Solberg played around with his Toyota Rally2 car while heading from the podium ceremony to Parc Ferme. He drifted through the famous Fairmont hairpin and was handed a five-minute time penalty by the FIA.
What made the incident peculiar was that Solberg was not the only one who played around in the famous F1 corner. Yet, he was the only one penalised.
Solberg was not competing for WRC points in Monte-Carlo, so the penalty did not hold much significance for him. However, it was undoubtedly questionable that only the Swedish driver was punished.
“It obviously wasn’t the most clever thing I’ve ever done. But at the very least, it was a pretty cool thing, and I got a lot of promotion from it,” Solberg laughed.
Solberg insists that his intentions were good.
“There were probably a hundred people with cameras, and I thought I had to give them something to see. I was quite surprised by the time penalty.”
“I expected I might get a fine or something, but penalising only me was, of course, quite unfair. But, it has always been like that. It’s always me,” Solberg stated.
A famous surname comes with expectations, but it is not always a good thing. Solberg believes he was penalised mainly because his last name is Solberg.
“Probably. They always put me as an example.”
This was not the first time Solberg received a penalty for so-called exhibition driving. In Rally Portugal 2023, he performed donuts at the end of a super special stage and was handed a one-minute time penalty. That penalty truly stung, as it cost him the WRC2 victory to Gus Greensmith.
This weekend, Solberg will compete for WRC2 points in his home event, Rally Sweden.
