Monte-Carlo Rally 2024: Who are the favourites?
©WRC
Sébastien Ogier, Ott Tänak, Thierry Neuville, Elfyn Evans.. With eight-time winner Sébastien Loeb and two-time reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä both absent, the four favourites for this 92nd edition should make it an exciting Toyota vs Hyundai duel.
Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT)
He only has one goal in mind: to become the first ever driver to win a tenth title in the Principality.
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The eight-time world rally champion totally dominated the last edition of the event with nine fastest times over the eighteen stages, and he is determined to lift the trophy, as he did on nine previous occasions.
Some purists will say that one of his victories doesn’t quite count, because in 2009 the Monte-Carlo Rally was part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and not the WRC calendar, and that Sébastien Ogier and Sébastien Loeb share the same number of wins – eight.
If he wins this year, the driver from Gap would break the theoretical tie. On roads he knows like the back of his hand and at the wheel of a Toyota that continues to perform as well as ever and is the reigning world champion – also driven by the young and talented Kalle Rovanperä – Sébastien Ogier holds all the cards to claim his 59th WRC victory.
Ott Tänak (Hyundai Shell Mobis)
Back at Hyundai just a year after leaving for Ford, the Estonian is coming into the 2024 season with lofty ambitions, at the wheel of a car that helped him finish runner-up in the World Championship in 2022.
“There’s a lot of know-how here, with people who all know what they need to do and how to be better,” he said, convinced of his team’s potential. “If you know where you can make improvements, there are no limits. People know what to do, they just need time to get there.”
Fifth at the last Monte-Carlo Rally after three consecutive drop-outs, Ott Tänak will be keen to do well at the first event of the season, to celebrate his return to Hyundai and prove that he is one of the major challengers for the world crown this season.
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Shell Mobis)
Thierry Neuville remains the lead driver at Hyundai. But with Ott Tänak back, the Belgian knows he’s under pressure.
At the end of a frustrating 2023 season where he once again missed out on the title, finishing third, the five-time world vice-champion and eternal runner-up, now aged 35, has a unique opportunity this year to finally be rewarded for all his efforts.
With Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier both competing part-time this year, Thierry Neuville, like Elfyn Evans and Ott Tänak, is one of the favourites for the title of world champion at the end of the season.
Suffice to say that a strong performance on this 92nd Monte-Carlo Rally could get his season off to a great start and boost his confidence.
Elfyn Evans (Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT)
He is certainly the biggest favourite for the win in Monaco, after Sébastien Ogier,. But also the best placed to take advantage of the partial absence of former champions to win the title this year.
So, to get things off with a bang, and state his intentions, the Welshman is coming to Monte-Carlo hungry for victory. Hungry enough to take a bite at Sébastien Ogier?
Fourth last year, Elfyn Evans finished over a minute behind the untouchable Ogier. But the reigning vice world champion, with three victories including the final rally of last season in Japan, has filled his tank to the brim with confidence.
At 34, the Cardiff native knows he’s in the crosshairs, but seems to have gained maturity, consistency and speed, an explosive cocktail that could light up each round of the championship.
