The treacherous mixed-conditions event will host the opening round of the WRC season for the 44th time in 2024. This year features an updated itinerary, with the stages and service park returning to the south-eastern French town of Gap, approximately 300km away from the Monegasque capital.
The mountainous region also sits 745 metres above sea level, making it France’s highest prefecture. The increased altitude is set to provide colder conditions than the most recent editions of Rallye Monte-Carlo over the past few years. This will bring snow and ice into play, adding unpredictability and treachery to the tarmac roads.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will target a successful start to the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship at the famous Rallye Monte-Carlo.
The team enters the new season with strong ambitions having won a hat-trick of manufacturers’, drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles in each of the past three years. It continues to develop and improve the GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID to make it even stronger: the engine has been updated to further improve response at low speeds, and the torque curve has been improved.
Meanwhile, the car has a dramatically different look for the new season thanks to a bold matte black livery.
While the technical regulations remain stable, a radical change has been made to the WRC points system for 2024, aimed at enhancing the sporting spectacle on the final day of rallies.
TGR-WRT will aim high at Rallye Monte-Carlo with a driver line-up that includes Sébastien Ogier, who in 2023 claimed his record ninth victory on the event, which is once more based in his hometown of Gap in the French Alps.
Elfyn Evans was championship runner-up last year with three victories, including the final round in Japan, and has a strong past record in Monte Carlo with a best finish of second in 2021.
Takamoto Katsuta graduates from the TGR WRC Challenge Program into a full-time place in the factory line-up this year and has finished in the points on his four previous Monte starts in the top category.
Representing Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team will be three highly experienced crews. Previous event winner Thierry Neuville will once again be joined by co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe, as the pair embark on a fourth season together.
Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja, who will compete alongside the Belgians at every WRC event in 2024, will be looking to mark their return to the team with a positive result.
Hyundai Motorsport’s third and final entry is another familiar face in the form of Andreas Mikkelsen. With co-driver Torstein Eriksen, the reigning WRC2 champion will be targeting a strong debut in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid.
All three crews took part in a pre-event test last week to prepare themselves for the conditions of the opening round of the year. This time in the car was particularly valuable for Mikkelsen, who has not competed in the top class of rallying since the hybrid regulations were introduced in 2022.
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team is prepared to make its mark on the season opener of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship, as Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster will line up in a pair of Ford Puma Rally1s to take on the challenges of Rallye Monte-Carlo.
Covering a total competitive distance of 325 kilometres from Thursday to Sunday, Fourmaux and Munster, with co-drivers Alexandre Coria and Louis Louka, will look to focus on precision whilst carefully building speed throughout the weekend.
Both crews conducted two days of pre-event testing earlier this week and are feeling confident to take on the challenges facing them in Gap. Rallye Monte-Carlo will serve as a crucial platform for both drivers to continue to learn the intricacies of the Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1, laying a foundation for their performances throughout the season.
Fourmaux is the only French contender contesting a full-season in Rally1 and following an impressive 2023 campaign, where he secured the British Rally Championship title and showcased remarkable performances in WRC2 with M-Sport, he earned a well-deserved promotion to Rally1 for the season finale in Japan which has laid the groundwork to secure him his full time Rally1 seat for 2024.
Familiar with the Puma after his adventures in Chile and Central European rallies in 2023, Munster is yet to face the unique challenges of Monte-Carlo in Rally1 machinery.
Nevertheless, his track record in WRC2 demonstrates his ability to deliver consistent performances, securing numerous top-five positions and showing constant development throughout the last few seasons. Munster’s promotion to Rally1 reflects M-Sport’s commitment to nurturing young talent and helping them to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
