Sebastien Loeb kept his campaign to capture an eighth Monte Carlo Rally title on track as he held his overnight lead over reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier after three of Friday's six stages.
Loeb, a nine-time world champion, is racing in the championship for the first time in 15 months and his run for Citroen in Monte Carlo is his only scheduled appearance of the 2015 season.
But the 40-year-old, who triumphed in the wintry conditions of the Principality seven times between 2003 and 2013, saw his lead slashed to just 3sec.
Loeb won the day's opening SS3 but a bad choice of tyres resulted in his overnight lead being cut by 10sec, allowing fellow-Frenchman Ogier to charge back in a Volkswagen Polo.
Ogier made a wiser choice of tyres and kept his bid on track.
Poland's former Formula One driver Robert Kubica, racing in a Ford Fiesta for his own RK World Rally Team, won two of the mornings stages - SS4, and SS5.
Kubica was 13th in the 2014 rally championship.
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