Canary Islands Rally: Why are Grégoire Munster and Maxime Andernack not in car 0 after all?

The publication of the list of participants of the Rally The Canary Islands Rally, the fifth round of the World Rally Championship, a few weeks ago, saw the appearance of Grégoire Munster and Maxime Andernack in a Hyundai The i20N Rally2, bearing the number 0, would have marked the "return" to the World Rally Championship for the Belgian driver competing under a Luxembourg license after his participation in the 2026 Monte Carlo Rally in Jourdan Serderídis' Ford Puma Rally1. However, it is ultimately Alfonso Vieira, three-time Canary Islands Champion, and David Rivero who have been driving this number 0 car since last night. The reason is simple: due to the potential contractual relationship between Hyundai and Munster—the latter having notably tested the i20N Rally1 cars before the Swedish Rally—the FIA ​​ultimately decided against allowing Bernard's son and his co-driver to compete in this role at the Canary Islands Rally.

A potential contractual relationship between Grégoire Munster and Hyundai is in question.

No later than ninety minutes before the first car enters the special stage, the pace notes for the crews have the opportunity to correct the pace notes taken during the reconnaissance runs. The aim, of course, is to optimize the competitors' performance with the most up-to-date information possible, which is particularly useful on stages with high road surface degradation or in changing weather conditions. If the car initially intended for this purpose had been entered by the BMA family team, from the FIA's perspective, the corrections that Grégoire Munster and Maxime Andernack could have submitted would have been even more precise than those of the pace notes, something the governing body of international motorsport did not allow. Grégoire Munster will, however, have another chance soon, as he will be participating in the Bernard Degroote Monteberg Rally and the Ypres Rally in a Hyundai i20N Rally2 prepared by BMA.

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