VW's top rally driver Sébastien Ogier is the reigning double world champion, so he's the first driver on the road at today's Rallye Monte Carlo. Here's the sneaky trick that lets him pull.

The thing is, being first on the road is a disadvantage in the Monte. It means you're up against unswept, untravelled roads that are extra slick and have more surprises.

Ogier is not happy about this. Ogier wants to shift some of the disadvantage to the drivers who start behind him.

Here's the real giveaway of what he's doing in the above clip, other than showing off some serious car control. This is courtesy of the WRC's official live end-of-stage comment service.

His Polo completes with snow in the front bumper. Has he been off? "No, we tried to make some cuts and put some snow on the road for the guys behind. We have a disadvantage with this road position, so now we try to turn this to our advantage."

That's the trick — Ogier isn't just saving some four-wheel drift, he's intentionally spreading snow out behind him. It seems to have worked. He's been posting fastest stage times today and he's been particularly slowing down the man behind him. That's his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala, his chief rival for the championship title.