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90th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo (January 17-23, 2022)
The Monte-Carlo Rally will open the 2022 edition of the World Rally Championship (WRC) from its homebase in Monaco, instead of the usual host-city of Gap since 2014 in the Alps. This was a wish of the Organizing Committee at Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) in order to orchestrate the multiple celebrations of the 90th edition of the most glamourous rally in the world. As 95% of the route has been modified, compared to last year, it will be, more than ever, a perfect mix between conservatism and originality, thanks to a set of very demanding special stages selected in the Alpes-Maritimes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
After three days allowed for recce, from Monday January 17 to Wednesday January 19, the official start of the 90th Monte-Carlo Rally is scheduled Thursday January 20 at 06:45pm on the fully renovated and still majestic Casino Square. This first nightly leg will be made of two very well-known stages adding up to 38.83 kilometers: « Lucéram / Lantosque » (SS1 – 15.31km – 08:18pm) and « La Bollène-Vésubie / Moulinet » (SS2 – 23.52km – 09:26pm) will make this an opening « Turini Night 2022».
On Friday January 21, the crews will head for the northern part of Alpes-Maritimes for a second day of racing against the clock totalling 118.88 km of stages, in two loops of three stages next to the Mercantour National Park. There will be a mid-day pause for regrouping and changing tyres in Puget-Théniers in the middle of the toughest day of the rally. The stages on the menu will be « Roure / Beuil » (SS3/6 – 18.44km – 9:14am / 2:43pm), « Pierlas / Ilonse » (SS4/7 – 19.9km – 10:02am / 3:31pm), and « La Tour-sur-Tinée / Saint-Jean-la-Rivière » (SS5/8 – 21.1km – 11:00am/4:29pm) in order to make sure that this 2nd Leg will be a tough nut to crack!
Day 3 will be set in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday January 22 for 94.10 kilometers of stages starting with « Le Fugeret / Thorame-Haute » (SS9 – 18.5km – 8:17am) nicknamed « La Colle Saint-Michel » by specialists. Then a double loop will follow, before and after a mid-day pause in Digne-les-Bains for regrouping and changing tyres. A brand new stage « Saint-Jeannet / Malijai » (SS10/12 – 17.04km – 10:08am / 2:08pm) will be paired with the ominous « Saint-Geniez / Thoard » (SS11/13 – 20.76km – 11:16am / 3:16pm) through Authon and the very demanding Col de Fontbelle, all of this without any possibility of service during the day, which will surely prove exhausting for the remaining crews.
In order to conclude this 90th edition in style, on Sunday January 23, four stages totalling 67.52 kilometers will be set, without any service allowed, in the north-west of Alpes-Maritimes, close to the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Each stage will be run twice, starting with a new sector « La Penne / Collongues » (SS14/16 – 19.45km – 8:45am / 10:55am) and continuing with « Briançonnet / Entrevaux » (SS15/17 – 14.31km – 10:08am / 12:18pm) through Col du Buis and Val-de-Chalvagne, where the second run will be the Power Stage. Remaining crews will then be able to rejoin Monaco around 02:00pm to cross the finish line before attending the traditional Prize Ceremony on Casino Square…
Max Verstappen won the 78th Monaco GP on Sunday by leading from start to finish and taking full advantage of the last-minute retirement of Charles Leclerc, his Ferrari stuck in the garage when it should have started from pole position. Due to a left rear driveshaft probably damaged on Saturday when Leclerc crashed at the Swimming Pool, at the end of qualifying. Its weakness was not detected until Sunday during the warm-up lap. “Oh no, oh no”, lamented the Monegasque on the on-board radio, realizing that his hopes of victory had just vanished. The podium of this uneventful edition, without any incident on the track, without any crash and without any appearance of the safety car on track, was completed by Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Lando Norris (McLaren), who could not hope for much better.
©ACM / JM Folleté
“It was your afternoon, you gave us a masterclass, you are leading the championship,” said Christian Horner, the big boss of Red Bull Racing, to his favorite driver on the on-board radio. And the victory of the young Dutchman, his 12th in F1, was completed by the 4th place of Sergio Pérez, who started 9th on the grid. The Mexican, as well as Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), who finished 5th after starting 8th, benefited from a strategic sleight of hand by their respective teams. As a result, they finished ahead of Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) who were better placed on the grid and made no mistakes on the track.
It was a miserable day for the Black Arrows, as Valtteri Bottas was stuck in his garage for good, due to a major issue with the air pistol when changing tires. He would have probably finished 2nd. As for Lewis Hamilton, he finished 7th, his place on the grid, at the end of one of the most frustrating races of his career, with one consolation point for best lap in the race. This point could not prevent Verstappen from taking control of the drivers’ standings for the first time in his F1 career. And Red Bull is achieving a double, since the Milton Keynes-based team is now ahead of Mercedes in the constructors’ standings for the first time since 2013, the one of the last two world titles for Vettel and Red Bull. The next GP will take place in 15 days in Baku, Azerbaijan, on another city track. It may be a good site for Ferrari to shine again, and for Mercedes to switch back to the winning mode. But nothing is less certain, in this 2021 season which continues to surprise …
The last free practice session for F1 ended, two hours before qualifying began, with a red flag caused by a massive crash by Mick Schumacher. The frame of his Haas was too damaged after Casino and he will not be able to participate in the qualifications. Before that, he had huge merit in signing the 14th time in these qualifications, in front of a trio made up of Fernando Alonso (Alpine), a former double world champion, Russian Nikita Mazepin in the other Haas and George Russell, in his Williams.
