2021 Monte Carlo Rally Explained

2021 Monte Carlo Rally
Native Name:	89^e Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo
Round:	1
Season No:	12
Championship:	2021 World Rally Championship
Next Round:	2021 Arctic Rally Finland
Start:	Quai Albert, Monaco
Finish:	Casino Square, Monaco
Rallybase:	Gap, Hautes-Alpes
Startdate:	21
Enddate:	24 January 2021
Stages:	14
Stagekm:	257.64
Stagekm Note:	^[1]
Transportkm:	1,135.24
Overallkm:	1,392.88
Surface:	Tarmac and snow
Driver1:	Sébastien Ogier
Codriver1:	Julien Ingrassia
Team1:	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Time1:	2:56:33.7
Driver2:	Andreas Mikkelsen
Codriver2:	Ola Fløene
Team2:	Toksport WRT
Time2:	3:03:57.3
Driver3:	Yohan Rossel
Codriver3:	Benoît Fulcrand
Time3:	3:08:20.8
Powerstage Driver:	Sébastien Ogier
Powerstage Codriver:	Julien Ingrassia
Powerstage Team:	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Powerstage Time:	10:56.2
Crewsreg:	84
Teamsstart:	76
Teamsfinish:	62

The 2021 Monte Carlo Rally (also known as the 89^e Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo) was a motor racing event for rally cars that was held over four days between 21 and 24 January 2021.^[2] It marked the eighty-ninth running of the Monte Carlo Rally, and was the first round of the 2021 World Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3. The 2021 event was based in the town of Gap in the Hautes-Alpes department of France. The rally consisted of fourteen special stages, covering a total competitive distance of 257.642NaN2.^[1]

Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul were the defending rally winners. Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the reigning manufacturers' winners.^[3] Mads Østberg and Torstein Eriksen were the defending winners in the WRC-2 category, while Eric Camilli and François-Xavier Buresi were the defending rally winners in the WRC-3 category.^[4] Østberg and Eriksen did not defend their WRC-2 title as they did not enter the rally. Camilli and Buresi did not defend their WRC-3 win as they entered in the WRC-2 category.

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia won the rally, their eighth win in Monte Carlo. The result saw them set a new record for wins in Monte Carlo.^[5] Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene won the World Rally Championship-2 category,^[6] while Yohan Rossel and Benoît Fulcrand were the winners in the World Rally Championship-3.^[7]

Background

Entry list

The following crews were entered into the rally. The event was open to crews competing in the World Rally Championship, its support categories, the World Rally Championship-2 and World Rally Championship-3, and privateer entries that were not registered to score points in any championship. Ten crews were entered under Rally1 regulations, as were eighteen Rally2 crews; of these, seven were nominated to score points in the World Rally Championship-2 and eleven in the World Rally Championship-3.

! No.! Driver! Co-Driver! Entrant! Car! Tyre

1	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC
3	nowrap	Teemu Suninen	Mikko Markkula	M-Sport Ford WRT	nowrap	Ford Fiesta WRC
6	Dani Sordo	Carlos del Barrio	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	nowrap	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
7	nowrap	Pierre-Louis Loubet	Vincent Landais	Hyundai 2C Competition	nowrap	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
8	Ott Tänak	Martin Järveoja	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	nowrap	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
11	Thierry Neuville	Martijn Wydaeghe	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
18	nowrap	Takamoto Katsuta	Daniel Barritt	nowrap	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC
33	Elfyn Evans	nowrap	Scott Martin	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC
44	nowrap	Gus Greensmith	Elliott Edmondson	M-Sport Ford WRT	nowrap	Ford Fiesta WRC
69	Kalle Rovanperä	nowrap	Jonne Halttunen	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota Yaris WRC
Source:^[8]

! No.! Driver! Co-Driver! Entrant! Car! Tyre

20	nowrap	Adrien Fourmaux	Renaud Jamoul	M-Sport Ford WRT	nowrap	Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II
22	nowrap	Marco Bulacia Wilkinson	nowrap	Marcelo Der Ohannesian	Toksport WRT	nowrap	Škoda Fabia R5 Evo
24	Eric Camilli	François-Xavier Buresi	Sports & You	Citroën C3 Rally2
25	nowrap	Andreas Mikkelsen	Ola Fløene	Toksport WRT	nowrap	Škoda Fabia R5 Evo
27	Enrico Brazzoli	Maurizio Barone	Movisport	nowrap	Škoda Fabia R5
28	Sean Johnston	Alex Kihurani	Saintéloc Junior	Citroën C3 Rally2
Source:

