Year: 2025

The world rally championship returns for the first of fourteen rounds this year. Thierry and Martijn will begin their defence of their crown on the classic roads of this iconic rally.

There are some sporting changes which have been well reported already for this year, but here are the key changes. Hybrid has been removed from the cars and therefore there will be a key change in the power delivery. The cars will also be lighter as well. There have also been another change to the points scoring with the removal of the ridiculous situation that the winner could score less points than some who finished in what would have been lower positions. Now the points will revert back to previous years with additional points just for Sunday’s top five fastest drivers. The other change to report is that Pirelli’s time has come to an end and Hankook tyres will now be supplying the teams with the tyres. It will be interesting to see how the teams and crews take to the new rubber.

There have also been some movements of crews around during the off-season as well. Adrien and Alex have switched to Hyundai and will be in a third car for the whole year. This is a key change in the teams structure when they normally run a third car which is shared by two or even three crews.

At Toyota they will be running four cars all year with the same crews. Elfyn and Scott begin their fifth season at the team, whilst Kalle and Jonne return to the championship on a full-time basis instead of the part-season from last year. Sami and his new co-driver Marko Salminen will begin their first full season in the Yaris Rally1. You may recognise the name there – Marko was Teemu’s co-driver at the start of the 2020 season when they were at M-Sport Ford. Also competing will be Takamoto and Aaron, whilst Seb and Vincent will compete in a fifth Yaris on some events which includes Rallye Monte Carlo.

Finally at M-Sport Gregoire and Louis return for a second full season at the top level whilst Josh McErlean and new co-driver Eoin Treacey will make their top-level debut. They have excellent support from Motorsport Ireland and have a big challenge ahead but one that they are relishing. Last year the team from Cumbria had one of their best seasons and we know that their car is capable of podiums and wins. Finally, Martins and Renaur will also take to the cockpit of a Puma Rally1 on six rounds this year starting in Rally Sweden next month.

Let’s look ahead to the stages that will form this years Rallye Monte Carlo and hear from the drivers.

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“It’s never three without two, and of course I would like to win Rallye Monte-Carlo for a third time, but it’s also one of the most difficult events to win. Alongside the usual difficulties at Monte-Carlo, we also have the challenge of the new tyres so there will be plenty of surprises in the conditions we haven’t tested in yet – we need to take it step-by-step to approach the limit. At the moment we are expecting more wintery conditions than we have had in the past few years, which will make the event even more challenging, although we know in Monte-Carlo the conditions are never guaranteed. The first target is always to finish, so if we are in the fight towards the end of the weekend, we will definitely give it an extra push.”

Ott Tänak

“There are many sections that are new this year, so again it’s difficult to know what to expect. Monte is always very unknown, so it makes the long-term preparation quite difficult. The weather is the main character, and we need to be ready for every outcome over the weekend. The main thing to consider about that is the tyres, which is quite a big component in our rally. Everyone has quite a big unknown, and I think this will make Monte very interesting. It’s always a tricky event, we have been on the podium but never been strong enough to win it. It really is a unique event with a big history, and a win here is something I would appreciate a lot. It’s always the target, and let’s say this trophy would be in a special place.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“My first round in the World Rally Championship was at Rallye Monte-Carlo, and I was able to score my first ever championship points there, so it holds good memories for me. Saying this, it’s the most difficult rally of the year because of the conditions. It’s hard to describe the feeling here, it’s really something special. We work closely with the team on what tyres we need to take, sometimes considering what will be the fastest for the loop and rather than for the stage. For me, my aim in Monte-Carlo is to help the team as much as possible with the manufacturers’, but I also know I need a tidy start to make sure I score some points for the start of my championship. It’s like a home event for me, with a lot of stages in France, so to do well here would mean a lot to me.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“Starting a new season, the goal is as always to give our best to win. We have a strong team for 2025 and the target from my perspective remains to fight for rally wins and for the championship titles. With the introduction of a new tyre supplier and some changes to the technical regulations, there will be some adaptation and learning to do on all surfaces, but it’s the same for everyone and we just need to do the best job we can to be as ready as we can. Rallye Monte-Carlo is the event with the biggest choice of tyres available and with the limited testing allowed, it’s not possible to try the tyres in all the different conditions. It’s always an extremely challenging rally and adapting to the conditions and making the right calls at the right time will be as key as ever.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“It’s cool to be back with the team for a full season of WRC. It’s a different feeling getting prepared and excited for the full year and to fight for the title, which has to be our goal. Last year we were fast but this year we need to be more consistent through the whole year. Rallye Monte-Carlo is always a super difficult start to the season. It has never been my strongest rally but still we’ve managed to do a few good results there. I’ll be happy if we can have a clean rally and good points to start the season. Having a new tyre supplier will be quite a big thing, because everybody has to learn about the tyres in all types of conditions, and on the Monte you want to be able to feel confident in the car as soon as possible.”

