The king of Monte, Sébastien Ogier, claimed his ninth WRC victory at Monte Carlo, marking his 10th overall win in the event. Elfyn Evans completed Toyota’s fantastic weekend by finishing second.
Additionally, Toyota secured maximum points on Sunday, with Evans and Kalle Rovanperä emerging as the fastest drivers of the day.
As Ogier is not competing in the full WRC season, Evans was the highest scorer among the full-time drivers, collecting a total of 26 points in Monte Carlo. This means Evans will have the honour of opening the roads in Sweden.
“It’s a nice start. Overall, it was a strong weekend. You always want to be better and find those last bits. There were things that could have been done better, but I’m pretty happy with the weekend,” Evans remarked.
Evans had a dramatic moment during the Power Stage. The icy road caught many drivers off guard on the legendary Col de Turini climb, and Evans was no exception.
“There was a bit more ice than I expected. When you arrive at that speed and it starts taking off, you have to hope for the best,” Evans recounted.
“At some point, I had to turn into it to bounce off the bank at the right angle. Luckily, it was a good bounce, and we were able to keep going,” Evans continued.
Snowbanks were initially supposed to be a feature of next month’s Rally Sweden, but Evans got an early taste.
“Trying the technique ahead of time,” Evans joked.
Monte Carlo saw the first competitive outing of Rally1 cars without hybrid units, as hybrids were retired after last season.
“The engine’s characteristics are working well without the hybrid. That was always the concern when removing it, but the team has done a great job, and the car still drives nicely, at least in these conditions,” Evans noted.
There were other new elements as well. For the first time, Monte Carlo featured Hankook tyres. The performance of the new tyres was one of the biggest question marks heading into the season opener. Last season, Pirelli tyres were used in the WRC.
“It’s been quite positive so far. There are no major complaints. The performance level might differ from what we were used to, but the reliability is much better,” Evans reflected.
“Differences between brands and a learning phase are natural. From a monetary perspective, it’s pretty good,” Evans concluded.
