[WRC] Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo 2026

[Eli]

Name a part time driver in Hyundai after Loeb and Sordo who has made descent result(s)?
1. Lappi.
That's the list.
It's terrible car to drive and lower your confidence.

Breen if only for one rally, truly sad he’s gone now…

[becher]

What?

Maybe in WRC3

[doubled1978]

They probably through it wouldn’t be enough points to make much difference after the others have done Sweden and Safari. Also, Canarias doesn’t matter about road position, might even be better to be further back with rubber on the road and no cutting.
As others have said, they could have picked a Loeb or whatever for this rally, but nobody would be beating the front 3 Toyotas, so with AF and TN 4th and 5th, if Paddon gets ahead of Armstrong, that’s all anyone else would be allowed to do anyway.

[speederbee]

I doubt Loeb would agree to drive that thing. Realistically, if he wanted to drive a rally car, he would've been doing so already.

If he called up any of the teams and said he'd drive their car, they're not going to say no, are they?

[JAM]

Gryazin is just 1,5 minutes behind paddon right now.

With a Rally2 car and with orders to attack, with a Rally1 would be another story with orders to finish.

[JAM]

They probably through it wouldn’t be enough points to make much difference after the others have done Sweden and Safari. Also, Canarias doesn’t matter about road position, might even be better to be further back with rubber on the road and no cutting.

Before Canarias we have Croatia

[mknight]

A year and a half ago Hyundai said they would for the future always avoid things like Lappi (in Latvia) and Mikkelsen (in Monte).

Meaning part time driver starting a rally with little to no prep.

Last year Fourmaux got a test rally before Monte as only Hyundai driver and because of that had actually advantage vs other Hyundai as only one with Hankook experience.

Now this year they are back to the old ways. Paddon who last drove Monte 9 years ago gets a minimal test. No surprise it goes like this.

[tbazsi95]

M-Sport Recce cars had tough day, 2 Focus RS went to the ditch during reconnaissance

[deephouse]

Starting order: so again some events have their own rules?

Wow, Solberg. I admit, I thought he would be one-off kid in Estonia last year. But driving this awesone on Monte... MONTE... Beating the most experienced and the best driver ever on this roads... And also considering he was ''avoiding'' tarmac rallies for some years now. Hats off. He deserves to win this.

As the Evans... Again. Great drive... at the start and slowly losing ground towards the end. Ogier will grind him all over again... As always.

Neuville somehow it seems is the luckiest bastard again. In funny tone. So much troubles and nowhere in speed but being so high on leaderboard. It would not surprise me if he would end on podium.

As the middle pack. Nothing special. Paddon maybe too careful, but he have bitter memories on that rally and sure doesn't want to experience that all over again. As him being picked for this rally. Of course that Sordo would be better, but what could he do better? Being better that Neuville and Fourmaux? They are in the middle and currently a long way from podium and if nobody out of front will make any mistake, it would be crazy unrealistic to decrease that gap, that both have.

And we are with Lancia and their debut. I honestly expect more from them, but right now Gyrazin is doing great job. Monte was always hard to win, and french specialists was always good there (just like Finland). So if he end up in podium it will be good for the team and also him. I believe that Leo and Camilli will not have this rich campaign as Lancia. I think the most angry here is his teammate, because he was always so competitive against him, that he would do anything just to be infront of him.

Oh I forgot to mention Munster. He deserves a word as this is probably his last WRC event. Sorry for his fans, but he once again proving he is not the right person for WRC.