91. Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo 2023
19. 1. – 22. 1. 2023, Monaco • Automobile Club de Monaco • asphalt - snow 325.02 km • total distance including road sections - 1534.79 km • Other years
Info
SS18
"It's huge. I love this rally, it's the one which gave me the dream right at the beginning and I am so happy for Vincent: for me it's nice, but for him it's a dream to take his first win. We still need to enjoy these moments and that's why we are still here [in the WRC], to catch some victories like this. To win a famous one like Monte has no price."
"It was a good one. I think we can be quite happy with second place. There was much more cleaning than I expected on Thursday and Friday, and it seems when we were in the same conditions as everyone we had the same pace as everyone else."
"I gave it everything in there but we had so much tyre wear compared to the other all weekend and we are missing speed. Even if we are taking risks at some points, we can't match the others. We had to be sensible this weekend - we kept the car on the road and brought it back. Now we're looking forward to Sweden."
"I didn't have the best feeling. The tyres were moving quite early on, but other than that it was quite okay. It's been a pretty good weekend in terms of pace. Obviously the disappointment on Friday put us out of contention for the podium, but that's rallying and that's how it goes."
"It's the first stage I have tried to drive fast! We were very stupid on the previous one and we had to push on this one. I wouldn't say it was a great stage, we had a lot of understeer so I struggled with that, but we are here. It's a long season but it's a positive start - at least we have scored some points already not like the previous three years."
"I have no idea. After a tight corner something broke straight away, like the car was washing out into the mountain. We were very lucky it was not in a fast section. After that we hit the rear and we were able to continue but we couldn't open the throttle because there was something wrong with the car.""
damaged suspension
"We had a lot of problems with the hybrid but I am sure the guys did everything they could to give me the best car. I am disappointed to have these small problems but I am sure they will find something and it will not happen again."
"At least we did all the mileage and we understood a lot about this car, which is very important for Croatia. I am quite disappointed with my performance but the only way is to improve and try to be better on the next one."
"I must say this was probably the most easy one - a pure dry asphalt rally, but I liked it very much."
"The last stage was so difficult. The front tyres were completely dead and I understeered a lot, but I just tried to keep it on the line."
"I pushed to the limit all weekend. The car is not easy to drive but I am here and if I finish second it's not bad for the championship. We didn't make any mistakes all weekend and I drove a bit cautiously when the puncture risk was high. We will see."
"I am very happy with what we've done but a bit disappointed because we had some fuel pump problems on Saturday and Sunday, so we had to put a bit more weight in the car. Let's try to do another rally like that."
"It was amazing. I need to say thank you to my team because they prepared the car and it was so incredible. The weekend was perfect and we did a really nice job."
SS17
"Of course, for me, only the win matters. The Power Stage is not important but I will still try to catch some points for the team because every point is counting at the end of the year."
"We are also saving the tyres quite a lot and we should have quite a good package for the Power Stage."
"We are just managing the tyres and trying to get through to keep some good tyres for the Power Stage. We'll see if we can get some extra points."
"It's been really close among the frontrunners so we have to see what's possible. It's really hard on the tyres in here even though we were careful."
"It's all up to us now."
"I just wanted to feel how the car is working and it's obviously better than this morning. I will try to do maximum push in the next one - I don't know how much I can do but I'll try."
"I tried but it's difficult with the [hybrid] problems. I really enjoyed this stage even without the extra power, it's so nice."
"I feel a bit better now. We need to manage the tyres but I think we did a good stage. It seems it's just not my weekend."
"It was great. I did some mistakes in the first hairpins but I was starting to understand. It's nearly the end of the rally but we are still improving."
Mechanical on road section
SS16
"I can not push and I had some big moments. I have to understand something and try to improve for the second pass."
Puncture
"I am pushing. The feeling is not bad but I think it's very hard for the tyres in this stage. We will see on the next one - I think Gryazin has just five tyres and I have six."
"For sure there is some pressure but we are just managing it. It's difficult, I think the French guys know the roads better but I am trying to drive to the pace notes. Of course, yesterday's puncture is not helping me."
"So far, so good. Incredible tyre wear already this morning so in there we tried to drive clean and save the tyres."
"It's definitely a big difference when the road is clean from the salt. I think earlier in the rally we were losing a lot more time with cleaning the road. Now it's a lot more fun."
