WRC Review: Third driver humiliated Tänak and Neuville – “Who is this guy!”

The opening round of the World Rally Championship, Rally Monte Carlo, was held last weekend in France. RallyJournal.com journalists give their ratings for the performances of the top-class drivers.
Adrien Fourmaux
Adrien Fourmaux. Photo: Dufour Fabien/Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
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Toyota claimed maximum points from the event, with Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans securing a 1-2 finish in the tricky rally.

French driver Adrien Fourmaux also got off to a flying start with his new team, Hyundai. Fourmaux delivered an impressive performance, finishing third in the rally.

Championship favourites Kalle Rovanperä and Ott Tänak faced minor challenges over the weekend. Meanwhile, reigning champion Thierry Neuville encountered more significant problems but ultimately secured sixth place.

RallyJournal.com journalists Toni Heinonen, Aki Hietavala, and Ville Hirvonen rated the performances of each top-class driver using the grading scale, where 10 is the highest and 4 the lowest grade.

Toni Heinonen

Sebastien Ogier 10 (Position: 1st)

I rarely give a perfect 10, but I have to here. Winning Rally Monte-Carlo for the tenth time in your career? That has to be a 10. Ogier’s performance was flawless – pure brilliance once again! He had a comfortable lead before the final stage, but instead of playing it safe, the French star set a blistering fastest time on the Power Stage, securing maximum points for Toyota.

Elfyn Evans 9+ (Position: 2nd)

For some reason, I had a gut feeling before the rally that Evans might do well in Monte-Carlo. Even so, his performance exceeded my expectations. He showed the kind of form expected of a championship contender. He didn’t hold back on the Power Stage either, despite a minor knock to his Toyota, but everything held up until the end. That’s how it should be done!

Adrien Fourmaux 9+ (Position: 3rd)

An all-around admirable effort from the third driver! It’s hard to believe this is the same guy who crashed M-Sport Fords repeatedly a few years ago. Last year, Fourmaux took a huge step forward, regularly appearing on the podium. Now he’s off to a fantastic start with Hyundai: clearly the team’s best and most consistent performer over the weekend. Based on this showing, he could be in with a shot at his first career victory this season.

Adrien Fourmaux
Adrien Fourmaux. Photo: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Kalle Rovanperä 8- (Position: 4th)

Rovanperä had a somewhat sluggish start, particularly when running on Hankook slicks. He showed flashes of speed but couldn’t deliver an overall standout performance. That said, Monte isn’t one of the Finn’s favourite rallies. It’s done now, and he came away with a decent haul of points. Much better is expected in Sweden.

Ott Tänak 7½ (Position: 5th)

We saw glimpses of the classic Tänak on Saturday. The Estonian was the fastest driver by far that day and seemed poised to challenge for second place. However, Sunday’s slippery conditions slowed him down. As Tänak himself said, there were promising moments during the weekend, but everything wasn’t quite in the right place yet.

Thierry Neuville 5½ (Position: 6th)

The reigning champion started strong on the opening stages but ran into trouble on Friday. He went off twice at the same hairpin. Whether it was the tyres or something else, that sort of mistake just shouldn’t happen. Neuville’s luck was that a couple of Toyotas retired ahead of him on the final day, which helped him secure more points. If there’s a silver lining, his starting position for Rally Sweden should be favourable.

Thierry Neuville
Thierry Neuville. Photo: Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Josh McErlean 5 (Position: 7th)

McErlean’s Rally1 debut was predictably tough. Monte-Carlo is unforgiving, and it showed in his times. Early in the rally, the Irishman couldn’t even match the pace of the fastest Rally2 drivers, but he improved towards the end. Credit to him for staying out of trouble, finishing the rally, and scoring his first points in the top class. Oh, and he also kept his teammate behind him…

Takamoto Katsuta 4½ (Retired)

The odds were against Katsuta, as he entered the rally while unwell. Understandably, he couldn’t deliver maximum performance and drove at his own pace behind the leading pack. His rally ended on Sunday morning on an icy stage, which sealed his fate. Katsuta needs to quickly forget this weekend and focus on a strong attack in Sweden. It’s essential he avoids falling into a negative spiral like last season.