! No.! Driver! Co-Driver! Entrant! Car! Tyre

29	Nicolas Ciamin	Yannick Roche	Nicolas Ciamin	Citroën C3 Rally2
30	Yohan Rossel	Benoît Fulcrand	Yohan Rossel	Citroën C3 Rally2
31	Miguel Díaz-Aboitiz	Diego Sanjuan	Miguel Díaz-Aboitiz	Škoda Fabia R5 Evo
32	Cédric De Cecco	Jérôme Humblet	Cédric De Cecco	Škoda Fabia R5 Evo
34	Giacomo Ogliari	Lorenzo Granai	Giacomo Ogliari	Citroën C3 Rally2
35	nowrap	Fabrizio Arengi Bentivoglio	Massimiliano Bosi	nowrap	Fabrizio Arengi Bentivoglio	Škoda Fabia R5
36	Johannes Keferböck	Ilka Minor	Johannes Keferböck	Škoda Fabia R5 Evo
37	Cédric Cherain	Stéphane Prévot	Cédric Cherain	Škoda Fabia R5
38	Tom Williams	Giorgia Ascalone	Tom Williams	Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II
39	Hermann Neubauer	Bernhard Ettel	Hermann Neubauer	Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II
40	Davy Vanneste	Kris D'Alleine	Davy Vanneste	Citroën C3 Rally2
55	Yoann Bonato	Benjamin Boulloud	Yoann Bonato	Citroën C3 Rally2
57	Mauro Miele	Luca Beltrame	Mauro Miele	Škoda Fabia R5
Source:

! No.! Driver! Co-Driver! Entrant! Car! Tyre

21	Nikolay Gryazin	Konstantin Aleksandrov	Movisport	nowrap	Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
23	Oliver Solberg	Aaron Johnston	Hyundai Motorsport N	Hyundai i20 R5
26	Kevin Abbring	Pieter Tsjoen	Pieter Tsjoen	Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
59	Carlo Covi	Michela Lorigiola	Carlo Covi	Škoda Fabia R5
Source:

Route

The route for the 2021 rally covers 257.642NaN2 in competitive stages and is the shortest in the event's history. The rally was originally planned to be run over sixteen stages, but was reduced to fifteen amid concerns over organisers' ability to run the event during the COVID-19 pandemic,^[9] and ultimately to fourteen so as to respect the curfew established throughout France from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.^[1]

Itinerary

All dates and times are CET (UTC+1).

