
"We went wide into a third or fourth gear corner and there was a lot of gravel. The car went wide and we hit something like concrete," said Neuville.
"Immediately we knew something had broken so we had to stop and fix it. It was a small mistake. I am very disappointed, more so for the team to be honest because they've worked so hard.
"We wanted to bring home the win for all of them but unfortunately it's not to be this time. The pace we have shown this weekend has been exceptional so let's see what we can salvage on Sunday."
Neuville's accident came a day after fellow Hyundai driver Hayden Paddon was retired from the race after his car was involved in a fatal collision with a spectator.
Standings after Saturday's stages:
1. Sebastien Ogier-Julien Ingrassia (FRA/Ford Fiesta RS) 3 h 26:10.7,
2. Ott Tanak-Raigo Molder (EST/Ford Fiesta RS) at 47.1,
3. Jari-Matti Latvala-Miikka Anttila (FIN/Toyota Yaris) at 2:20.6,
4. Craig Breen-Scott Martin (IRL-GBR/Citroën DS3) at 3:47.3,
5. Dani Sordo-Marc Marti (ESP/Hyundai i20) at 4:03.2
Late finish: Thierry Neuville-Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL/Hyundai i20)
Stage winners: Ogier (SS7, SS8, SS11), Tanak (SS3), Neuville (SS2, SS4, SS5, SS6, SS9), Elfyn Evans (SS10, SS12, SS13), SS1 - cancelled.
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