Gregoire Munster 4½ (Retired)

I genuinely feel bad for Munster. The Luxembourger has faced heavy criticism, including from me, but he was incredible at the start of Monte-Carlo. His first career stage win deserves major respect! Unfortunately, things went wrong: a puncture, a mechanical failure on Friday night, and an off-road incident on Sunday. I wanted to give him a good grade, but with a complete retirement, this is the best I can offer.

Gregoire Munster
Gregoire Munster. Photo: M-Sport Ford WRT

Sami Pajari 4+ (Retired)

Pajari ultimately gained experience on 15 full stages with the Rally1 car. While he wasn’t competing for a result, it’s clear that he was overly cautious at the start, which caused him to fall too far behind. On the bright side, his pace improved significantly on Saturday. However, on Sunday, his Toyota crashed off a bridge in a slippery section. Let’s chalk this up to practice for now. His performance in Sweden must be much better.

Aki Hietavala

Sebastien Ogier 10-

Ogier didn’t win everything at this year’s Monte, but as he himself said in an interview, at Rally Monte-Carlo, you sometimes need to lose on certain stages to win the rally. Securing a tenth home rally victory is a magnificent achievement. A total of 33 points, so let’s give a minus for not quite achieving the maximum.

Elfyn Evans 9+

As I mentioned in my season preview, Evans is returning to form. He seemed much livelier and more determined than in the past couple of seasons. It might take a couple more rallies to confirm whether the hybrids simply didn’t suit the Welshman before. Second place in the rally, second place on the Power Stage, and the fastest on Sunday – a strong start to the season for Evans.

Elfyn Evans
Elfyn Evans. Photo: Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT

Adrien Fourmaux 9+

Same grade as Evans. Fourmaux delivered an incredible debut with Hyundai. He showed excellent speed, consistency, and determination. This might not be the last time that Hyundai’s top dogs, Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville, glance nervously toward the “third driver’s” pit, wondering, “Who is this guy?”

Kalle Rovanperä 8

A satisfactory performance turned into a good one with a strong finish on Sunday. Rovanperä earned nearly as many points as Fourmaux, who finished third, making this a decent season opener for the Finn. Considering he didn’t compete in any asphalt rallies in the WRC last year, the lack of rhythm was understandable. It’s also a fact that Monte-Carlo has never been his favourite rally.

Kalle Rovanperä
Kalle Rovanperä. Photo: Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT

Ott Tänak 7

A weak or satisfactory performance? On Saturday, Tänak showed he still has speed. But for some reason, things were inconsistent on the other days. Yes, there were some poor tyre choices, like the Sunday setback, but still. Eleven points from the season opener likely doesn’t satisfy Tänak himself either. However, the season is long, so he’s probably thinking that 11 points are better than zero.

Thierry Neuville 5

A dreadful start to the season for the reigning champion. Let’s talk about Friday’s disaster first – two crashes at the exact same corner on the same stage. First in the morning, going too fast, and then in the afternoon, when, according to Neuville, the tyre gave out just before the corner. You can spin it and explain it from many angles, but I believe Neuville was also at fault. On Sunday, he was nowhere, scoring just one Power Stage point. Last year, Neuville’s “Super Sunday” performances were legendary, but this season certainly hasn’t started that way.

Josh McErlean 7

What?! A seven for someone who finished over ten minutes behind the leader and repeatedly lost stage times to Rally2 cars? But hey, who expected anything from this guy at all? He brought the car home (unlike a few others) and scored WRC points in his first rally of the season. Of course, the bar must be raised as he gains experience, but McErlean didn’t even impress in WRC2, so it would’ve been a shock if he’d shown competitive pace in the top class after just a few tests.

Takamoto Katsuta 6

Difficult to judge. The Japanese driver was unwell, and no one can perform miracles in such a condition. It’s frustrating that his clean season start was ruined by Sunday morning’s crash. Even on Finnish TV, they kept sighing about Katsuta’s poor pace until they realised he was sick. In my opinion, Katsuta could’ve had a decent season opener, even if the pace wasn’t there, had he avoided retiring. It would’ve been nice to head to his favourite rally, Sweden, in a better mindset, but now the pressure might already be building.

