The WRC rally format has been standardized to the extreme limits. With everything and under a very defined development, the promoters of each test have some freedom when designing the route, its stages and the sections that are disputed on each day. Within this scenario, the organizer of the Monte Carlo Rally has not only decided to renew its route, take the development of the rally to Monaco and leave Gap behind, but has also chosen to design for its 2022 edition a route with a first stage without intermediate assistance. A common option and known by all the actors of the World Cup.
An option that has not been liked by the WRC manufacturers. And it is that beyond the route or the nerve center of the rally, the brands that compete in the queen class of the World Championship consider that it is not the best option to have a first stage without intermediate assistance in the debut of the hybrid ‘Rally1’. This circumstance is a huge concern for Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport, since it is likely that the ‘Rally1’ suffer reliability problems that may be solvable to a greater extent with intermediate assistance. Although it is a format that works well, it does not seem the best for the debut of a complex vehicle like the ‘Rally1’.
Along these lines, Andrea Adamo has been the most critical. In fact, the head of Hyundai Motorsport has been especially harsh: “You will hear me speak ill of Monte Carlo for the first time in my life and I hope it is the last time. Not having assistance at noon on Friday is one of the stupidest things I have ever done. seen in my life and it is a clear lack of communication between the FIA, the event promoter and the manufacturers. This is a big problem. It means that first of all there is a communication problem and it is not the best way to start a new era I hope they make a format change because the chosen option is pretty stupid. “