Pablo Sarrazin before the Monte Carlo Rally: "Doing everything to achieve the best possible result"

We are a few days away from your second Monte Carlo Rally: how are you feeling?

I feel great! First of all, I'm very happy to be back at the starting line and I thank everyone who makes it possible. It's an enormous opportunity, it's a rally It's a legendary rally that every driver dreams of doing, so I'm very happy about it. We worked hard with Yannick Roche, my co-driver, and the whole team to prepare for this rally as best as possible. I'm more than motivated and I'm going to do my utmost to continue my progress.

What was your testing program on the sidelines of Monte Carlo?

We know that the Monte Carlo Rally is a very tricky event, where weather conditions can change drastically in a matter of seconds. Between snow, ice, rain, mud, and dry conditions, you can encounter anything. Therefore, we tried to find a balanced mix of all these conditions during our testing. We completed two full days, we worked well, and I think we're ready.

Is it reassuring to participate with the same car as last year, the Citroën C3 Rally2, rather than discovering a new car at this event?

Of course, that's reassuring! I now have some experience with the C3 Rally2, thanks to my WRC2 program last year and the French Rally Championship. Monte Carlo is so demanding and difficult that returning with the same car a year later provides a very useful and reassuring level of confidence. We have a good foundation on this terrain following our participation last year; it's up to us to build on that.

Seven French drivers will be competing in WRC2. We imagine your goal will be to be the "best of the rest" behind Yohan Rossel!

Of course! At least, we'll obviously be trying to gauge ourselves against Yohan's performance. He's the benchmark in the category, and the benchmark at Monte Carlo as well, so it will be natural to compare our times per kilometer with him. However, the WRC2 field, and especially the French drivers, is very strong. With Eric Camilli and Léo Rossel, not to mention all the others, there will be some excellent tarmac drivers, and I fully intend to be in the thick of the battle with them. In any case, it's great to see so many French drivers competing in this Monte Carlo Rally in the highly competitive WRC2 category.

Will your 2026 program be more focused on the World Cup or on France?

More towards WRC2. Our aim is to focus more on the World Championship, prioritizing quality over quantity to continue our progress. We believe that by enjoying the car and progressing step by step, performance will come naturally, and that's what I'm aiming for. Returning to some WRC2 events will also be positive: we know that in the World Championship, it takes at least two years to properly learn the terrain. We'll still be in that phase, but it will be interesting to return to those events. Now we just need to decide which car I'll be driving.

In this context, what goals have you set for yourself for the season?

As mentioned earlier, the goal is to progress and enjoy ourselves. If we can focus on these two aspects, there's no reason why the results shouldn't follow. That's really our approach this season.

ALSO READ > Special stages, schedules, entries: The complete guide to Monte Carlo 2026