Our team aims for a strong start to the season
Rallye Monte-Carlo will kick off the 2021 WRC season and our team aims to defend our win in the Principality.
“It is the eve of our eighth season at the pinnacle of rallying and we are ready to do battle once more,” said our Team Principal Andrea. “We have all worked hard to ensure the momentum we gathered in the second half of 2020 extends into a new season. It will be another intense competition, so we have to be on top form from the start.”
The full Monte
Rallye Monte-Carlo has had a small makeover for its 2021 edition but remains one of the most demanding rallies on the WRC calendar. Three days of action are scheduled in France before crews move south to Monaco for the final day.
We will have to grapple with a new-look itinerary, a brand-new tyre supplier, and changing weather conditions; our crews must be prepared to face ice, snow and tarmac at any point in the stage.
Our trio of crews in the i20 Coupe WRC, Ott/Martin, Thierry/Martijn and Dani/Carlos, will be aiming to get our championship ambitions off to the best start with a challenge for victory.
Drivers’ eye view of the weekend
“Monte is always a challenge, perhaps the biggest of the season,” admitted our Estonian driver, Ott. “The weather is always changeable so it’s a place where you can expect to see everything at the same time, as it was in our first rally of 2020.”
Thierry emerged victorious – our first at Monte-Carlo – at the event twelve months ago. This time, he will have a new co-driver in Martijn alongside him as he aims to repeat the feat. “The last two editions were great for the team, missing out on the win by two seconds in 2019 and then scoring our first victory in 2020,” he said. “It will be my first event with Martijn as my co-driver and we are working hard to get ready although it is set to be a very challenging event for both of us.”
Two-time Sardinia winners Dani/Carlos will make their final outing as a crew in Monte-Carlo. “This is my final rally with Carlos, and we want to go out on a high,” Dani commented. “In Monte-Carlo it is always important to make wise tyre choices, and to have really good information from the gravel and weather crews.”
