Upcoming Events
Menu
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia win the 86th Rallye Monte-Carlo on Ford Fiesta WRC. Sixth victory in Monaco and fifth in a row. Second place for the estonian Ott Tanak and third place for the finnish Jari-Matti Latvala, both on Toyota Yaris WRC.
Seb, another win on what’s been a tough Rallye Monte-Carlo. How’s it been for you?
Sébastien Ogier: Once again it was a huge challenge. We always come here knowing it’s going be a difficult week and a tough event to make the good tyre choice. Ott was a difficult contender, but it’s also always very good to be here on the podium. Of course, I’m very pleased, this is the best way to start the season. It’s good to come back and start the season this way, it’s special, but I never struggled so much to be right with the tyres. It was never super-clear with the conditions changing all the time. It’s good that we managed to do less mistakes than the others, it was almost impossible to do the perfect weekend and we did mistakes as well. Ours were small mistakes with small consequences and that’s how we did this for the fifth time in the row. It feels good.
How tough was Saturday morning?
It was definitely one of the hardest stages of my career to drive in this moment. It was hard to explain how tough, I wasn’t complaining but it was not enjoyable to drive. It was about surviving. You come to the finish with a big relief and you’re super-happy crossing the line, but you have no idea if you are one minute slower or faster. It was a good surprise to see we took the minute compared to Ott. From then on we had the chance to try and manage the gap, but it was not easy. All the day it was tricky with the tyre to control in those conditions. It would have been super-easy to fall out of position. I’m happy to manage to keep the gap yesterday night. I expected today to be easier, but when we wake up we have news of frost and black ice to deal with on Turini. It was tricky until the end.
What was the plan for the Power Stage?
I couldn’t be completely relaxed and not really go for it. I knew with Thierry and Ott that we were fighting for two points. Thierry, Andreas and Craig had the four soft tyres for the Power Stage. I had worn super softs and not the right things to be fast, so I tried to drive clean. The road was clean at the beginning, but then we had some dirty corners at the finish and I couldn’t go for it. Every point is important at the moment, so I’m happy with this single point.
What did you think of Malcolm Wilson’s performance as Team Principal, was it good?
I had better say yes, I guess! It’s always difficult to start the season in Monte-Carlo on the hardest event in terms of organisation, logistics, meteo and co-ordination – all of that is tricky. We had some changes in the team, some new engineers, a new meteo forecaster who is unfortunately from Estonia – that’s why we got it wrong sometimes! No, I mean when we know how hard it is, we have to congratulate all of them, they have all tried as hard as they can.
How difficult was your job this week?
Julien Ingrassia: Each time we’re here on the podium – and my rivals say the same – we’re here without any breath for one full week. Congratulations to all the co-drivers on doing a very good job, all the guys do the same as me. It’s a very difficult position to get the notes and read new notes which are completely different from what you have on the recce. You memorise some of these notes and then they are completely different, I realise sometimes I was just reading and not analysing what I was saying. There were a lot of changes of rhythm, so it’s really good when the driver is still trusting you in the car.
It’s a great start to the season…
Yes. We know the championship will be hard and Monte-Carlo is special, this is the city of Seb and my region and it reminds me of one year ago. We have to thank those guys, it’s one year on and now we have to start again for everything – it’s a big motivation.
Sebastien, a good day, but a bit of a moment this afternoon, tell us about that…
SO: If I sit here in the middle it is not so bad, but the second part of the day was not so good. I lost 40s with the spin and for sure there are a couple of people I have to thank – they help me when I went off on the exit of the hairpin. Without that it would be a more comfortable lead. I’m enjoying the fight with my friend Ott – but tomorrow we have to be on it from the start.
Can you psyche him out?
Inside he’s different he tries not to show it, if he comes too close I have to play a trick…
We expect a change of conditions tomorrow – what if it snows?
It can be interesting and I’m happy I’m not first on the road if the snow is coming it can be difficult – I didn’t use this advantage today [of being first on the road], but without the spin it would be close. We struggle a bit with the tyre and weather information today, I think I need a word with Ott… we have the Estonian guy doing our forecast… Ott was right all the time and we were wrong! More seriously, tomorrow we have to be right [with tyre choice].
Ott, what an incredible first full day – did you imagine this was possible?
OT: Definitely it would have been difficult to dream about this before the rally. For the moment we can’t complain, the conditions have been tricky this afternoon and the car is still going well. Since the beginning I had a good feeling in the car and that’s a good sign.
What can you do to get closer to Seb?
