Rally Monte‑Carlo, from 22-25 January, delivered a spectacular and unpredictable start to the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, as treacherous ice and deep snow turned the iconic event into one of the most challenging editions in recent memory.
The rally week began on Wednesday with shakedown, where Takamoto Katsuta set the benchmark time of 2:31.8.
Thursday
Following the traditional Monaco start ceremony, the opening stages took place under the cover of darkness. Stage 3 was cancelled due to thick fog and smoke drifting across the road from spectator flares, but not before Oliver Solberg stamped his authority on the rally. Fastest across the opening stages, he climbed straight to the top of the overall classification.
Friday
Friday featured six demanding stages run twice, Laborel/Chavaux‑Laux‑Montaux, Saint‑Nazaire‑le‑Désert/ La Motte‑Chalancon and La-Bâtie-des-Fontes / Aspremont.
The day quickly turned chaotic:
- Solberg, Grégoire Munster and Katsuta all suffered punctures on SS5.
- In SS7, Katsuta lost power steering and was forced to wrestle the car through the entire afternoon loop, while Adrien Fourmaux battled electrical gremlins and spun.
- Thierry Neuville slid into a ditch on SS9, losing three minutes before spectators hauled him back onto the road.
SS9 was later cancelled altogether due to safety concerns.
Saturday
Saturday featured four stages: La Bréole/Bellaffaire (twice), Vaumeilh/Claret and the Monaco Circuit.
SS12 was the standout moment of the rally. Solberg ran wide and briefly left the road, yet somehow recovered instantly and still won the stage. Others were not so fortunate: Sami Pajari was dragged into deep snow and struck a tree, forcing retirement. Hayden Paddon also went off and required spectator assistance after waiting for Neuville to pass. Neuville also spun.
The Monaco Super Special was held in heavy rain, turning the asphalt into a skating rink and adding yet another layer of difficulty. Solberg ended the day still in control, with Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier behind him.
Super Sunday
Sunday’s four stages, each run twice, took crews over Col de Braus/La Cabanette and La Bollène‑Vésubie/Moulinet.
The leaderboard became unusually mixed with Rally2 and even Rally3 breaking into the top five.
It was a tough day for the M-Sport team. Munster failed to start due to a technical issue on the road section. Josh McErlean slid on slush and struck the armco on SS16, damaging the front‑left suspension beyond repair. Jon Armstrong crashed just 700 metres into SS16. Despite their best efforts to repair the car roadside, he exceeded the permitted time limit, ending M‑Sport’s extraordinary 24‑year, 321‑event scoring streak.
Solberg Claimed a Landmark Victory After leading from SS2 to the finish, with a total time of 4:24:59.0, taking six stage victories along the way. Toyota completed a dominant lockout of the podium, with Evans finishing +51.8s behind and Ogier securing third.
Super Sunday Results
- 1. Rossel
- 2. Evans
- 3. Fourmaux
- 4. Fontana
- 5. Solberg
Power Stage Result
- 1. Evans – 20:06.7
- 2. Solberg – +6.5
- 3. Ogier – +17.3
- 4. Fourmaux – +18.1
- 5. Rossel – +20.4