Solberg: Youngest Monte Carlo Rally Winner – Historic Win!

Snow and ice bring unexpected twists

The Monte Carlo Rally traditionally introduces the new WRC season, this year it took place from January 22 to 25.

This race is known as both the most unpredictable and prestigious race on the WRC calendar, as well as an all-season race, as snow and ice can also surprise drivers in the Alps. And this year, snow and ice combined with asphalt tires made the Monte Carlo rally especially difficult.

For example, in the fastest “Rally1” class, four of the 12 crews did not reach the finish line at all. Finland’s Sami Pajari (“Toyota Gazoo Racing”) crashed twice, on Sunday the Belgian Gregoire Munster (“M-Sport Ford”) had to stop the race due to technical problems, Irishman Josh McLean (“M-Sport Ford”) hit the barriers in the penultimate stage of the rally, and the accident in the penultimate stage spoiled John Armstrong’s (“M-Sport Ford”) debut at the highest level of the WRC.

It should be noted that all the crews entered in the “Rally1” class of the “M-Sport Ford” team did not finish, thus ending the team’s impressive scoring streak in the manufacturer’s standings, which had lasted since the 2002 Monte Carlo Rally.

Snow and ice repeatedly forced the crews to drive at a very cautious pace,

Therefore, it is significant that Mateo Fontana’s crew (“Ford Fiesta Rally3”) showed the fastest time in the 14th and 15th stages of the rally on Sunday morning, and it was the first time that a third class or “Rally3” car won a WRC stage.

Highlights of the final day of the Monte Carlo Rally

The rally winner is also wrong

In some places, the particularly slippery track forced several drivers to make mistakes. Including Solberg, the final winner of the race, however, neither sliding off the track on Saturday nor twisting on Sunday prevented him from winning. Solberg already led the rally on Thursday and his ability to balance speed and caution allowed him to celebrate victory.

The winner of the rally was also not without problems

“At the moment, I still can’t grasp it. This is another emotional day. This was the most difficult rally in my life. The first time on the asphalt with this car, and here we are – we have won. Thank you, Toyota team, for your trust and teamwork,” Solberg said to the organizers of the championship after the success.

Competitors cannot find an answer to either Solberg’s speed or Toyota’s technology

After a solid ride, his teammate, Welshman Elfin Evans, finished 51.8 seconds behind Solberg in the overall rally standings. On the other hand, the nine-time world champion and the Frenchman Sebastien Ogier (“Toyota Gazoo Racing”), who has won ten times on the Alpine roads, who is considered the master of the Monte Carlo rally, ranked 3rd, stating that he could not find an answer to the pace demonstrated by his teammates.

The main competitor of “Toyota” in the manufacturer’s standings – the Korean team “Hyundai Shell Mobis” – was also unable to show an equivalent speed. The basic pilots of the “Hyundai” team – the Frenchman Adrian Forma and the Belgian Thierry Neville – had both technical problems and mistakes by the drivers themselves. They ranked 4th and 5th respectively.

Meanwhile, the misfortunes of the drivers of the “Rally1” class allowed several drivers of the “Rally2” class to squeeze into the top ten, of which the best result – 6th place in the overall standings and the victory in the class – went to the Frenchman Leo Rosel (“Citroën C3 Rally2”).

2026 Monte Carlo WRC standings

Solberg becomes the youngest Monte Carlo winner in history

The 24-year-old Solbergs, who once started his career in Latvia and became the Latvian champion, is playing his first full season in the highest category of the WRC. Although Solberg has competed at this level before, his breakout moment could be called last year’s Estonian WRC stage, when he had the opportunity to return to the most prestigious class for one race after missing a couple of years – Solberg made the most of this opportunity, winning.

Well, Solberg achieved his second success in the WRC, and he also became the youngest winner in the history of the Monte Carlo Rally – Solberg did it at the age of 24, the previous record was held by Ogier, who won there in 2009 at the age of 25.

The World Championship will continue in Sweden, where the only real winter rally on the calendar is scheduled for February 12-15. The Latvian crew Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis will also take part in the start in Sweden, for which, in addition to the race, at least 5 more WRC starts are planned on snowy roads this year.

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