| 2015 Monte Carlo Rally 83ème Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo | ||
|---|---|---|
Round 1 of 13 of the 2015 World Rally Championship
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| Host country |  Monaco | |
| Rally base |  Gap, Hautes-Alpes | |
| Dates run | 22 – 25 January 2015 | |
| Stages | 15 (335.48 km; 208.46 miles) | |
| Stage surface | Tarmac and snow | |
| Statistics | ||
| Crews | 94 at start, 78 at finish | |
| Overall results | ||
| Overall winner | Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Volkswagen Motorsport | |
The 2015 Monte Carlo Rally (formally known as the 83ème Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 22 and 25 January 2015. It marked the eighty-third running of the Monte Carlo Rally, and was the first round of the 2015 World Rally Championship, WRC-2, WRC-3, Junior World Rally Championship and FIA R-GT Cup seasons.[1]
Defending World Champion Sébastien Ogier started the season with a win in Monte Carlo, his second consecutive in the principality and the 25th of his WRC career. Returning nine-time World Champion Sébastien Loeb was the early leader of the rally, losing first position to Ogier on the seventh stage after a spin while negotiating a hairpin bend. On the next stage, Loeb hit a rock and lost a total of six minutes, before retiring in the following liaison section.[2] This gave Ogier a lead of almost two minutes over Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala. Despite being unable to monitor his rivals' split times during the stages under new rules, Ogier blended a controlled pace with safe tyre choices through the final two days to seal the victory.[3] Latvala finished second, also taking one power stage point, with Andreas Mikkelsen completing a one-two-three for Volkswagen Motorsport. Citroën's Mads Østberg finished the event in fourth position. Hyundai Motorsport duo Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo finished in fifth and sixth, split by 0.8 seconds. M-Sport's Elfyn Evans finished seventh, having dropped time after he damaged his car's rear suspension against a wall. Evans finished ahead of Loeb, who rejoined under rally-2 rules and won two power stage points. The top ten was completed by Martin Prokop and Kris Meeke, who won the power stage to take three additional points.[3]
In the support classes, Stéphane Lefebvre won WRC-2 in 12th position overall,[4] Quentin Gilbert finished as the best WRC-3/JWRC runner in 22nd place,[5] just ahead of the FIA R-GT Cup winner François Delecour.
- ^ "Rally Calendar Overview". WRC.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ "Ogier takes charge in Monte Carlo". WRC.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Ogier Nets third Monte Carlo Win". WRC.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Lefebvre claims maiden WRC 2 victory". WRC.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Gilbert dominates Junior WRC in Monte-Carlo". WRC.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.