Sébastien Loeb Becomes Oldest Winner of a WRC Rally

• Incredibly the 47-year-old Loeb made up nearly half a minute for the win.

• Loeb was starting his first WRC event after more than a year away.

• Co-driver Isabelle Galmiche, a 50-year-old school teacher, is the first female on the top step of a WRC podium since 1997.

Sébastien Loeb became the oldest winner of an FIA World Rally Championship round after grabbing a remarkable Rallye Monte-Carlo victory from Sébastien Ogier on Sunday.

The 47-year-old Frenchman trailed Ogier by almost half a minute heading into the second to last speed test of the four-day event in the French Alps.

But when Ogier limped to the finish with a front left tire puncture, Loeb reclaimed a lead he had given up to his rival Saturday. He stayed calm through the final test to seal his eighth Monte-Carlo win in a Ford Puma by 10.5 seconds.

Loeb, starting his first WRC event after more than a year, was competing for the British M-Sport Ford team in a one-off appearance. He now joins Ogier at the top of the Monte-Carlo roll of honor with eight wins.

His victory means he has topped the WRC podium in three different decades. Co-driver Isabelle Galmiche, a 50-year-old schoolteacher who was making her first top-tier start, became the first female winner of a WRC race since 1997.

"I didn't expect so much when I came here," Loeb admitted. "It was a great fight, Ogier was really fast and I struggled a bit yesterday and even this morning."

The duel between the most successful drivers in the sport's history proved a fitting start to the new hybrid-powered era in the championship's 50th season.

Ogier led initially after Thursday's short opening night in his Toyota GR Yaris, but a run of four consecutive fastest times on Friday put Loeb ahead. He failed to find the same pace on Saturday and Ogier moved back in front before Sunday's breathtaking finale.

Craig Breen finished almost 90 seconds back in third in another Puma, giving the British-based M-Sport Ford squad an early lead in the manufacturers' championship.

Kalle Rovanperä languished outside the top 10 after the opening night, but after set-up changes improved the balance of his GR Yaris, he soared up the order to secure fourth.

Despite losing time with engine issues on Saturday, Gus Greensmith claimed fifth in another Puma after winning his first special stage at WRC level. Thierry Neuville was sixth in a Hyundai i20 N after a lackluster weekend for the Korean manufacturer.

The Belgian fought problems all rally, including a broken damper which punched through his bonnet on Saturday. Team-mates Ott Tänak and Oliver Solberg both retired.

Elfyn Evans, championship runner-up in 2021, was on the edge of the fight for victory until he beached his GR Yaris on a bank and remained stranded there for 20 minutes. The Welshman ended 21st.

The championship moves to Scandinavia next month for the only pure winter round of the season. Rally Sweden takes place in Umeå on February 24-27.