Leg	Date	Time	No.	Stage name	Distance
1	21 January	14:08	SS1	Saint-Disdier – Corps	20.58 km
		15:06	SS2	Saint-Maurice – Saint-Bonnet	20.78 km
	22 January	06:10	SS3	Aspremont – La Bâtie-des-Fonts 1	19.61 km
		07:28	SS4	Chalancon – Gumiane 1	21.62 km
		09:01	SS5	nowrap	Montauban-sur-l’Ouvèze – Villebois-les-Pins	22.24 km
		12:17	SS6	Aspremont – La Bâtie-des-Fonts 2	19.61 km
		13:38	SS7	Chalancon – Gumiane 2	21.62 km
2	23 January	06:30	SS8	La Bréole – Selonnet 1	18.31 km
		08:18	SS9	Saint-Clément – Freissinières	21.33 km
		12:08	SS10	La Bréole – Selonnet 2	18.31 km
3	24 January	08:30	SS11	Puget-Théniers – La Penne 1	12.93 km
		10:08	SS12	Briançonnet – Entrevaux 1	14.31 km
		10:45	SS13	Puget-Théniers – La Penne 2	12.93 km
		12:18	SS14	nowrap	Briançonnet – Entrevaux 2 [Power Stage]| align="center" | 14.31 km|-|colspan="6" style="background-color:#EAECF0;text-align:center"| Source:|} Report World Rally Cars Classification Position Driver Entrant Car Time Points Event Class Event Stage 1 1 1 Sébastien Ogier Julien Ingrassia Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 2:56:33.7 0.0 25 5 2 2 33 Elfyn Evans Scott Martin Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 2:57:06.3 +32.6 18 3 3 3 11 Thierry Neuville Martijn Wydaeghe Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2:57:47.2 +1:13.5 15 2 4 4 69 Kalle Rovanperä Jonne Halttunen nowrap Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 2:59:07.3 +2:33.6 12 4 5 5 6 Dani Sordo Carlos del Barrio Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2:59:47.9 +3:14.2 10 1 6 6 18 nowrap Takamoto Katsuta Daniel Barritt Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Yaris WRC 3:03:35.0 +7:01.3 8 0 8 7 44 Gus Greensmith nowrap Elliott Edmondson M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC 3:04:54.8 +8:21.1 4 0 16 8 7 nowrap Pierre-Louis Loubet Vincent Landais Hyundai 2C Competition Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 3:14:50.1 +18:16.4 0 0 Retired SS11 8 Ott Tänak Martin Järveoja nowrap Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT nowrap Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Roadworthiness 0 0 Retired SS1 3 nowrap Teemu Suninen nowrap Mikko Markkula nowrap M-Sport Ford WRT Ford Fiesta WRC Accident 0 0 Special stages Day Stage Stage name Length Winners Car Time Class leaders 21 January SS1 Saint-Disdier – Corps 20.58 km nowrap Tänak / Järveoja nowrap Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 12:05.7 Tänak / Järveoja SS2 Saint-Maurice – Saint-Bonnet 20.78 km Tänak / Järveoja Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 12:11.8 22 January SS3 Aspremont – La Bâtie-des-Fonts 1 19.61 km Ogier / Ingrassia Toyota Yaris WRC 14:00.9 nowrap Rovanperä / Halttunen SS4 Chalancon – Gumiane 1 21.62 km Ogier / Ingrassia Toyota Yaris WRC 13:36.8 Ogier / Ingrassia SS5 nowrap Montauban-sur-l’Ouvèze – Villebois-les-Pins 22.24 km Ogier / Ingrassia Toyota Yaris WRC 13:35.8 SS6 Aspremont – La Bâtie-des-Fonts 2 19.61 km Evans / Martin Toyota Yaris WRC 13:32.5 Evans / Martin SS7 Chalancon – Gumiane 2 21.62 km Ogier / Ingrassia Toyota Yaris WRC 14:09.8 23 January SS8 La Bréole – Selonnet 1 18.31 km Ogier / Ingrassia Toyota Yaris WRC 13:16.2 Ogier / Ingrassia SS9 Saint-Clément – Freissinières 21.33 km nowrap Neuville / Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 16:28.3 SS10 La Bréole – Selonnet 2 18.31 km Evans / Martin Toyota Yaris WRC 11:59.0 24 January SS11 Puget-Théniers – La Penne 1 12.93 km Ogier / Ingrassia Toyota Yaris WRC 8:47.6 SS12 Briançonnet – Entrevaux 1 14.31 km Neuville / Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 11:29.6 SS13 Puget-Théniers – La Penne 2 12.93 km Ogier / Ingrassia Toyota Yaris WRC 8:42.6 SS14 nowrap Briançonnet – Entrevaux 2 [Power Stage]| align="center" | 14.31 km| Ogier / Ingrassia| Toyota Yaris WRC| align="center" | 10:56.2|-|} Championship standings Drivers' championships Co-drivers' championships Manufacturers' championships Move Driver Points Move Co-driver Points Move Manufacturer Points 1 Sébastien Ogier 30 Julien