"At the tight hairpin it was as if something had broken for a split-second. I came off the throttle and it spun completely around - it took me completely by surprise and I had to stop and reverse. I took it a bit easy then for the rest of the way up."
"It was okay, a clean and smooth stage for us. I think Elfyn is already managing his tyres but we had a clean run through with no sliding at all."
"At the tight hairpin it was as if something had broken for a split-second. I came off the throttle and it spun completely around - it took me completely by surprise and I had to stop and reverse. I took it a bit easy then for the rest of the way up."
"It's difficult to say at the moment but we will try for sure. It's quite hard for the tyres so [the power stage] will be challenging for sure."
reversed in hairpin
"It's so slippy, I don't know why. Even more slippy than Thursday night. It was enjoyable but quite scary."
"The hybrid is not working and it's all uphill, so you can imagine what it's like with 100 horsepower less. We need to finish like this and then that's it."
"We needed to save the tyres. It's interesting why I don't feel so good today. We made some changes but it shouldn't be that big [of a difference]. We need to analyse it."
"One minute better than Thursday! I was starting to lose the tyres and with the salt the grip is a little bit less, but it's still enjoyable."
"We did a much better time [than on Thursday night] so let's see what we can do for the Power Stage. My engineer found this issue with the handbrake, so good job to him."
SS15
"The feeling is okay. I am trying to manage my tyres a bit and let's see what we can do in the next three stages."
"Yesterday night it looked like people were in doubt, but so far I am controlling my risks. It's very precise driving required between the monutains and stones, but at least no cuts where there is a risk of punctures."
"I am not fully happy. I did this stage last year and I was not on the pace, so for sure it was not easy now to step up. It's going to be a long day for the tyres as well. I just tried to keep a good and safe pace."
"We had a spin on the first corner and something is wrong with the hybrid. There's a confusion on the maps."
"I'm focusing on my own performance really. We're just trying to do what we can and we'll see what happens."
"I am just getting through at the moment. It's very tough for the tyres."
"It was not my fault. They need to check the cameras because it was not my fault. I did not know what time I needed to go."
"I have no confidence, I don't know why. I can't push like yesterday, it's just not possible."
"In the uphill there are a lot of hairpins with maximum power, and the downhill is a little bit like yesterday morning. Very dry, no cuts, no pollution - just enjoy!"
"We drove very slowly to keep the tyres for the power stage. We don't have any handbrake but we will try to do our best. I think we will have to reverse in the Turini at least one time for sure."
SS14
Stopped
"I am sorry for him. We will see tomorrow, but at the moment he is faster than me. The plan is to do no mistakes, continue to keep the pressure and we will see. Tomorrow is a long day and I know the roads very well."
"I had a front puncture... I think we had it for seven or eight kms in the end. I was trying to avoid all the cuts and we still got it. Unbelievable."
"I think it should be enough. It was the most dangerous stage for punctures, so I took it easy and I am happy this stage is over now."
"I struggled in some of the fast sections - but I couldn't do much more in there."
Puncture
"I just tried to pass through the stage because all day we have been really bad. There is no point risking anything now in the night."
"It's been rally challenging, especially this night stage. You can not see some of the corners and also you can not see how much gravel is coming on the road. We survived."
"Today has been a good day. We improved the car a lot and it feels better for me now. At least now I am satisified, this is good."
"A lot of people in there! It was nice, very dry like all day. On the fast sections I couldn't see anything and it was even better than in the lights. I am happy!"
SS13
Rolled
Off road
"It was quite dirty now, but all okay. We had a clean drive and a clean stage."
"I am quite close to the limit. When there is more dirt on the road the car is not so easy to drive, but when it's clean I am fine."
"We had a good stage but we had a huge jump and I feel a bit of back pain. We are here and we took a bit of time from Elfyn so it's not too bad. We were a bit on the limit and over the limit a few times."
"It was quite dirty. It's a difficult stage for me - this is the worst stage [for the power steering]. The next one is a bit faster so it should be better."
"I'm not sure if I improved to be honest. There's quite a lot of loose gravel lines and it's difficult to fine the balance with the risk. It's all happening pretty quick."
"I don't know. I can't do better. I tried my best but it's not enough. I have no idea."
