It has indeed meant plenty of activity in the form of testing in the French Alps, as all three WRC teams have been in action this weekend. Factory teams Hyundai and Toyota began their tests earlier in the week, but on Saturday M-Sport Ford also got down to business.
Hyundai’s tests were close to being spoiled earlier in the week when heavy snowfall interrupted Thierry Neuville’s test day. However, the 2024 world champion was able to resume work on Saturday, sharing the test day with Hayden Paddon. Hyundai Motorsport drove for the first time on its new test area in France near Château de Lastours.
See below how Neuville tested his Hyundai.
As far as Toyota’s WRC team is concerned, the test programme was brought to a close on Saturday by Finnish driver Sami Pajari. Last season, Pajari drove strongly in Monte Carlo right up until Sunday morning. Then the car slid into a ditch in slippery conditions and the rally ended in retirement.
The early part of last season was very much a learning experience for the 24-year-old Pajari, but little by little his debut campaign at the wheel of a Rally1 car began to head in a better direction. In Japan in November, Pajari already claimed his first podium finish.
Sami Pajari was the last of Toyota’s drivers to get a test run.
M-Sport Ford has also begun its testing for the Monte Carlo Rally. On Saturday, the driver on test duty was Irishman Josh McErlean, who was slipping around near the village of Valserres, located right next to Gap, the host city of the Monte Carlo Rally.
See below McErlean’s stylish display from the tests.
