Nine time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Sebastian Ogier was the first driver to take the lead after SS1 (Digne-les-Bains – Chaudon-Norante 1), showing his experience around the unpredictable lanes of the Alpes-Côte d’Azur. He finished the stage 3.9 seconds ahead of his Toyota GR teammate Elfyn Evans, who admittedly “lost [his] confidence a bit” after a slippery section. He wasn’t the only driver to complain of some grip difficulty – reigning world champion Thierry Neuville described the conditions as “tricky” and finished 0.5s behind Evans.
Neuville opened SS2 (Faucon-du-Caire – Bréziers), but again the star of the stage was Sebastian Ogier, who finished in 11:11.4 – 0.9s ahead of Neuville, who was surprised by the conditions of the stage, noting that there was more mud on the road than when the gravel crew had gone through, as well as some ice beginning to form – forcing the Belgian to slow down.
Adrien Fourmaux showed surprising pace through SS2, setting the third fastest time – just 1.2s behind Neuville and 2.1s behind Ogier. Fourmaux dubbed his run as “incredible”, but was also quick to highlight the ice forming on the stage, ultimately describing the route as “a proper Monte-Carlo stage.”
The third and final stage of the day (Avançon – Notre-Dame du Laus 1) saw Neuville take the lead of the rally after a huge moment for Sebastian Ogier which saw him slide sideways and hit a pole. The Frenchman was able to recover and finish the stage, but not after losing significant time.
Elfyn Evans took the stage win, finishing in 10:06.3s, 5.4s faster than Neuville. Evans was only moderately happy with his performance, admitting that he lost his confidence and was struggling to read the grip.
Once again, fans lit up the stage with fireworks and flares, creating an electric atmosphere as the cars roared through. A brilliant way to start the 2025 Rallye Monte-Carlo.
The full Rally1 classification can be found below:
| Position | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Total Time | Gap to 1st |
| 1 | Thierry Neuville | Martijn Wydaeghe | Hyundai | 32:58.8 | – |
| 2 | Elfyn Evans | Scott Martin | Toyota GR | 33:00.8 | +2.0 |
| 3 | Sebastien Ogier | Vincent Landais | Toyota GR | 33:11.6 | +12.8 |
| 4 | Ott Tanak | Martin Jarveoja | Hyundai | 33:25.8 | +27.0 |
| 5 | Adrien Fourmaux | Alexandre Coria | Hyundai | 33:28.8 | +30.0 |
| 6 | Kalle Rovanpera | Jonne Halttunen | Toyota GR | 33:42.7 | +43.9 |
| 7 | Gregoire Munster | Louis Louka | M-Sport Ford | 33:47.6 | +48.8 |
| 8 | Takamoto Katsuta | Aaron Johnston | Toyota GR | 33:52.1 | +53.3 |
| 9 | Sami Pajari | Marko Salminen | Toyota GR | 34:23.2 | +1:24.4 |
| 12 | Joshua McErlean | Eoin Treacy | M-Sport Ford | 35:52.7 | +2:53.9 |
