Monza Rally 2021
08h
Ranking of the special:
08h
There will have been no observation round in this final of the 2021 World Rally Championship (WRC). On a mountainous and asphalt special in the foothills of Lombardy, Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia (Toyota) hit hard .
The French, vying for an eighth title, distanced themselves from the competition in style. The only rivals for the crown, Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin (Toyota, 2nd), are 3″6 behind! Tarmac specialist, Dani Sordo (Hyundai) concedes more than 6″. The rookies at the wheel of a Rally1 at Monza Oliver Solberg (Hyundai) and Adrien Fourmaux (Ford) did well, with the 5th and 6th times, more than 11″ behind.
Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota), although the fastest of the shakedown, is absent from the top of the table. The Finn follows a team directive not to over-attack in order to secure the Constructors' title.
Ranking of the upcoming special
08h
Oliver Solberg returns to the wheel of the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC at Monza. Petter Solberg's son is also discovering the event with a Rally1 and benefits from the notes of a new co-driver, Elliott Edmonson (4th in 2021).
He finished with the 6th time, 11″ behind Ogier. “I didn't take any risks, it was more slippery than I expected. With Elliott, things are going well, he is doing an excellent job. »
08h
In the third Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, we do not find Ott Tänak, absent for family reasons, but Teemu Suninen. The Finn, fired by M-Sport Ford earlier in the year and picked up by Hyundai Motorsport in WRC2, gets a big jump out of the gate.
He finished the special 22″2 behind Ogier. “I was a little too careful in some parts. »
07h
Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria (Ford) chose to run with four soft tires. The French discovered this event with a Rally1 and finished this SS1 with a significant delay of 11″3.
“Honestly, I don’t think I made a good choice of tires. The car was rocking quite a bit. It was difficult to keep the car stable, I lost time because I had to have a very smooth driving style. »
07h
Gus Greensmith (M-Sport Ford) is experiencing a special rally. The Englishman signed his contract extension last night in the service park and will be the second driver of the English team aboard the new Ford Puma hybrid. The blond guy has also changed co-pilot, and listens to the notes of the Swede Jonas Andersson.
He sets the 5th time, 13″7 behind Ogier. “There are a lot of dead leaves, I went slowly like a grandmother on certain turns. »
07h
The tarmac expert, Dani Sordo (Hyundai), comes away with the 3rd provisional time, 6″ behind Sébastien Ogier. “It’s quite complicated. Toyotas go so fast…”
07h
Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) doesn't push the envelope too far either. The Japanese finished 16″ slower. “In some places, the road is greasy. The grip level is irregular. The next special will have similar conditions. »
07h
Rovanperä drops 17″5, an unusual delay for the young 21-year-old Finn, author of the best time in the shakedown last night: “My goal is to finish the rally. I have no reason to attack too much. »
07h
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) finished with a significant delay: 8″2! “It lacks a bit of grip,” said the Belgian to his co-driver Martin Wydaeghe.
Neuville: “Maybe the dead leaves on the road make the grip more slippery, I don’t know. »
07h
The drivers took five hard Pirelli tires and four soft compounds for this first loop. Only Thierry Neuville reversed this selection.
07h
Elfyn Evans concedes from the start 3″6 on the Frenchman! This is not the start to the rally hoped for for the Welshman who must at all costs finish ahead of Sébastien Ogier to obtain the title.
Evans: “I'm surprised to lose so much time because the sensations weren't that bad. »
07h
The drivers start in the order of the general classification. So it’s Sébastien Ogier who gets the ball rolling.
Ogier declared at the finish: “There is a bit of fog at the end and humidity. But nothing too worrying. »
07h
If the course largely resembles the previous edition, which had already played the role of final, the situation is however opposite to 2020 since Ogier-Ingrassia have 17 points in advance where they were 14 behind the last year. Ogier-Ingrassia present themselves in Italy with all the more chance of obtaining their 8e sacred. To do this, the easiest solution will be to get ahead of their teammates.
Other options include aiming to finish on the podium or scoring 13 points more than their rivals. For the latter, the mission is simple to state, but complicated to complete, since they will have to score 18 more units than the Tricolores. In the event of a tie between the two opponents, the title will be awarded to the one who has won the most victories and Ogier would win with his 4 successes against 2 for Evans before this round.
07h
Here is the program for this first stage:
SS1: Gerosa 1 (10,96 km) at 7:31 a.m.
SS2: Costa Valle Imagna 1 (22,11 km) at 8:16 a.m.
SS3: Gerosa 2 (10,96 km) at 10:20 a.m.
SS4: Costa Valle Imagna 2 (22,11km) at 11:08 a.m.
SS5: Cinturato 1 (14,49 km) at 13:45 p.m.
SS6: Cinturato 2 (14,49 km) at 15:55 p.m.
SS7: Grand Prix 1 (10,29 km) at 18:27 p.m.
07h
Well, all of your WRC love! If the Italian lesson ends there, we welcome all WRC enthusiasts to follow the grand finale of the 2021 season at Monza.
The 2021 World Rally Championship (WRC) campaign concludes on the famous Italian circuit. This Friday, November 19, seven special stages are planned from 7:31 a.m. and will all be followed on this page with live commentary.
The main interest of this meeting will be to discover the identity of the world champions. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia (Toyota) lead the general classification with 17 points ahead of their teammates Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin. The French have their destiny in their hands to obtain an eighth title.