Schumi Junior got out of this big accident unscathed, on his own, but the session was stopped for good by a red flag, time for the ACM marshals to evacuate the car swiftly. Earlier, the other Williams driver, Nicholas Latifi, had hit the rail at the end of the Swimming-Pool Esses causing a quick neutralization of the session.
In terms of pure performance, it was long believed that the Ferraris would manage to finish in the lead, like Thursday afternoon, until Max Verstappen (Red Bull) completed a great lap in 1: 11.294, one second from pole position by Lewis Hamilton in 2019 (1: 10.166). Although the cars have lost nearly 20 km/h in top speed at the exit of the tunnel: 280 km/h instead of 300 km/h two years ago, in the same spot.
At Ferrari, Carlos Sainz (2nd) was a little faster than Charles Leclerc (3rd) but that doesn’t mean that the red cars will be beaten in a qualifying session that promises to be thrilling. As expected, the Mercedes stayed a little behind, Valtteri Bottas setting the 4th fastest time, just ahead of Sergio Pérez’s Red Bull (5th), Lando Norris’s McLaren (6th) and the other Black Arrow driven by Sir Lewis Hamilton (7th).
The Top 10 was completed by another world champion, Kimi Räikkönen in his Alfa Romeo (8th), Pierre Gasly in his Alpha Tauri (9th) and Sebastian Vettel, in his Aston Martin (10th). As for Fernando Alonso’s Alpine (15th) and Esteban Ocon (20th), they obviously did not find the right settings …
The qualifying session for the 78th Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix was eagerly awaited and kept all its promises: Charles Leclerc, the local hero, will start the race from pole position on Sunday at 3:00 p.m., in a Ferrari, and even if he finished this session by hitting the rail at the swimming pool corner, he fulfilled his contract, after several frustrating outings in the streets of Monaco, in F2 and in F1 in recent years.
The ideal scenario had already emerged in free practice on Thursday, when Charles set the fastest time after completing just four laps in the morning due to a reluctant gearbox. And as Carlos Sainz also seemed to be in very good shape, high expectations were set for the three-way fight between Scuderia, Red Bull and Mercedes. In the end, the Black Arrows did not find the ideal settings and Lewis Hamilton, the 7-time World Champion, will start on Sunday from… 7th place on the grid, on the 4th row.
By setting a fantastic time of 1: 10.346 at the start of Q3, just two tenths off Sir Lewis’s record pole in 2019 (1: 10.166), Charles had done the hardest part. But as Verstappen was only two tenths back (1: 10.576), a second attempt was necessary, still on soft tires, to be definitively safe from a bad surprise. So the Monegasque added a little more push and hit the barriers at the Pool, in his favorite portion of the track, exactly like Nicholas Latifi this morning in free practice, in his Williams.
Red flag, end of the session, and back to the pits, on foot, a little disappointed. Hopefully his gearbox will not have suffered too much from the impact against the rail and will not have to be changed, which would result in a penalty of 5 places on the starting grid. It’s the 8th pole position of his F1 career, but the first since Mexico in 2019. Like coming out of a long tunnel for Leclerc and Ferrari.
Behind Leclerc and Verstappen, the two torchbearers of the new generation, there will be Bottas and Sainz on the 2nd row on Sunday, Norris and Gasly on the 3rd row, and two World Champions on the 4th row, Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, in his Aston Martin. It already promises to be an interesting start, especially if the weather gets in the way to confuse the issues a little more …
The second Free Practice session of F1’s comeback in Monaco confirmed a trend already evident in the first session: Scuderia Ferrari is a candidate for the podium on Sunday, in the 78th Monaco Grand Prix, judging by the best time of Charles Leclerc this afternoon, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr: 1: 11.684, a tenth better than his Spanish teammate, although the local hero had been unable to compete this morning in FP1. There was a major gearbox problem on his beautiful red car, so he could only complete 4 laps, but this issue was solved in due time by the Scuderia mechanics.
The session ended four minutes earlier than scheduled, due to a touch at the entry of the Casino turns for Mick Schumacher, the son of the 7-time World Champion and 5-time winner in the Principality. Mick is the defending Formula 2 champion but he drives an F1 car for the first time in Monaco, on this very demanding track. Just like his teammate Nikita Mazepin, Canada’s Nicholas Latifi (Williams) and Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri). It was not easy for them on Thursday and they will have one more free practice session Saturday morning to prepare for qualifying.
At the top of the timesheet, Charles Leclerc ended a successful session in style, using his soft tyres to keep a symbolic advantage over teammate Sainz and reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton until the end. He is still a long way from Sir Lewis’s pole position in 2019 (1: 10.166) but the main thing is that the Scuderia has worked hard this winter and maybe it will pay off at one point, in the next days or weeks.