Ingrassia 30 nowrap Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 52 2 Elfyn Evans 21 Scott Martin 21 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 30 3 Thierry Neuville 17 nowrap Martijn Wydaeghe 17 M-Sport Ford WRT 10 4 nowrap Kalle Rovanperä 16 nowrap Jonne Halttunen 16 Hyundai 2C Competition 8 5 Dani Sordo 11 Carlos del Barrio 11 World Rally Championship-2 Classification Position Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Time Points Event Class Class Stage Event 7 1 25 Andreas Mikkelsen Ola Fløene Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 3:03:57.3 0.0 25 5 6 9 2 20 Adrien Fourmaux Renaud Jamoul nowrap M-Sport Ford WRT nowrap Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II 3:05:49.5 +1:52.2 18 4 2 10 3 24 Eric Camilli François-Xavier Buresi Sports & You Citroën C3 Rally2 3:07:09.7 +3:12.4 15 2 1 15 4 22 nowrap Marco Bulacia Wilkinson nowrap Marcelo Der Ohannesian Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 3:12:49.1 +8:51.8 12 3 0 17 5 28 Sean Johnston Alex Kihurani Saintéloc Junior Citroën C3 Rally2 3:16:59.5 +13:02.2 10 1 0 43 6 27 Enrico Brazzoli Maurizio Barone Movisport Škoda Fabia R5 3:49:22.3 +45:25.0 8 0 0 Special stages Day Stage Stage name Length Winners Car Time Class leaders 21 January SS1 Saint-Disdier – Corps 20.58 km Mikkelsen / Fløene nowrap Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 12:52.2 Mikkelsen / Fløene SS2 Saint-Maurice – Saint-Bonnet 20.78 km nowrap Fourmaux / Jamoul nowrap Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II 12:37.7 22 January SS3 Aspremont – La Bâtie-des-Fonts 1 19.61 km Mikkelsen / Fløene Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 14:49.9 SS4 Chalancon – Gumiane 1 21.62 km Mikkelsen / Fløene Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 14:21.2 SS5 nowrap Montauban-sur-l’Ouvèze – Villebois-les-Pins 22.24 km Fourmaux / Jamoul Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II 14:31.6 SS6 Aspremont – La Bâtie-des-Fonts 2 19.61 km Mikkelsen / Fløene Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 13:47.7 SS7 Chalancon – Gumiane 2 21.62 km Mikkelsen / Fløene Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 14:40.6 23 January SS8 La Bréole – Selonnet 1 18.31 km Mikkelsen / Fløene Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 13:55.6 SS9 Saint-Clément – Freissinières 21.33 km Mikkelsen / Fløene Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 17:34.0 SS10 La Bréole – Selonnet 2 18.31 km Fourmaux / Jamoul Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II 12:22.2 24 January SS11 Puget-Théniers – La Penne 1 12.93 km Camilli / Buresi Citroën C3 Rally2 9:07.9 SS12 Briançonnet – Entrevaux 1 14.31 km Fourmaux / Jamoul Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II 11:52.6 SS13 Puget-Théniers – La Penne 2 12.93 km Camilli / Buresi Citroën C3 Rally2 8:57.2 SS14 nowrap Briançonnet – Entrevaux 2 [Power Stage]| align="center" | 14.31 km| Mikkelsen / Fløene| Škoda Fabia R5 Evo| align="center" | 11:21.9|-|} Championship standings Drivers' championships Co-drivers' championships Teams' championships Move Driver Points Move Co-driver Points Move Manufacturer Points 1 Andreas Mikkelsen 30 Ola Fløene 30 Toksport WRT 40 2 Adrien Fourmaux 22 Renaud Jamoul 22 Movisport 30 3 Eric Camilli 17 François-Xavier Buresi 17 4 Marco Bulacia Wilkinson 15 Marcelo Der Ohannesian 15 5 Sean Johnston 11 Alex Kihurani 11 World Rally Championship-3 Classification Position Driver Co-driver Entrant Car Time Points Event Class Class Stage Event 11 1 30 Yohan Rossel Benoît Fulcrand Yohan Rossel Citroën C3 Rally2 3:08:25.8 0.0 25 3 0 13 2 55 Yoann Bonato nowrap Benjamin Boulloud Yoann Bonato Citroën C3 Rally2 3:09:35.0 +1:09.2 18 4 0 14 3 29 Nicolas Ciamin Yannick Roche Nicolas Ciamin Citroën C3 Rally2 3:10:48.9 +2:23.1 15 5 0 19 4 39 Hermann Neubauer Bernhard Ettel Hermann Neubauer nowrap Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II 3:18:03.8 +9:38.0 12 2 0 21 5 32 Cédric De Cecco Jérôme Humblet Cédric De Cecco Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 