"At the end of the stage, maybe three times I was off the line. Not a big moment but I had understeer."
"It's completely different to the first pass. Much more difficult from my point of view. There will be things happening in there - it's very dirty."
SS12
"The strategy doesn't change for me at the moment. I try to be as clean as I can."
"I had a small slide in there..."
"It was okay. We had a good rhythm to be honest but in the fast corners I have no lateral grip and I am just sliding. In the narrow sections we are fine."
"[The power steering issue] seems also a bit temperature-related. When it gets twisty and in the last kilometres it's hard. But in the fast parts and straights it's not so bad."
"Just keep going really. It was very tricky in here with quite a lot of gravel. There was a section in the middle that seemed really low grip and I sort of lost my confidence in the grip for a while."
"Sometimes the hybrid unit is working, sometimes it's not working. It's something really weird. Anyway, we need to get through the day and try to do something tomorrow because today obviously we are not on the pace."
"I am just focusing on my own things. This morning I had no pace, so I need to improve some stuff. In this stage my driving was so bad - I'm really not happy."
"For sure, there are some sharp rocks in the cuts. It must have been there, otherwise I have no idea."
"A little bit more pollution but I think it's enjoyable. We changed the set-up a little bit and it's improving. All good fun."
Puncture
SS11
"Since this morning, the target is to try to stay safe. There is a lot of cuts with a high risk of punctures so I took it easy."
rear left damaged, going slow
"The morning has been fine. On this stage I overheated the tyres too much at the start of the stage and in the beginning it was really slippy."
"The car was bouncing around all the way. Too much movement and no reactivity. I pushed as hard as I could but I am not comfortable."
"It's still here. It's an internal issue but it's consistent. It's a bit hard work but it's driveable."
"It's not too bad. A tricky start obviously with [that section] being new, but all okay."
"I have no hybrid in the car but that's not the problem. My problem is between the steering wheel and the seat! I am struggling a little bit to find the speed in the corners."
"It's tricky and actually quite slippy at the beginning. I was not so confident in this stage so I will try to fix that for the next loop."
"I took it too carefully. It was not as bad as we thought after recce, but let's see how the time is. We made some changes again but maybe we went too far now. At least we found the limits."
SS10
exhaust issue
Puncture
"It's a beautiful stage - for me one of the most beuatiful of the rally. We had fun and there was a good rhythm. I took it a bit less in places where I thought there was a risk of punctures, but all good."
"The beginning was quite good but on the middle section it was already quite dirty from the cuts. Not so easy, I was sliding a bit in places."
"We had a good stage. It was quite tricky and a bit dirty. Not an easy one."
"I I have no power steering. After 3km it started to go and now it's gone."
"I'm trying not to be on the ragged edge, I'm trying to be smooth - it's pretty abrasive. It was a clean run."
"On the first stage I did really bad. In this stage at the beginning I did bad, but at the end I was trying to do well. Sometimes the feeling is good but the times are normally not so good here now. Let's keep trying and bring the car back."
"You never know how much gravel is coming from the inside, so maybe I was a bit cautious at the end. It's enjoyable but it's not so comfortable."
"I think we should have stiffened the car for this stage. It's high grip with a lot of small bumps here and there - at least we know for the next loop. Everything is good, so much better than yesterday."
"The grip is fantastic and the stage is long with a lot of twisty parts at the end. It was nice, really nice."
SS9
"It's good. I like the car today, it feels different and much easier to drive. I don't know if the tyres overheated in the last part because there's less grip. There's still a long way to go but we are trying to enjoy and do our job."
"It was not a good stage for me, I could have done better. It was clean but it was not the driving that I want to do."
"We tried to drive safely. It was definitely not full speed for us at the moment but we want to stay safe."
"It was a bit dirty and I was less quick than I expected to be. I had a couple of small sides. We did some set-up changes overnight and it takes time to get used to it. I lost some time but at the end it was feeling better."
"Let's see we are moving with the car and trying to find a bit more. Hopefully it's coming today a bit more."
"Pretty okay but a pretty tricky stage. The grip is changing a bit, especially here at the end. All okay."
"I am not on the pace. I felt like I was not doing good in the stage so I expected this time."
