Sébastien Ogier has extended his advantage at the top of the Rallye Monte-Carlo leaderboard and now heads Ott Tänak, second position having changed hands twice during the morning’s three stages.

Dani Sordo remains third, team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen being forced into retirement.

Today’s first full day of competition takes in two identical loops of three stages, split by service in Gap, and covers 144.88 competitive kilometres. Dry conditions greeted the crews in the 26.72 kilometre opener and Ogier immediately extended his advantage after nearest rival Andreas Mikkelsen overshot a junction and dropped to third.

The Norwegian’s day then got worse when he had an alternator problem on the road section to the second stage and, despite efforts to make roadside repairs, was forced to retire. Sordo, who therefore climbed to second in the first stage, has come under increasing pressure from Tänak and with a fastest time in the day’s first stage, the Estonian eventually overhauled the Spaniard in the last stage of the loop to climb to second, 40.4 seconds adrift of Ogier who won the middle test.

Esapekka Lappi continues to shine in the Toyota, the young Finn fourth at the mid-leg service despite being frustrated by the ‘crazy amount of dirt’ being pulled onto the road by the crews ahead. He heads team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala by 12.7 seconds, the Finn in turn having a big advantage over sixth-placed Kris Meeke who ran into problems last night.

Team-mate Craig Breen has had a nightmare morning after a stone flew into the brakes leaving him with less and less braking power throughout every stage.

He dropped from seventh to 10th. Bryan Bouffier climbed a position as a consequence and is now seventh after a clean morning. Elfyn Evans racked up a win in the final stage of the loop and has moved into eighth and remains ahead of Thierry Neuville, both drivers losing a chunk of time last night. Neuville’s morning also started badly with a puncture, losing him yet more time. 

The FIA WRC 2 Championship category is now being led by Škoda’s Jan Kopecky, with Eric Camilli dropping to second in the Fiesta. Jean-Baptiste Franceschi continues to head the WRC 3 crews.

Renault Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz will drive the VIP course car for the final 13.5km stage of the Monte Carlo Rally on Sunday it has been revealed.

Son of double WRC champion and recent winner of the Dakar Rally Carlos Sainz Sr., it will mark the Spaniard's first foray into rallying at an event his father won at three times during his 18-year career.

Speaking of the opportunity, the 23-year-old said: “I’m really looking forward to experiencing Rallye Monte-Carlo for the first time.

“I’ve heard so much about it from my dad, how difficult the stages are, how the conditions can change in an instant from snow to rain or bright sunshine and of course how you need nerves of steel for some of those mountain passes and hairpins!"

Though the official role of the course car is to inspect the stage route before the WRC competitors go flat out, Sainz, who has been with Renault on loan from the Red Bull stable since October, isn't going to hold back.

“It’s going to be a real thrill to take part in such a legendary event behind the wheel of a Renault Mégane R.S, which will be fitted with snow and studded tyres so I can get a more complete sensation of rallying around these stages,” he added.

Reigning FIA World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier has made the perfect start to Rallye Monte-Carlo, the Frenchman scooping the first two stage wins and a 17.3 second lead after Thursday’s opening night stages.

Andreas Mikkelsen heads Hyundai’s challenge in second with team-mate Dani Sordo third a further 8.3 seconds adrift of the Norwegian.

The eagerly awaited 2018 FIA World Rally Championship kicked off this evening in Monaco, the crews leaving the famous Casino Square late afternoon and then heading directly into two daunting stages en route back to the overnight halt in Gap.

Ogier was on the pace immediately, despite a low speed spin on sheet ice, and the Gap-born driver overnights happy with his early performance. Mikkelsen, in his first full season with Hyundai, lost the brakes in the first stage but sits just 17.3 seconds adrift and ahead of Sordo who returns to the Championship with his former co-driver Carlos del Barrio.

Behind the leading trio, Esapekka Lappi surprisingly heads the trio of Toyota drivers. The Finn is on a mission not to make mistakes and while admitting his pace wasn’t the best, he was happy his confidence was building in tricky conditions.

Toyota newcomer, Ott Tänak, is five seconds further behind in fifth having hit a bank in the first stage and suffering with massive understeer.

Jari-Matti Latvala, in the third Yaris WRC, spun twice and played a gamble with three super soft tyres, admitting he needed to try something different. Craig Breen is seventh in the lead Citroën C3 WRC but the Irish driver stalled and got stuck in snow in the first stage and then struggled in the second when he ran out of time to set the tyre pressures before the start; a nightmare start to his 2018 campaign.

Bryan Bouffier, drafted into the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team for this event, is eighth and Kris Meeke ninth. The Northern Irishman made a stupid mistake in the opener, spinning and then reversing into a ditch which cost him a precious minute. Eric Camilli holds 10th overall and leads the FIA WRC 2 Championship contenders ahead of Jan Kopecky.

Elfyn Evans has also had a bad start and is down in 16th overall, the Welshman picking up a puncture which he had to stop and change. Thierry Neuville fared even worse, the Belgian one place behind after locking up and skidding into a snow bank.

The FIA WRC 3 Championship is being led by Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Franceschi in a Fiesta R2T.

Rallye Monte-Carlo – Provisional results after Section 1

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The Belgian will be responsible for the strategic vision of rallying and cross country rallying at all levels, from grassroots with amateurs through to the regions and the pinnacles of the disciplines, the FIA World Rally Championship and FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

He will also be in charge of the administration and regulatory management of the associated FIA championships and sporting commissions. Reporting to the FIA General Secretary for Sport, Peter Bayer, Matton will be instrumental in liaising with all the sport’s stakeholders in order to optimise the attractiveness, efficiency and future sustainability of the discipline.

FIA President, Jean Todt, said: “Yves has a wealth of experience across many facets of rallying, which is important for its continued growth. He has great passion for the sport and his understanding of competition and management at independent and manufacturer levels will be a great asset to further securing the future development of our sport."

"I would also like to thank PSA Motorsport for making Yves’ transition to the FIA so seamless.

“I also pay tribute to Jarmo (Mahonen) for his significant contribution and the advancements made in rallying under his management. We have solid foundations to further build on and I am confident we will continue to see the sport grow from strength to strength.”

Yves Matton’s love of motor sport dates back to his childhood and having followed rallies in Belgium for many years he began competing in 1986.

He went on to found a company specialising in the preparation and rental of racing cars before becoming Team Manager at Kronos Racing. At the end of 2002 he joined Citroën Sport as Logistics Manager and more latterly WRC Co-ordinator and Team Manager.

He maintained close relations with Citroën after leaving in 2008 and then returned to the Championship-winning Citroën Racing team as Team Principal in 2012 where he was responsible for the WRC programme and the squad’s entry into the FIA World Touring Car Championship where three world titles were secured under his management. Matton was then instrumental in Citroën’s return to the WRC, where it now competes with the C3 WRC.

Yves Matton explained: “I must admit that I feel very honoured to take on this position at the FIA, the governing body of world motor sport.  I have worked at various levels of the sport, including for one of the most successful manufacturers in history, but this is for me a real achievement in itself.”