The World Rally Championship fires back into action this Thursday, just six weeks since the final round, and still with COVID-19 as the rally’s biggest threat.
The Monte Carlo Rally has been under increasing threat of being cancelled over recent weeks as Europe suffers through a long and cold winter, and with the increasingly high impact from the pandemic.
A 6pm to 6am curfew in France has meant that the route of the Monte Carlo Rally has been significantly changed to conform with locals regulations, and WRC crews will line up for the shortest Monte Carlo Rally in history, at least distance wise.
Once again victory in the rally will be fought out between the same list of protagonists, and the winner will likely come from either Toyota or Hyundai.
This year will be no different from other years, in that Sebastien Ogier will start the favourite as he attempts to win the rally for a record eighth time.
The fabulous Frenchman had a massive testing crash last week, rolling his Toyota Yaris multiple times after hitting a tree, but that won’t put him at any disadvantage.
His biggest rival will perhaps come from Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, who won in 2020, but the Belgian has worries of his own.
He shocked the rally world last week when he split from his long-time co-driver, Nicolas Gilsoul, after 10 years together, and just days after they completed a pre-event test for Monte Carlo.
It’s believed that a contractual dispute between the two led to the parting of ways, and countryman Martijn Wydaeghe will take over co-driving duties at virtually a moment’s notice.
The problem for Neuville is that not only has he never had Wydaeghe in the car before, but the pre-event shakedown for the rally has been cancelled. It means that the first time they drive together in anger will be on the very first stage of the rally.
Whether the pair will continue together after Monte Carlo remains to be seen, but before a wheel has even turned, it has put Neuville’s WRC titles hope in jeopardy.
Neuville isn’t the only top-line driver with a new co-driver though.
M-Sport’s Teemu Suninen has seen Jarmo Lehtinen return to a management role at Toyota, and will team up with Mikko Markkula.
Hyundai’s Dani Sordo will start his final rally with note caller Carlos del Barrio, before switching to Borja Rozado for the WRC’s second round.
One of the biggest challenges for all competitors at Monte Carlo will be the use of Pirelli tyres for the first time since 2010.
Teams have tested on the new rubber, but it won’t be until they get into full competition mode that they’ll know how the tyres react when the pressure is really on. It could provide a new dimension to the rally that offers a few surprises.
The weather for this weekend’s event is looking like being classic Monte Carlo – snow, ice and many, many unpredictable corners just waiting to catch out the unwary.
After last year’s closely-fought, pandemic shortened WRC, you’d expect that Ogier, Elfyn Evans, Neuville and Ott Tanak will be the men to catch and the ones fighting for the title.
In theory that will be the case, but sport is never that simple, and that just means that this weekend’s event will be compulsive viewing.
May the best man win.
THE CONTENDERS …..
TOYOTA
Car: Yaris WRC
Drivers: Sebastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans, Kalle Rovanpera
HYUNDAI
Car: i20 WRC
Drivers: Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak, Dani Sordo
M-SPORT FORD
Car: Fiesta WRC
Drivers: Teemu Suninen, Gus Greensmith
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