"I am just trying to do my best today but this one is very cold temperature. My gravel crew did a really good job but the end of the stage is definitely quite slippy, maybe the salt or something. All okay."
"It's definitely feeling better than yesterday. I still don't believe the time is fast enough but we are going in the right direction. For sure the car feels the best it has done so far this weekend."
"It was icy..." Do you think you'll be able to fix it? "No."
"It's totally dry, no pollution. Maximum attack... for the people behind me! It was a good run, no problem."
Hit a bridge, damaged rear right suspension, retired for a day
SS8
"It's quite good to bid for the podium, but I think for the victory it's complicated. For me, my driving is not bad and the car also feels good. We will see tomorrow."
"It's impossible to take this pace during the whole rally. I tried to push hard and I think we are missing something, but now I understand the rhythm that I need to be on this weekend."
"I think the car, the set-up and the pace notes are now working good. It seems that finally everything is coming together in one piece."
"It was a long day, but all okay. We had a lot of fun and that's why we are here."
"If you want to train to do something very hard, you should drive a car with no power steering. It's quite good!"
"It's been very challenging to really figure out what I should do differently to make better times. This stage seems to be better for me in general, but on all the other stages we are losing even more. I need to think again during the night about what we can do with the engineers. Tomorrow is a new day."
"The feeling is not bad but the times are not good. We are losing the same amount of time all the time. The car was too soft in here and we were bottoming out all over the road. I don't have the precision that I really need so I will try to do something different for tomorrow."
"I am very satisfied. Obviously, the risk of punctures was higher in this one so I took it a bit easy. I'm just happy to bring the car home tonight."
"It's been quite a good day and we need to bring this feeling into tomorrow. There is still a long way to go so I need to keep improving and finish the rally."
"The tyre choice was maybe not the smartest and I didn't feel so comfortable. It's been an okay day but obviously there's a lot of disappointment."
"It was another good stage but obviously we can't match the times, I don't know why. I am trying hard and now we have similar tyre choices. I know that we should be up but we are not."
"Quite a Tarmac rally which we don't normally see in Monte. From our side, the car is quite comfortable to drive but it's not, let's say, racey enough."
"It was not a big push, I just tried to make a clean stage. The car was feeling better than this morning also. Let's see how they are coming."
SS7
"It was my mistake, 2x I overspin in a hairpin and can't reverse."
"I like it very much but I think our time is worse than on the first pass, I don't know why. Maybe it's because of the pollution from the cuts. It's still a very nice stage."
"Still one to go. I have to go..."
"Everything is okay now, except the times. I just can't understand because the car feels good and the driving is okay. I am disappointed."
"I don't know... I don't have a bad feeling but honestly I don't know what to say. I don't understand the times because the car feels good."
"It's better with the hybrid for sure. I can focus on driving a bit more cleanly without taking any crazy risks. It was a good stage."
"It's quite wide and high-speed, I really like it because you can take the line how you want."
"Pretty okay to be honest. We're just carrying on, all okay so far."
"I was quite on the maximum to be honest... that's all I can do."
"We just need to be consistent. Generally the performance is missing a bit when it's a bit more pacey."
"It's much easier than the first pass. The line is much cleaner from the salt but for some reason I feel that in this stage it's a bit tricky with the grip in the last section. I was sliding a lot."
SS6
"The pace has been really quick but I'm still feeling a bit rusty. Everything's happening so fast - I'm not quite as sharp as I usually am at the moment. It'll come good."
"I am really happy because I did a really good stage. I was pushing but it was really clean and I kept the tyres for the whole stage."
"I am more comfortable now. Let's try to push again.
"My feeling is good, the same as this morning. Gryazin is so fast. I have just two new tyres on the front. I think it's not bad but I can't do more."
"I think Nikolay is pushing very hard. I tried to push very hard but we are missing something for sure."
"It's a little bit risky, but not really a lot. In some places where you can go off there is a little bit of cautious, but the rhythm is good."
"I improved only a little bit. I was not so confident after the first loop, I don't know why, but the grip was a little bit better."
"It's difficult but we have to manage to finish the stages and not give up. It's not easy."
"The car is feeling better and better all the time."
"I don't understand where I can get the time. For me it was a clean run, but when you see the times of the others they are all faster. I think we had some good tyres now and the car was working well. I am a little bit confused."
no powersteering
"So far the hybrid is working - the guys managed to fix it with the laptop at midday. We have a 30sec lead so we can manage not to take full risks."
