Thierry Neuville Wins Rallye Monte Carlo, WRC 2024

Rallye Monte-Carlo is the WRC’s jewel in the crown and the oldest event in the calendar. First run in 1911, it was designed to promote Monte...

Rallye Monte-Carlo is the WRC’s jewel in the crown and the oldest event in the calendar.

First run in 1911, it was designed to promote Monte-Carlo as a tourist destination, with competitors starting from different European cities before gathering in Monaco.

Thierry Neuville celebrated his 20th world rally win at Rallye Monte-Carlo on Sunday afternoon, banking a perfect score of 30 points alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe. The Hyundai i20 N star opened his 2024 FIA World Rally Championship title bid with a sublime performance in the French Alps, mastering the ice-patched mountain roads to lead Toyota Gazoo Racing rival Sébastien Ogier by a decent margin of 16.1seconds.

Neuville overcame his early engine issues before launching an attack on Saturday, overtaking both Ogier and his GR Yaris team-mate Elfyn Evans to storm into the lead with a slender 3.3sec advantage. A clean sweep of fastest times in Sunday’s final leg cemented his position ahead of the nine-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner.

Sebastien Ogier and his co-driver Vincent Landais took the second spot with their outing in the Toyota Yaris WRC, while Elfyn Evans and his co-driver Scott Martin finished in the final step on the podium, also in the Toyota Gazoo World Rally Team.

POS	CAR No.	DRIVER	CO-DRIVER	TEAM/CAR	ELIGIBILITY	PENALTIES	TOTAL TIME	DIFF 1st	DIFF PREV
1	#11	Thierry Neuville	Martijn Wydaeghe	i20 N Rally1 HYBRID	M	-	3:09:31	-	-
2	#17	Sébastien Ogier	Vincent Landais	GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID	M	-	3:09:47	16.1	16.1
3	#33	Elfyn Evans	Scott Martin	GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID	M	-	3:10:16	45.2	29.1

Although it is, essentially, an asphalt event, unpredictable mountain weather brings varied conditions. Competitors must expect snow, ice and dry asphalt – sometimes encountering all of these conditions within the very same stage!

Crews had to balance the need for grip in winter weather with that required for dry asphalt. Shrewd tyre selection providing the best compromise for frequently changing conditions is key - and that's where the ability to ‘read’ conditions pays dividends.

A brief history of Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Rallye Monte-Carlo is the WRC’s jewel in the crown and the oldest in the calendar.

First run in 1911, it was designed to promote Monte-Carlo as a tourist destination, with competitors starting from different European cities before gathering in Monaco.

The 1966 rally became famed for its controversial outcome when giant-killing Mini Coopers claimed the top three places before being disqualified for alleged infringements of headlight regulations.

Sébastien Ogier’s 2019 victory was the closest in the rally’s history. The Frenchman won his sixth consecutive Monte by 2.2sec after a thrilling closing stage.