Sébastien Ogier

“It’s always exciting for me to be preparing for Rallye Monte-Carlo, and to continue my relationship with TGR-WRT into another year. I’m still enjoying driving for this fantastic team, which I’ve now been with for longer than any other in my career, and I hope to have more fun in the car this year. With less power, less weight and new tyres there are a lot of question marks at the beginning of the season, and it’s a new challenge for the teams and the drivers to see who can adapt best. Even after many starts, this rally never gets any easier and I always go into it with respect for the challenge and in some way a little bit of fear, because you know you will face unpredictable conditions. It’s about trying to manage the risk, even more than on other rallies.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It’s the start of a new season with new expectations. I will try to keep the same speed as before and be more consistent: this is the main goal for me this year. Last season was difficult, but I felt big support from the team, and I learned a lot about how to manage those situations. I definitely feel that it made me stronger, and this is a year to show what I learned. Monte-Carlo is one of the most difficult rallies in terms of the conditions, and it’s hard to prepare for everything in only one day of testing. We have to find the best setup to suit the different balance following the change in regulations, but my feeling is generally good with the car and with the tyres.”

Sami Pajari

“I have a really good feeling ahead of my first full season with a Rally1 car. We had a first taste of it last year and I’m really looking forward to getting started. With some new regulations and a new tyre supplier, there are some new things for everyone to get used to, which is interesting and quite exciting. So far, the feeling has been really nice in testing. For this first rally of the year in Monte-Carlo, the goal is maybe just to reach the finish with a good feeling. If the conditions are good then maybe we can increase the pace like we could do already sometimes last year, but I think we still need to gain a bit more experience before we can really be fighting for the top positions.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Grégoire Munster

“We had a good pre-event test; the first day on the dry we tried some new things which I think will be a key factor for this year, and we had a good feeling on snow as well with this. There are some adjustments to make, now we don’t have the hybrid, but the feeling so far is good.

“Monte-Carlo is always a tricky event with all the varied conditions, especially with all the ice that can gather throughout the night. You need to have a car that you feel comfortable in, and that works on every surface, and we are confident we have this for the event. I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere on Thursday night during the night stages, it’s such a special feeling for the first stages of the new season. I think all the drivers know the feeling!”

Josh McErlean

“It was a fantastic couple of days of testing, we have learnt a lot from Greg and the team, they have been super supportive and welcoming, making the process easier jumping into the Rally1 car. The test itself was fantastic: these cars are amazing, the downforce and the grip they create is phenomenal! We got running both on snow and full dry conditions, making it very productive being our first time in the car.

“Lining up in Casino Square will be a special moment for me come next Thursday. It is a moment I have dreamt of since childhood, so I just want to appreciate and enjoy that. We are in a very privileged position, and I just want to do the best job possible for everyone involved, be consistent and make progress throughout the event.”

WRC2

Oliver Solberg

““I think the journey has already started,” smiled the Swede. “We have been doing some testing before Christmas and in the last week – so, already, we are having a good idea of how the Toyota is feeling. And it feels really good, it’s nimble, nice to drive and, obviously, a three-cylinder engine, so that was a little bit different.

“After the testing we have done and the time with everybody from Printsport, I feel ready for Monte-Carlo, and I feel ready for the year ahead. It was nice to take some time over the holidays to recharge the batteries, but I think everybody knows this sport is never far from my mind! I can’t wait to be back.

“And, for the first time, I am competing in the whole championship – all 14 rounds. This is a fantastic experience for me and something I’ve always dreamt about. It’s so exciting to see what lies ahead.”

“Starting with Monte-Carlo is always tricky; the conditions are always bringing something unexpected. As well as the new car, we have the new Hankook tyres to use for the first time. Testing went well with the new tyre, but it’s normal that everybody will take some time to understand them completely.

“For me, as the test was going on, the feeling with all parts of the package was getting better and better. Like I said, I can’t wait to get started now. We don’t take the [WRC2] points [at Rallye Monte-Carlo], the rules are the same from last year: we can only score on seven rounds, so we prefer to fight for points on the rallies where we have more experience.”

The stages facing the crews are as follows:

Thursday 23 January 2025

Three stages make up the first evening of competitive action and total 54km’s.

Friday 24 January 2025

Six stages make up the action on the first full day of action and total 107km’s with a service break at lunchtime.

Saturday 25 January 2025

Six stages again but with a total of 131km’s with a midday service again. Saturday also includes the longest stage of the rally at 27km’s.

Sunday 26 January 2025

The final day will see the crews tackle three stages totalling 50km’s and in an interesting move the powerstage will only be run once.

Summary

Well, we are set for an exciting 2025 season then. We shall have four world champions as well lining up as well for this first round of the year.

Let’s see who takes victory!