Although four rounds of the current World Rally Championship season remain, details about next season’s iconic opening event have already started to emerge.
The route for the 2025 Rally Monte Carlo has been released, including stage names and distances. As in previous years, the start and finish will be in Monaco, with service and overnight halts in Gap. The total stage kilometres have been increased from 324 to 343, making this the longest Monte Carlo since 2018.
The rally, and the entire season, will kick off with the Digne les Bains – Chaudon-Norante stage, a section familiar from last year’s Sunday itinerary. The second stage will be Esparron – Oze, which was part of last year’s Friday leg.
This year, a third stage has been added to Thursday’s itinerary: Avançon – Notre Dame du Laus, last driven in 2020. These three stages total 52 kilometres, and tyre selection will be crucial, as the first stage begins at 6:00 PM local time and the final stage of the day at 9:00 PM.
On Friday, the competitors will tackle 100 kilometres of stages to the north and west of Gap, with three stages each run twice. The Saint-Maurice – Aubessagne stage includes familiar sections from 2021, while Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes – La Bâtie-Neuve passes by the Ancelle ski resort and La Bréole – Selonnet was also run last year.
Saturday is the longest day with 130 kilometres of stages, heading west and requiring new pacenotes. La Motte Chalancon – St-Nazaire le Désert will be the rally’s longest stage at 27 kilometres, making it the longest Monte stage since the Sisteron stage in 2018. This stage was run in a shorter format in 2013, but in the opposite direction.
Adding further challenge, there’s an entirely new stage, Aucelon – Recoubeau-Jansac. The day’s third repeated stage, La Bâtie-des-Fonts – Aspremont, was run in the opposite direction in 2021, and partly in the same direction in 2019.
Sunday’s stages will each be run only once, with the first two being repeats of Thursday’s route. The third stage, and the Power Stage, will be La Bollène-Vésubie – Peïra-Cava, better known as the Col de Turini. This year, it will be slightly longer, with the finish line not yet at the hotel.
The Rally Monte Carlo will take place from 23–26 January 2025.
2025 Monte Carlo Rally itinerary (CET):
Wednesday, 22 January 2025: 16:01 Shakedown: Route de la Garde (3.28 km) Thursday, 23 January: 14:30 Ceremonial Start: Monaco 18:05 SS1: Digne-les-Bains / Chaudon-Norante 1 (19.01 km) 19:53 SS2: Esparron / Oze (18.32 km) 21:06 SS3: Avançon / Notre-Dame-du-Laus 1 (14.90 km) Friday, 24 January: 09:31 SS4: Saint-Maurice / Aubessagne 1 (18.70 km) 10:34 SS5: Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes / La Bâtie-Neuve 1 (16.68 km) 11:42 SS6: La Bréole / Selonnet 1 (18.31 km) 15:23 SS7: Saint-Maurice / Aubessagne 2 (18.70 km) 16:26 SS8: Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes / La Bâtie-Neuve 2 (16.68 km) 17:34 SS9: La Bréole / Selonnet 2 (18.31 km) Saturday, 25 January: 08:59 SS10: La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert 1 (27.30 km) 10:05 SS11: Aucelon / Recoubeau-Jansac 1 (20.91 km) 11:08 SS12: La Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont 1 (17.84 km) 14:59 SS13: La Motte-Chalancon / Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert 2 (27.30 km) 16:05 SS14: Aucelon / Recoubeau-Jansac 2 (20.91 km) 17:08 SS15: La Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont 2 (17.84 km) Sunday, 26 January: 06:39 SS16: Avançon / Notre-Dame-du-Laus 2 (14.90 km) 08:32 SS17: Digne-les-Bains / Chaudon-Norante 2 (19.01 km) 12:15 SS18: La Bollène-Vésubie / Peïra-Cava (17.97 km) Power Stage 16:15 Podium: Monaco
