Fastest after Saturday, fastest on Sunday, Power Stage win and overall rally win: it’s a perfect score for Thierry Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe at the WRC Rallye Monte Carlo.
The Hyundai i20 N star opened his 2024 FIA World Rally Championship title bid with a sublime performance in the French Alps, mastering the ice-patched mountain roads to head Toyota Gazoo Racing rival Sébastien Ogier by 16.1sec.
Neuville shrugged aside early engine issues before launching an attack on Saturday, overtaking both Ogier and his GR Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans to storm into the lead with a slender 3.3sec advantage. A clean sweep of fastest times in Sunday’s final leg cemented his position ahead of the nine-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner.
“I don’t have the words, to be honest,” beamed an elated Neuville after finishing the final stage on the iconic Col de Turini. “It was just so great this weekend, I felt so comfortable in the car.
“The whole team was doing an amazing job and I think the whole package was working really well. There are always things to improve so of course we need to continue working, but we are very happy to win this rally,” he added.
Ogier led for a single stage on Saturday afternoon, but the Frenchman could not repel Neuville despite his best efforts. “It’s been a nice battle with Thierry. Well done to him, he has been really fast this weekend,” he admitted.
Evans held the upper hand after the first two legs but time ebbed away from him on Saturday, not helped by a hybrid unit problem. He eventually finished 29.1sec behind his team-mate Ogier.
Tänak fourth, career-best for Fourmaux, Rossel takes WRC2 win in last stage
Ott Tänak placed fourth on his first rally back in Hyundai colours. Mystery engine problems hindered the 2019 WRC champion throughout the rally although a stage win on Saturday morning proved his potential with the i20 N car.
Adrien Fourmaux equalled his career-best result by finishing fifth overall in his M-Sport Ford Puma. Behind him was Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen, with Takamoto Katsuta almost three minutes further back after sliding off the road on Friday.
Yohan Rossel claimed the WRC2 victory with a last-gasp Wolf Power Stage push, climbing to eighth overall in the process. He passed Pepe López in the finale while Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top 10. Jan Černý took victory in WRC3 and Mauro Miele won the WRC Masters Cup, while López topped the WRC2 Challenger standings.
Next up for the WRC is Rally Sweden in the Umeå region from February 15-18.
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WRC Rallye Monte Carlo 2024 – Final results
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff. to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | 3:09:30.9 |
| 2. | Ogier / Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +16.1 |
| 3. | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +45.2 |
| 4. | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +1:59.8 |
| 5. | Fourmaux / Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 | +3:36.9 |
| 6. | Mikkelsen / Eriksen | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +5:34.6 |
| 7. | Katsuta / Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +8:28.5 |
| 8. | Rossel / Dunand | Citroën C3 Rally2 | +10:29.8 |
| 9. | López / Vázquez | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +10:33.8 |
| 10. | Gryazin / Aleksandrov | Citroën C3 Rally2 | +10:45.2 |
WRC 2024 Drivers’ Championship – Standings after Round 1/13 [Top 10]
| # | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thierry Neuville | 30 |
| 2. | Sébastien Ogier | 24 (-6) |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | 21 (-9) |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | 15 (-15) |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | 11 (-19) |
| 6. | Takamoto Katsuta | 9 (-21) |
| 7. | Andreas Mikkelsen | 6 (-24) |
| 8. | Nikolay Gryazin | 3 (-27) |
| 9. | Pepe López | 2 (-28) |
| 10. | Yohan Rossel | 1 (-29) |
WRC 2024 Manufacturers’ Championship – Standings after Round 1/13
| # | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 46 |
| 2. | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 45 (-1) |
| 3. | M-Sport Ford WRT | 19 (-27) |
Photo, text: Red Bull Content Pool