Behind the two Ferraris, Hamilton only used medium tires on his Mercedes, so as not to reveal his game too much, and took 3rd place, ahead of Max Verstappen, in the fastest Red Bull, since his Mexican teammate, Sergio Pérez, the fastest in FP1, had to settle for 8th. Contrary to this morning, Pérez was slower than Valtteri Bottas (5th) in the other Mercedes, Lando Norris (6th) in his McLaren in Gulf livery, and the excellent Pierre Gasly (7th) in his Alpha Tauri. For the record, Sebastian Vettel, in his Aston Martin, made it into the Top 10. He has already triumphed twice here in Monaco: in 2011 in a Red Bull and then in 2017 in a Ferrari. This was the last win for the Scuderia in the Principality, in front of thousands of delighted tifosi …
No F1 on the menu this Friday in Monaco, because the stars are resting, but a busy morning with Formula Regional by Alpine (qualifying between 7:55 am and 9:00 am, in two groups), then Porsche Supercup qualifying (at 10:00 am) which will be followed by Formula 2 Race 1 (at 11:45 am, 42 laps). Frenchman Théo Pourchaire, who took pole position on Thursday, will have to wait until Saturday to try and take advantage of it, in Race 3 at 5.15pm, after the qualifying session for F1.
This digital catering service will give you the opportunity to follow the ontrack racing show with the respect of sanitary rules.
Rx Eat, a 100% foodie app, allows each user to get a large selection of meals delivered, with fresh, local, quality products prepared in a short circuit.
In partnership with the association FAR (Foi, Action, Rayonnement) for the Grandstand T and the AS Monaco Rugby for the Grandstand NOP, the free App will be deployed in order to offer a digital and quality catering service during the Grand Prix.
Spectators will have the possibility to lunch without to leave their seat.
In the current sanitary context, the App is applying with 2 objectives:
How does the RX Eat App work?
Spectators will be able to download the application for free, by scanning the QR code on the flyers distributed at the event entrance, directly on their smartphone or tablet.
After selected its grandstand, each spectator will be able to choose between a large choice of sandwiches, salty or sweet snacks, drinks, and popcorns.
Once order confirmed with the located seat filled and the order payed (by credit card or cash), your booking will arrive directly to you in the grandstand, by the service or the FAR and ASM Rugby association volunteers .
Download RX Eat App on Apple Store or Google Play
There are 8 former winners of a race at Monaco Grand Prix, in three different categories, among the very competitive field of drivers entered in this year’s 4th Monaco E-Prix. Two of them won in F2, formerly called GP2, Sam Bird and Stoffel Vandoorne. Most of the 24 drivers know this track, except five who had never experienced the long F1 version (3.3km) until this morning.
In 2009, Oliver Turvey won a Formula Renault race in the streets of Monaco, then René Rast won as well the next two years, but aboard a Porsche entered in the very glamourous SuperCup. Another talented British driver, Sam Bird, beat all his rivals two years in a row, but in two different categories, Formula Renault in 2012, then GP2 (now F2) in 2013. That same year, Nico Müller won the Formula Renault race included in the schedule of the World Series by Renault. A rookie this year in FE, Norman Nato also won in this category, in 2014. And two weeks only after the first ever Monaco E-Prix, in May 2015, Stoffel Vandoorne won in GP2 (F2), just like Bird.
Two years later, in 2017, Oliver Rowland won the feature race in F2 (formerly GP2), on Saturday, while Nyck de Vries won the sprint race on Sunday morning. The Dutch wonder, who lead the FE World Championship after Valencia last month, for Mercedes EQ, doubled his tally in 2019, still in F2, when he won the feature race for ART Grand Prix.
Among the 24 drivers on the grid this Saturday, five only never used the track in F1 Grand Prix mode : Jake Dennis, Alexander Sims, André Lotterer, Nick Cassidy and Tom Blomqvist. They all discovered the 3.3km version this morning during free practice 1 and 2. Last but not least, five of them, as well, raced here in F1 : Seb Buemi, Jean-Eric Vergne, Stoffel Vandoorne, Pascal Werhlein, Luca di Grassi. The best result was achieved by JEV, 8th in 2013 in a Toro Rosso with a Ferrari engine.
Discover the Rallyes Monte-Carlo Historique and Classique 2018 itineraries.
Sebastian Vettel broke the track record again during the Formula 1 free practice session 3. The Ferrari driver set the fastest time never done in 1’12’’395, beating his previous mark for four tenth.
Kimi Räikkönen (+0.345) confirmed the good form of the Scuderia team by managing the second fastest time of this morning session. Valtteri Bottas (+0.435) put his Mercedes in the third place just ahead Max Verstappen’s Red Bull (+0.545).
Relatively slow during this FP3, Lewis Hamilton (+0.835) took the fifth time almost one second behind Vettel. This last free practice session has been troubled by two incidents.
The French Esteban Ocon crashed his Force India in the second swimming-pool esse. The Aussie Daniel Ricciardo also stopped his car at the Saint-Dévote corner because of a brake failure.
