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Day 1: Solberg / Edmondson impress!

What a start to the Rallye Monte-Carlo! After two crazy special stages, plus a third that was ultimately interrupted, the Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson crew reached Gap at the top of the overall standings. The duo in the No. 99 Toyota mastered all the difficult conditions encountered on Thursday.

SS1: Toyota gets off to a flying start!

Toyota Gazoo Racing put in a superb performance with a triple victory in the very first special stage, between Toudon and Saint-Antonin, in the Alpes-Maritimes. The duo in car no. 33, Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin, were the fastest (16’05”7) ahead of Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson (+05.6) and Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais (+12.0).

“I did my best, but it wasn't easy with this tyre choice,” said Elfyn Evans, who had opted for the same tyre strategy as Sébastien Ogier: two super-soft tyres crossed with two studded tyres. “It was difficult to find the right pace in these tricky conditions,” said the nine-time world champion.

Their main rivals opted for snow tyres in addition to their studded tyres, and this has already cost the Hyundai drivers time. Thierry Neuville (8th in Rally1) lost 43 seconds on this first special stage. Adrien Fourmaux (4th) limited the damage, finishing 19.9 seconds behind Evans and only 8 seconds behind Ogier.

Results SS1

SS2: Solberg makes a big splash!

The new Toyota Gazoo Racing duo, Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson, set a stunning time in SS2 on Thursday evening between Esclangon and Seyne-les-Alpes (23.8 km). The other big surprise of the early evening was the third place of Irish rookie Jon Armstrong in his M-Sport Ford Puma.

“I tried not to take too many risks, but every time I came into a corner, it was panic on board,” said the very talented son of Petter, the 2003 world champion in a Subaru, at the SS2 stop point. “It was the most difficult special stage of my life,” added Solberg Junior, who managed to beat Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin by more than 31 seconds on a road covered in slush, the worst kind of slush, much feared by drivers.

Behind Oliver Solberg and Elfyn Evans, who had taken the top two places in SS1, but in reverse order, the other drivers did everything they could to limit the damage, and the two Frenchmen, Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai) and Sébastien Ogier (Toyota), had to admit defeat to the rookie Armstrong, who is making his WRC debut in this Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Results SS2

SS3 interrupted and cancelled

Due to a number of spectators moving into unsafe positions at the edge of the stage between the passing of cars, and as a result of reduced visibility caused by heavy fog on Special Stage 3, the Clerk of the Course issued a red flag Only seven Rally1 cars crossed the line before the red flag was lowered. "These [road] conditions are crazy. I couldn't see anything at the end. It was very dangerous," said Thierry Neuville. Thank you all for respecting the guidelines and authorised areas: In the overall standings, Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson lead Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin at the end of this first day. Classification

Friday's programme

Tomorrow, a loop of three special stages will be completed twice: Laborel / Chauvac-Laux-Montaux (SS4/7 - 17.95km), Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert / La Motte-Chalancon (SS5/8 - 28.70km), the longest on Friday, and La-Bâtie-des-Fonts / Aspremont (SS6/9), won last year by Takamoto Katsuta. The entire Rallye Monte-Carlo 2026 can also be followed live with commentary on our LIVE page so you don't miss a thing.