WRC Rally Monte Carlo 2026

Finally, we are back in action with a new season. Rallye Monte-Carlo opens the WRC season as usual, and is perhaps the most unpredictable rally of the year. Relatively simple asphalt roads in the French Alps suddenly become very demanding due to snow and ice, which emphasizes smart tire choices. Often the ability to drive slowly as fast as possible is the key to success here.

Last year's world champion Sébastien Ogier has dominated this race for a number of years and has won here ten times, in addition he has four second places in the 16 times he has driven this race, so there is no doubt who is the favorite here. Of the others who are starting in this year's edition, Thierry Neuville has won twice, one second place and two third places. Elfyn Evans has two second places and two third places, and Adrien Fourmaux has a third place from last year. Otherwise, no one else has been in the top three.

Hyundai

Hyundai Motorsport made the most of the maximum number of days allowed for testing towards the end of 2025 and has been the most active of all teams in testing. The week after Saudi Arabia, they began preparations for Monte Carlo, and a test session was held on tarmac roads in the south of France, where Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux began fine-tuning the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car. Fourmaux then took part in the French Rallye Dévoluy on similar roads and conditions to those they will now face. In parallel with this race, Hyundai conducted a development test at its base in Jämsä, Finland, where Neuville and Esapekka Lappi drove for two days before Fourmaux arrived for day three. Fourmaux spoke to the media afterwards, saying they were well on their way to improving the car after last year's disastrous season, and that he was now positive about the 2026 season.

Hyundai had to change plans after Ott Tänak announced late in the year that he would be taking a break from the WRC this season, despite having a seat in Hyundai for 2026. They will continue with Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux, but as a replacement for Tänak they will bring in three experienced drivers who will share the car throughout the season. These are Spaniard Dani Sordo, Finn Esapekka Lappi and New Zealander Hayden Paddon. Hyundai chose experienced drivers rather than betting on young blood, which is a conscious choice to win the manufacturers' championship in 2026.

Toyota

Toyota will field five drivers in 2026 after winning the constructors' championship for the fifth year in a row. Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta, Sami Pajari and newcomer Oliver Solberg will drive the full season, while Sébastien Ogier will participate in about half of the races. Oliver Solberg takes over from Kalle Rovanperä who chose something new, namely to focus on a future place in the Formula 1 circus.

Toyota also finished 2025 with extensive testing to fine-tune the Yaris Rally1 for 2026. During the French snow and tarmac Rallye National Hivernal du Dévoluy, the team's new driver Oliver Solberg got valuable driving time in conditions similar to Monte-Carlo. This was the same race that Fourmaux competed in. They have also experimented with the car's aerodynamics, including a new rear wing.

With wins in 12 of 14 races last season and with Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans at the start, Toyota probably feels a little more confident going into the first race of the year than Hyundai, but I don't think they're underestimating the Korean team. It seems like they've done a lot of testing on the car setup, and otherwise they've been very good at keeping their cards close to their chest.

What can we expect?

Rally Monte-Carlo is a difficult race due to very variable conditions. A long stretch can be with dry and fine asphalt, while right around the next bend there can be only ice and snow. Of course the drivers know where these divisions are, but what they don't know is whether there will be precipitation at altitude, how much it will be and when it will come. That's why the choice of tires is important! If you choose slicks (tires without any particular pattern) because 95% of the stage is ice and snow-free when you leave the service, you have a big problem if the weather turns and it suddenly starts to snow on 30% of the stage. If you do the opposite and choose with some studs in the tires, you will be run out if that snow doesn't come. And it is precisely these things that make Monte-Carlo a fantastically exciting race.

Or as the organiser describes it:
The Rallye Monte-Carlo, known as the jewel in the crown of the WRC, has been testing the limits of car and crew since its inception in 1911. Its legendary status is built on a paradox: it is a tarmac rally that is often won on ice. The event’s spiritual home lies in the narrow, winding passes of the Alpes-Maritimes and Hautes-Alpes, where the weather can change from alpine sunshine to blizzard in the time it takes to change a tyre.

We must expect Hyundai's Neuville and Fourmaux to do everything they can to pressure Toyota's Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans, because these are the four I think will be fighting for victory in the rally. I believe in routine and statistics, and I'm betting like last year.

WRC at 14:00: Sébastien Ogier wins (2.10)