"I was more confident with the conditions and I was trying to take some risks. I don't know why but there is some sort of vibration. Apart from this everything is working well."
"Nothing's changed really. I'm obviously disappointed with what happened but we'll keep going. All okay."
"I tried to drive as cleanly as possible and do what I can. It looks like it's not enough but at the moment it's difficult to do much more."
"It feels okay, let's see at the end of this loop. For sure, there was much higher grip and it's not so bad."
"Quite okay but nothing too special. We will try to be a bit better in this loop now and hopefully have some better times."
SS5
Mechanical
"This stage is more difficult with more pollution than the other ones. Okay, it was not so bad and we enjoyed the morning much more than yesterday."
"Under braking,the car wouldn't turn at all. I don't know."
"It's been the same challenges as yesterday. I am a bit too slow everywhere to be honest. We made a big step with the car's suspension and I think we moved in a better direction on this stage, but still I want to make it even better."
"Very bad. I am just really slow in general and we are losing the same [amount of] time all the time. I don't why, maybe there's still not a lot of confidence or something."
no powersteering
Off road
Hit an armco
"Of course I am pushing flat-out to be honest but the feeling is good. Apart from that the car is working well."
"Luckily we found a slow puncture after the last stage so we fitted a new tyre on time. The feeling was very good with the car and everything was working well."
"I have no idea. It was at the top of a very fast place. Just a warning on the dash - that's all I got."
"It was not very fun to be honest. The tyres are really on the edge and they overheated after 2km of the stage. I am just trying to follow the road and manage the braking points but it's not so much fun."
"No issues, I am just struggling quite a bit. It's tricky."
"It was the first real braking section of the stage. I had less grip than I expected and I just ran a bit wide. It was quite a tricky loop and I think the tyre choice was not perfect."
Puncture
SS4
"Better, but the tyre is still too soft for this kind of stage. It's cold outside but when you have twisty roads like this they start to overheat. Okay, it's adaptation."
Lost wheel
Off road
Off road
"We are just trying to get through the morning with these super soft tyres."
"The feeling is not bad. The car is better now - it's much easier to take pleasure on this stage."
"I think this one was quite okay in terms of rhythm. I tried to do well but the time is not there."
"Better, but the tyre is still too soft for this kind of stage. It's cold outside but when you have twisty roads like this they start to overheat. Okay, it's adaptation."
"I like it from the recce and this is my best stage so far. The road is very clean, no cuts, it's perfect. I am happy."
"Not an easy one. We had a puncture alarm on the dashboard so I backed off, but I think it was an okay stage."
"For sure there is some dirt coming from the cars, but it's not really damp."
"I am not fast enough. The car was floating a little bit and at the end of the stage we lost the grip because the tyres were too hot."
"Not so good. We have an issue and we are driving flat-out to try and compensate for it. No hybrid."
"I feel good with the car. After the middle of the stage we started to get some mist on the windscreen so I was maybe not fully focused."
"Séb's going well at the minute. Everything is working okay for us and we're trying not to do anything crazy, so let's see. There's a long way to go."
"We still have a bit of work left, however I felt a bit more comfortabe in this one. It's a bit more technical but as soon as it's fast and bumpy the car is a bit nervous. We could go faster but the risk would be too high at the moment."
"We are trying to learn and see how the car reacts to the changes. Step by step, there is still quite a bit to do."
"Pretty okay. At the beginning I didn't have so much grip - I think there was salt on the road or something. The rest of it was quite okay."
SS3
Mechanical
"I was probably too careful on the fast sections because I don't know what to expect - it's a new car for me. The feeling is good and the smile is on, let's keep it up that way."
"That's really good. Yesterday I was so rusty - I'd not been in a rally car since I rolled off a cliff in Greece! I think we're doing really well."
"It was okay, actually. I pushed very hard on this one but the time is not coming. It's really frustrating but it's like that."
"I think our tyre choice was not correct with soft tyres. We just need to keep going."
"I pushed very well and the car is not bad, but it's not perfect."
"It was a clean run but it's tricky to find the grip and the confidence. You see some snow on the side of the road and you are a bit surprised sometimes. It's a long rally."
