The opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship is always something to look forward to, but with new cars and a returning manufacturer in the form of Toyota, this weekend's Monte Carlo Rally is one of the most hotly-anticipated events in years.
Recapping developments ahead of the rally, Motorsport Week brings you the latest news on the teams and drivers.
M-Sport World Rally Team
Having snared reigning World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier for 2017, M-Sport morale is at a high ahead of the Monte Carlo Rally. The Cumbrian outfit fields a strong team, with Estonian Ott Tänak and Welshman Elfyn Evans both stepping up to the top outfit. Evans, however, will run on DMACK tyres, with his teammates on Michelins. Tänak and Evans have both earned their promotions; the first with strong drives in the 2016 DMACK team, the latter just as quick in the WRC’s R5 class and an overall win in the British championship. The team completed a pre-Monte test last week, with Ogier driving on Monday and Tuesday, Tänak on Wednesday and Thursday and Evans on Friday. Eric Camilli, now in an R5 car, also tested. The Ogier and Tänak cars carry special number plates this year: WRT 1 and WRT 2. Meanwhile, M-Sport received the MIA business of the year award at the Autosport Show in Birmingham last weekend.
#1: Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) – Ford Fiesta WRC (Michelin)
#2: Ott Tänak/Martin Jarveoja (EST/EST) – Ford Fiesta WRC (Michelin)
#3: Elfyn Evans/Dan Barritt – (GB/GB) Ford Fiesta WRC (DMACK)
Hyundai Motorsport
Hyundai kicks off its fourth season in the WRC with a dramatic new version of the i20 car, the Coupe World Rally Car. Launched at Monza in November, the car has already covered over 6,000 km in tests. As in every WRC round this year, Hyundai will field a three-car line-up in a unified team. Hayden Paddon/John Kennard, Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul and Dani Sordo/Marc Martí will compete in cars 4, 5 and 6 respectively. The two highest-placed crews score points for the manufacturers’ championship. After its most competitive WRC season in 2016 with two wins, Hyundai aims to fight for the WRC title in 2017. The team’s latest pre-Monte test was last week in the French Alps, with all three crews at work in their cars. Team chief Michel Nandan said: “This year’s Monte promises to be one of the most exciting and unpredictable. We can’t wait to see our car on the stages.”
#4: Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B) – Hyundai i20 WRC (Michelin)
#5: Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (NZ/NZ) – Hyundai i20 WRC (Michelin)
#6: Dani Sordo/Marc Marti (E/E) – Hyundai i20 WRC (Michelin)
Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
Citroën is back as a works team after sitting out most of 2016. But the outfit is waiting to see the first times on the Monte to find out if all its hard work meets ambitions. On the Monte – and four of the year’s first five events – the team will field only two C3 World Rally Cars. On Monte, Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle and Stéphane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau will be the points scorers, while Craig Breen/Scott Martin will compete in an old-generation car. Last year, Meeke fought for the lead before a shunt, while Lefebvre finished fifth, his best WRC result. Team boss Yves Matton said: "A few extra days would have been very welcome to spend more time on the car. The development of the C3 WRC has been the shortest in the history of Citroën Racing. It seems well-designed and consistent, but we'll just have to see how it compares with rivals. We’ll need to defensive at the start to see where the competition lies.” Tech chief Laurent Fregosi added: “We spent a lot of time studying the mapping of the active central differential. The aim is to provide the drivers with an 'easy' car, forgiving when there is a sudden change in grip.”
#7: Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (GB/IRL) – Citroën C3 WRC (Michelin)
#8: Stéphane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau (F/F) – Citroën C3 WRC (Michelin)
#9: Craig Breen/Scott Martin (IRL/GB) – Citroën DS3 WRC 2016 (Michelin)
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC
Toyota, back in the WRC after a 17-year gap, has completed its pre-Monte testing and is ready to go. Toyota will field two new Yaris World Rally Cars and is led by team boss Tommi Mäkinen, who won the Monte four times himself. The driver line-up is Jari-Matti Latvala (car #10) and Juho Hänninen (car #11). Mäkinen said: “The most important thing is to go to the Monte with a relaxed attitude. It depends so much on conditions. It’s hard for me to say where we are in terms of performance, and it’s unlikely that the Monte will give any definite answers, as it is so different. Our target is to get good mileage from this rally.” Latvala said: “Two months ago, I would not have imagined that I would start Monte Carlo with Toyota, so that’s really exciting. The car feels very strong but in terms of performance it’s difficult to say, as everyone is coming with a new car.” Meanwhile, the team is keeping expectations in check as they prioritise car development over results.
#10: Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) – Toyota Yaris WRC (Michelin)
#11: Juho Hänninen/Kaj Lindstrom (FIN/FIN) – Toyota Yaris WRC (Michelin)
#12: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) – Toyota Yaris WRC (Michelin)*
*Not entered on 2017 Rallye Monte Carlo
