Returning to Hyundai for this season, Tänak set the fastest time on his first run, edging out Toyota’s Elfyn Evans by a mere tenth of a second.
The shakedown saw the expected top four contenders shine. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville finished third (+0.8 seconds behind Tänak), and Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier, aiming for his tenth victory in his home event, placed fourth (+0.9 seconds).
The other WRC drivers were notably slower than Tänak’s best time. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen were fifth and sixth, respectively, with M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster and Adrien Fourmaux rounding out the top eight.
This year’s Rally Monte Carlo marks the first time in the event’s history without a Finnish driver in the main class, as reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä and Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi participate in selected rounds, starting with the Swedish Rally next month.
The sole Finnish representation comes from Sami Pajari and his co-driver Enni Mälkönen, debuting Toyota’s new Rally2 car in the WRC. While Pajari, competing in the full WRC2 season with Printsport’s GR Yaris, is not vying for class points in Monte Carlo, he was the quickest Toyota driver in Rally2 category, trailing Citroen’s Nikolay Gryazin by 5.2 seconds.
The rally officially kicks off on Thursday, leading the competitors from Gap to Monaco for the ceremonial start, followed by two night stages.
Monte Carlo introduces a new points system for the premier class, with significant points available on Saturday night for the top ten and additional points on offer during Sunday’s stages for the seven fastest drivers, plus traditional Power Stage points.
The rally promises a maximum of 30 points, but the new system means the fastest overall driver might not secure the most points over the weekend.
Rally Monte Carlo, Shakedown results:
1. Ott Tänak Hyundai 2:00.5 2. Elfyn Evans Toyota 2:00.6 3. Thierry Neuville Hyundai 2:01.3 4. Sebastien Ogier Toyota 2:01.4 5. Takamoto Katsuta Toyota 2:03.6 6. A. Mikkelsen Hyundai 2:05.6 7. Gregoire Munster Ford 2:05.9 8. Adrien Fourmaux Ford 2:06.6 9. Nikolai Grjazin Citroen 2:08.8 10. Yohan Rossel Citroen 2:09.3 11. Oliver Solberg Skoda 2:10.3 12. Pepe Lopez Skoda 2:12.7 13. Sami Pajari Toyota 2:14.0