"I am not sure if the tyre choice was good for this stage. We went with the soft tyres and they overheated. Okay, we need to thing about the rally and not about each stage."
"Better with the light! It was more at my level. There is some snow in some corners but nothing bad. From my point-of-view the grip is top."
"I feel good. The car was working very well but we had a bit of understeer unfortunately, which is not so good for the front tyres. We did a good stage."
"I didn't figure out during the night why I am braking so much all the time. We need to work on that."
"It was okay. I had a bit of movement because we have super soft tyres on one side of the car. It was a nice stage - really fast at the end."
"The truth is we don't have so many soft tyres for the rally, so you can not take too many. At the end we do not need to carry one more."
"It's okay. I was too careful in the damp sections because I thought there would be ice, but there was no ice."
"I don't remember what tyres they fitted at the service! It feels okay..."
"I was struggling a bit with the turn in and the movement of the car. I took it easy in the fast section because I didn't want to get any surprises, but other than that it was a clean run."
"A clean run. It's all we could for the moment and we are trying to keep the good performance. So far so good."
"Pretty clear conditions, nothing special to be honest. We took a bit of a different tyre plan than the others. Let's see how it works on this loop."
SS2
"I went straight on the black ice. I could not reverse so I lost around one-minute there. But we are still here!"
Hit a bank
Puncture
"I think I was too careful in the difficult part. It's like that. We keep our minds on what we have to do and let's continue. It's not too bad, after two stages in the dark, to be at the end tonight."
"There was some ice and I didn't know where it was. I was driving at walking speed throughout this section. I am not really happy at the moment but when the grip is fine I can push, it's not a problem."
"The middle part was very tricky. We had information it was slippery at one point and we slowed down a lot. We will see tomorrow."
"It's a good start. Not easy - there was almost nothing apart one corner with some black ice. At least for once we are not first on the road and we can use it to our advantage."
"We couldn't do any hairpins." [Handbrake issue]
"It's been pretty okay. In here it could have been better but it's so difficut. I didn't go as well as I'd have liked but it was all okay."
"I don't know what happened to be honest. There was zero grip and I was not the first one to go wide there for sure. I could see the lines but I was already too late. I lost probably seven or eight seconds because the car stalled."
"It's the same. We will go back to service now to fix it properly. It's been a big challenge."
"I managed the tyres a bit better at the beginning of the stage. Tricky conditions with some ice patches, but the main thing is that we are here."
SS1
"I tried to manage the tyres - we are on softs and even they were too soft. I think this weekend is going to be tricky for tyre management."
"It's good. The pace notes feel quite good but I made a lot of mistakes because the front tyres immediately overheated. I am quite surprised at the time because I was understeering so much."
"I think I am just an amateur! I lost five seconds, I think. It's not too important."
"Difficult. I was having some problems with my visibility. It's not a perfect start but it was not bad."
"It was okay. For my first time in Turini at night, not so bad. We want to be at the end of tonight and this was a good first stage, not so far back from the other guys. Let's continue."
"All good. There are many corners which I don't remember and I feel stupid when I arrive on the apex. I should have been much faster. I know how to improve the times quite quickly, but especially in the dark it's not easy to memorise the stage. I am quite satisfied with the start."
Stalled
"It's true we were a little bit slow. We just tried to be clean but maybe at some points we were backing off."
"It was okay. Very dry conditions but very slippery at the end with the salt. A clean start for us. Anybody who says the nerves are not there either has a problem or is lying!"
"It's tricky this one - especially in the dark and with these kind of temperatures, but the gravel crew did a great job. It's all okay."
"I'm a bit surprised [to be fastest by 4.7sec] . The stage was okay but there's very low grip at the end and it's difficult to know how you're doing."
"That's good, but it was not a perfect stage. It's difficult to kick-off at night in such difficult conditions, but generally I was smooth and had a good feeling. I am looking forward to the next one."
"We had some electrical issues in the road section. We can't use fifth gear and every gear change is a pain, We will try to get it home."
"Quite okay. I don't really enjoy these stages a lot - I don't like the characteristics of the stage but I tried my best. The soft tyre is moving quite a lot so I just tried to find the right pace to look after the tyre."
Unfortunately Sami has become sick during the night and is unfit to start the event.