As we can see today, he’s getting old and starting to do mistakes, he’s a bit sleepy in places, I don’t know what he’s doing… Tomorrow he will be more tired and more sleepy. No… Sebastien is strong, these are his home roads and we play in his backyard, it’s been enjoyable and now let’s see what’s possible.
Dani, what can we see from you tomorrow?
DS: We do a couple of small mistakes with the tyres in difficult conditions today, we lost a bit of time. Sebastien was pushing really hard and his times were tough to follow, tomorrow will be a hard and long day – we’ll see what we can do.
Confident in the snow and ice?
It will be difficult if it’s snowing – ok we already have one stage in snow and tricky downhill (Sisteron). It will be the same for everybody, we need the right tyres and we try to do our best.
Thierry how do you feel about the new season?
Everybody is excited about the year ahead. I’m really looking forward to it. Last year was a great season, but this year hopefully can be even greater. I was the best performer last year, but I did not clinch the title – that was the objective. I’m looking forward to a challenging and intense season.
How’s the car set-up?
The set-up is good, I’m very confident we have a good setting we had a good test and the car is pretty similar to last year, so yes I’m pretty confident.
Tell us about Sisteron in reverse…
That’s going to be really tough to be honest. We have never done the stage in this direction and we only did it once per year in the other way, so it’s not a stage we know well. We should wait for a lot of surprises, especially in the cold and in the dark.
Renault Sport continues its historic partnership of over 30 years with the Automobile Club de Monaco , organiser of all the motorsport competitions in the Principality.
The new Mégane R.S. – the brand’s latest sport model that combines agility, performance and versatility – will be on show at international sports events such as the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
See the four cars transform into lead and safety vehicles on the route of the 86th Monte Carlo Automobile Rally from 22 January.
2018 – Keys delivery of Renault Megane R.S. to Automobile Club de Monaco (Photo M. Alesi)
Monaco , 17 January 2018 – It was at the headquarters of the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) where Patrice Ratti, Managing Director of Renault Sport Cars, gave Michel Boeri, President of the ACM, the keys to four new Mégane R.S. cars, which will be used at several sports events organised by the ACM in the Principality of Monaco .
Since Renault first became involved in the Monte Carlo Rally, the paths of Renault and the ACM have crossed time and again. For ten years, the ACM welcomed the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in advance of the F1 Grand Prix, as well as the Eurocup Formula Renault championship since 2016, where the young hopefuls earn their stripes with the aim of securing a spot at the highest level of motorsport.
Monaco has often been Renault Sport’s location of choice for the grand reveal of new models, such as the Clio R.S. 16 concept car and the new Mégane R.S. in 2017. Many limited-series Renault Sport models have paid homage to Monaco ‘s involvement in motorsport: the Monaco GP label is proudly displayed on the Laguna GT, Clio R.S. and Mégane R.S.
“Since the birth of motoring, Renault Sport and the Automobile Club de Monaco have shared a common passion for competition and performance. We are proud that the fruit of all of our passion – our new Mégane R.S. – will be at the service of the ACM and involved in some of the most prestigious events in the world of motoring.” – Patrice Ratti, Managing Director of Renault Sport Cars.
“The partnership between Renault and the Automobile Club de Monaco – which is historic with a capital “H” – is based on common values and a passion that has prevailed for more than 30 years. Receiving today the keys to four new Renault Mégane R.S. cars – which serve to strengthen our fleet of rally and Grand Prix safety vehicles – really attests to the strong foundations of our alliance.” – Michel Boeri, President of the Automobile Club de Monaco .
The third-generation Mégane R.S. brings together all of the know-how and passion of Renault Sport, with the ambition of following in the footsteps of its predecessors and becoming a benchmark in the sports vehicle market. It includes numerous developments and technologies derived from the expertise of Renault Sport Racing during competitive motorsport. Features:
– performance-focused design;
– first in the world in this segment to be equipped with the 4CONTROL system, bringing stability and agility to the Sport and Cup chassis;
– latest-generation 1.8-litre turbo engine, delivering 280 hp and 390 Nm, which was developed in collaboration by the engineers of Renault Sport Cars and Renault Sport Racing;
– four versions adapted to all uses, with dual offerings for both gearbox (manual or EDC) and chassis (Sport or Cup);
– cutting-edge technologies, including R.S. Vision, MULTI-SENSE and the new version of R.S. Monitor.
– Launch Control to optimise pulling away and Multi Change Down for changing down gears faster in manual mode during periods of intense breaking.