3:20:55.8 +12:30.0 10 1 0 23 6 40 Davy Vanneste Kris D'Alleine Davy Vanneste Citroën C3 Rally2 3:27:22.6 +18:56.8 8 0 0 26 7 36 Johannes Keferböck Ilka Minor Johannes Keferböck Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 3:28:39.6 +20:13.8 6 0 0 28 8 34 Giacomo Ogliari Lorenzo Granai Giacomo Ogliari Citroën C3 Rally2 3:32:54.2 +24:28.4 4 0 0 29 9 37 Cédric Cherain Stéphane Prévot Cédric Cherain Škoda Fabia R5 3:33:14.4 +24:48.6 2 0 0 31 10 38 Tom Williams Giorgia Ascalone Tom Williams Ford Fiesta R5 Mk. II 3:37:42.4 +29:16.6 1 0 0 35 11 31 Miguel Díaz-Aboitiz Diego Sanjuan Miguel Díaz-Aboitiz Škoda Fabia R5 Evo 3:46:56.9 +38:31.1 0 0 0 44 12 35 nowrap Fabrizio Arengi Bentivoglio nowrap Massimiliano Bosi nowrap Fabrizio Arengi Bentivoglio Škoda Fabia R5 3:50:32.5 +42:06.7 0 0 0 Retired SS11 57 Mauro Miele Luca Beltrame Mauro Miele Škoda Fabia R5 Personal 0 0 0 Special stages Day Stage Stage name Length Winners Car Time Class leaders 21 January SS1 Saint-Disdier – Corps 20.58 km Rossel / Fulcrand nowrap Citroën C3 Rally2 13:04.9 Rossel / Fulcrand SS2 Saint-Maurice – Saint-Bonnet 20.78 km nowrap Bonato / Boulloud Citroën C3 Rally2 12:50.3 22 January SS3 Aspremont – La Bâtie-des-Fonts 1 19.61 km nowrap Bonato / Boulloud Citroën C3 Rally2 15:21.5 Bonato / Boulloud SS4 Chalancon – Gumiane 1 21.62 km nowrap Bonato / Boulloud Citroën C3 Rally2 14:50.3 SS5 nowrap Montauban-sur-l’Ouvèze – Villebois-les-Pins 22.24 km Ciamin / Roche Citroën C3 Rally2 14:47.7 SS6 Aspremont – La Bâtie-des-Fonts 2 19.61 km Rossel / Fulcrand Citroën C3 Rally2 14:06.1 Rossel / Fulcrand SS7 Chalancon – Gumiane 2 21.62 km Rossel / Fulcrand Citroën C3 Rally2 15:10.3 23 January SS8 La Bréole – Selonnet 1 18.31 km Bonato / Boulloud Citroën C3 Rally2 14:05.6 Bonato / Boulloud SS9 Saint-Clément – Freissinières 21.33 km Rossel / Fulcrand Citroën C3 Rally2 17:34.1 Rossel / Fulcrand SS10 La Bréole – Selonnet 2 18.31 km Ciamin / Roche Citroën C3 Rally2 12:23.6 24 January SS11 Puget-Théniers – La Penne 1 12.93 km Ciamin / Roche Citroën C3 Rally2 9:07.4 SS12 Briançonnet – Entrevaux 1 14.31 km Ciamin / Roche Citroën C3 Rally2 12:12.8 SS13 Puget-Théniers – La Penne 2 12.93 km Rossel / Fulcrand Citroën C3 Rally2 8:53.5 SS14 nowrap Briançonnet – Entrevaux 2 [Power Stage]| align="center" | 14.31 km| Ciamin / Roche| Citroën C3 Rally2| align="center" | 11:31.5|-|} Championship standings Drivers' championships Co-drivers' championships Move Driver Points Move Co-driver Points 1 Yohan Rossel 28 Benoît Fulcrand 28 2 Yoann Bonato 22 Benjamin Boulloud 22 3 Nicolas Ciamin 20 Yannick Roche 20 4 Hermann Neubauer 14 Bernhard Ettel 14 5 Cédric De Cecco 11 Jérôme Humblet 11 External links 2021 Monte Carlo Rally at eWRC-results.com The official website of the World Rally Championship

Notes and References

1. Web site: Itinerary. acm.mc. Automobile Club de Monaco. 13 December 2020. 16 December 2020.
2. Web site: Croatia and Estonia named in 2021 WRC calendar. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 9 October 2020. 9 October 2020.
3. News: Neuville seals revenge win in Monte-Carlo. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 26 January 2020. 27 January 2020.
4. News: WRC 2 in Monte: Østberg takes top spot. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 26 January 2020. 27 January 2020.
5. News: Ogier claims record eighth Monte-Carlo victory. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 January 2021. 25 January 2021.
6. News: WRC2: Mikkelsen's dream start in Monte-Carlo. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 January 2021. 25 January 2021.
7. News: WRC3: Rossel clinches maiden victory in Monte. wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 24 January 2021. 25 January 2021.
8. News: 89e Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo Entry List. acm.mc. Automobile Club de Monaco. 20 January 2021. 24 January 2021.
9. News: FIA "quite confident" 2021 WRC opener in Monte Carlo will go ahead. Jason. Craig. autosport.com. Motorsport Network. 24 December 2020. 26 December 2020.