The great wait is over
On the eve of the 2026 Monte Carlo Rally, the general WRC public was interested in witnessing the first round of the world championship for several reasons: in addition to the adverse conditions of the snowy asphalt, such as to make this edition one of the most difficult ever for the drivers (as demonstrated by the numerous errors committed during the tests), there was great curiosity for the grand return of a legend like Lancia, absent since 1994.
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The first results
Holder of the highest number of world championship victories with 11 successes, the Turin-based manufacturer immediately impressed in the WRC2 class, even coming close on three occasions to an overall stage victory with Yohan Rossel, who instead recorded the best times in seven stages in his class, to which is added a special stage signed by Nikolaj Gryazin. Performances that, despite a non-optimal start for both drivers, allowed Rossel to win the overall Super Sunday, on an ‘Italian’ Sunday with the two successes of Matteo Fontana at the wheel of the Ford Fiesta WRC3.
The comments
An encouraging rally therefore for both drivers of the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, but with some disappointment for Rossel: “It wasn’t the easiest rally for me or the team and we certainly didn’t expect it on the eve – commented the Frenchman – we expected to be fast and I think we proved it. But if you want to win the Rallye Monte-Carlo, you can’t afford mistakes throughout the entire race. Unfortunately we made one on SS1 and, from that moment, my rally was effectively compromised. With these conditions, it was extremely difficult to recover. With this car I am convinced that we will be able to fight in the next rallies. We expected it to be fast and this was confirmed. This weekend the problem was not the car.”
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Gryazin’s feelings were also good, with the Bulgarian who, together with the team, is preparing for the next round in Sweden, scheduled from February 12 to 15: “This Monte-Carlo was a great experience: I had never driven in such conditions. It was a very solid debut for Lancia, even if yesterday we made a mistake while we were fighting for the victory. We had to push a bit more to try to catch Leo Rossel. The car does exactly what I ask of it; now I have to be the one to do better. This was the most difficult Rallye Monte-Carlo I have ever competed in due to the extremely demanding conditions.”
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