Please note that the electrical cable you have to fit in your vehicle in order to supply the Tripy-R time keeping system has changed and is not the same as the one requested in previous years. As you will read in detail in the Tripy technical annex, the power cable you need to supply must arrive in the cockpit, near the windscreen, on the co-pilot side. This cable must be terminated with a specific connector. Please mount this connector taking care to respect the polarity when you insert the two female terminals in the plastic housing of the connector.
If the Tripy-R system cannot be mounted due to a failure in the power cable you need to provide, you will not be able to start the concentration leg.
In order to determine the general frame of the inaugural event of World Rally Championship (WRC) 2018, the Organizing Committee of Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) honored its well-deserved reputation, once again, by creating a perfect blend of tradition and innovation: the proportion of new sectors will rise to 50% compared to the 2017 route. This 86th edition promises to leave no competitor indifferent…
After two and a half strenuous days for recce, from Monday January 22 at 8 o’clock to Wednesday 24 at 2 pm, all competitors cleared to race will be able to test in race conditions, from 4 pm, during the official shakedown session (3,35 km). This portion will be strictly identical, on La Garde road, within the limits of Gap city, to the one used in 2016 and 2017. Gap will welcome the rally for the 5th consecutive year and install the Service Park as always, near Monaco
The official start for 86th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo is scheduled for Thursday January 25, Casino Square in Monaco , from 6:00 pm onwards. During the first nightly leg, a couple of interesting special stages will be organized in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Thoard – Sisteron (SS1 – 37.13km), raced in that direction for the very first time in WRC, will be followed by Bayons – Bréziers (SS2 – 25.49km), already used in 2017. Two great scenes for major WRC contenders to start fighting in 2018.
On Friday January 26, crews will be heading south of Gap for the second day, with 150 km of special stages spread out over three departments (Hautes-Alpes, Drôme and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). This will be, by far, the most tiring day of the rally, with two loops of the same three remote special stages: Vitrolles – Oze (SS3/6 – 26.76km), Roussieux – Eygalayes (SS4/7 – 33.63km) and Vaumeilh – Claret (SS5/8 – 15.24km).
Saturday January 27, north of Gap, will be just as tough as the previous days, with special stages based in the departments of Isère and Hautes-Alpes, and a double loop to start with, consisting of Agnières-en-
Dévoluy – Corps (SS9/11 – 29.33km) followed by Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes – La Bâtie-Neuve (SS10/12 – 16.71km). However, this 3rd day will not be over since the crews will be back, by daylight, in the same Bayons – Bréziers (SS13 – 25.49km) stage as Thursday night, and then they will stop one last time at Gap Service Park before they drive back to Principauté de Monaco in the evening.
The conclusion of the rally, on Sunday January 28, will be made of four special stages (63.72km) with no chance of going through a Service Park in the steep hills of Alpes-Maritimes. So the drivers will go twice through La Bollène-Vésubie – Peïra-Cava (SS14/16 – 18.30km) and La Cabanette – Col de Braus (SS15/17 – 13.56km) which will be used as a Power Stage at the end of the second loop.
At 3 pm, all deserving crews will be welcomed and honoured at the ritual Prize Giving Ceremony in front of
Monaco Prince’s Palace.
Monaco , July 21, 2017
Note: the length of the special stages is only indicative (and could be slightly different in the final version)
How excited are you to be starting on pole in Monaco ?
Obviously, it’s the best place to start for today, but it doesn’t guarantee anything for the race. Nevertheless, I’ll happily take it. It’s been all week-end quite ok. We’ve been struggling a little bit in certain places and we’ve been working and trying to figure it out and in qualifying it was better by no means perfect. I felt good so I was able to push. We have two cars in the front so let’s try to make the best out of it.
It’s your first pole since the 2008 French Grand Prix. It’s important for you to have done it in such a selective track as Monaco ?
No, I would like happily taken any other place also but it just happens. We’ve been close a few times lately but it’s something we haven’t really got in the last race. But if you take any circuit, here it’s the most important to be in front but it doesn’t automatically give you a win or a good result. There are so many things that can happen in a race that are nothing to do with you. You and the team might be doing a perfect job but other things might destroy the whole race.
The circuit is easier or more difficult with these new cars?
I don’t think it’s any easier. We end up going faster but then the same difficulties are there to go fast. It’s always tricky here, like it is in any place, especially here because you have to get very close to the kerbs and the walls. There is no chance to make mistakes. I think the resurface has improved a lot the circuit. It’s less bumpy, so it makes it a bit more nicer. But I don’t feel it’s any easier because the cars are faster and how more downforce. Everything happens a bit faster.