Takamoto Katsuta
Takamoto Katsuta. Photo: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Gregoire Munster 7½

I would’ve given him an eight, but he crashed into the ditch on Sunday morning. I admit, being the first car on the stage with black ice patches was a tough challenge. Nevertheless, his first career stage win and the vastly improved pace compared to last year are promising signs. Maybe there’s still hope for Munster after all, despite all the criticism he faced last season – including from me.

Sami Pajari 6

Am I being too lenient with Finnish bias here? Then again, I gave McErlean a seven. But does Sami even deserve a six? Many fans and even some of us journalists have already forgotten how early Pajari is in his Rally1 career. Last season, he only had a couple of rallies, and now his first full WRC season begins. Still, the start was perhaps a bit too cautious. He improved on Saturday but crashed off the bridge on Sunday. Winter surprised the driver. I’m sure it was a very tricky spot, but… let’s give him a pass for now. Sweden will demand much better.

Ville Hirvonen

Sebastien Ogier 10

A flawless performance from the King of Monte-Carlo. He secured his tenth win in Monte-Carlo and his ninth at the WRC level. Ogier’s impressive consistency in Monte’s unique conditions is surprising every time, even though we should know by now that he always masters them. An emotional victory dedicated to his late uncle, who passed away last year. Did the knowledge that this might have been his last Monte at WRC level also bring a tear to the French champion’s eye?

Sebastien Ogier
Sebastien Ogier. Photo: Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans 9

Evans started the season very strongly, collecting a solid 26 points – the most among the full-season drivers. A commendable performance all around.

Adrien Fourmaux 10

There couldn’t have been a more convincing debut with his new team. He was the best Hyundai driver, outperforming reigning champion Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak in an extremely demanding rally. Fourmaux also excelled in Sweden last year, so more strong results could be on the horizon. The Frenchman’s development curve has been steeply upward.

Kalle Rovanperä 8

Not quite at his best, but Rovanperä managed to flash his speed at times. The key thing is that he’s in the title hunt this season, so he didn’t take unnecessary risks. He picked up the points that were there for the taking. From a points perspective, this was an excellent season opener. February brings a rally much more suited to Rovanperä – Sweden – where we’ll likely see the dominant Kalle again.

Ott Tänak 5

A big disappointment in Monte. Tänak finished nearly a minute behind Ogier. Now in his second season with Hyundai during this stint, he can no longer use unfamiliarity with the team as an excuse. Adapting to Hankook tyres was necessary, but so was it for everyone else. Tänak’s Monte performance felt like a snapshot of last season: occasional flashes of speed but mostly watching others set faster times.

Ott Tänak. Photo: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Thierry Neuville 4

A failed performance. Two off-road incidents at the same corner on Friday. Last year, he won Monte and didn’t relinquish the championship lead afterward. This year, the situation is very different.

Josh McErlean 5

He was practically a tourist, consistently losing time even to Rally2 cars. But to be fair, you have to pity the Irishman. It’s not easy to debut in the top class in such difficult conditions. Still, it’s hard to award a good grade.

Takamoto Katsuta 4

Crashed out on Sunday, ending his rally early. Even before that, his pace was underwhelming. Last year, he performed well in Sweden, so if he stays on the road this time, he might achieve a good result in Umeå.

Gregoire Munster 4

Failed performance due to a driver error and the resulting retirement. Otherwise, he might have received a very high grade. After all, he secured his first stage win in the WRC’s top class. But when a mistake ends the rally, it’s hard to give much credit.

Sami Pajari 4

Drove too cautiously throughout the rally and, on top of that, crashed into a bridge on Sunday, forcing him to retire. I understand that mileage is important, but it’s still hard to swallow when someone says, “I wasn’t aiming to win.” In motorsport, the goal should always be to win or achieve a good result.

Sami Pajari. Photo: Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT

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