Toyota World Rally Championship team principal Tommi Makinen has expressed his unhappiness at the cancelling of Friday morning’s opening stage at Rally Monte Carlo.
Makinen feels that the team have been unfairly disadvantaged by the cancelling of the Valdrome-Sigottier run, with all three Yaris’ set up for the loop based on the stage’s icy conditions.
Toyota's Ott Tanak, who held the lead coming into the morning, lost two positions over the loop.
The decision to cancel the run was made based on the number of spectators at the stage, and the potential danger they posed to themselves and the crews.
"Our complete strategy was based to the overall loop – we lost our lead and nobody takes responsibility for that.” Makinen told Autosport.
"The FIA doesn't care what happens at the end of the season, what happens if we lose the championship because of this?
"This is the only rally in the world where you absolutely have to understand how much it can affect [your rally] if a stage is cancelled.
"It doesn't matter in Sweden if they cancel one stage – everybody will be with the same tyres anyway. The [rally] organisers and the FIA don't even understand we are in Monte Carlo and it's not like this, it affects the whole loop."
Makinen also stated that he would discourage his drivers from attending the evening’s media sessions in protest.
"It was the organisers fault for allowing all of the spectators and [their] cars into the stage in the first place and then it's unfair that [FIA safety delegate] Michele [Mouton] is coming to the stage 15 minutes before the cars and saying we can't run," he added.
"Nobody understands the overall situation.
"We will not participate in the meet the crews session tonight.
"I'm not going and I will give maximum support to Ott not to go. I demonstrate quietly."
FIA rally director Yves Matton has responded to Makinen’s statement, acknowledging the difficult situation but defending the decision to cancel the stage.
"I am quite surprised at such aggressive comments and [it's] not so professional to be so aggressive against the organisers and the FIA," Matton added.
"He knows how difficult it is to manage spectators and how important safety is. Safety is the target number one for the future of rallying.
"We know the WRC is organised in a series of loops and you have to choose tyres for more than one stage.
"It's part of the game that sometimes you can win and sometimes you can lose, depending on your choice but also on what affects the event.
"I don't think it would be a good decision to cancel all three stages.
"I don't think it's fair on the spectators and the fans to have to cancel the stages [four and five].
"I can understand it's his job to do everything to let his drivers win a rally and a championship, it's his role.
"It's quite a strange situation to say he will not let his drivers do some promotion.
"Promotion is in the interest of the manufacturer he is working for.
"Also it's a kind of respect to the fans who are here for the whole weekend and standing in the cold weather in the stages and in the cold weather tonight to meet them."
