Event Summary
Rallye Monte-Carlo opened the new season and once again proved why it is regarded as one of the most demanding events on the WRC calendar. Featuring the most severe and mixed weather conditions seen in years, with snow and ice affecting almost every stage, the rally posed a major challenge for crews of all experience levels.
Jon Armstrong’s Rally1 debut quickly became a talking point, as he delivered a confident and impressive performance, while teammate Josh McErlean battled through a challenging weekend. Grégoire Munster also contested the event in the Puma Rally1, embracing the extreme Monte-Carlo conditions and determined to make an impression on this additional outing.
Unfortunately, Sunday morning brought significant misfortune for the team. Munster was forced to retire on the road section before the opening stage due to a mechanical issue. Just hours later on SS16, both Armstrong and McErlean saw their rallies end; McErlean understeered on some wet snow into a barrier just a few corners from the finish, he managed to nurse the Puma’s damaged front suspension to the stop line but the impact had done too much and he was forced to stop. Meanwhile, only a couple of corners from the start, Armstrong understeered on wet snow and collided with a rock in the muddy bank, also breaking his suspension, preventing him from a dream result.
The loss of all three Puma Rally1 cars on the final day brought an end to one of M-Sport’s most remarkable achievements: a 24-year streak of manufacturer points-scoring finishes in the World Rally Championship. The run began in 2002, when Carlos Sainz claimed third overall on Rallye Monte-Carlo in the Ford Focus WRC, and had continued unbroken across every WRC round since. By the close of the 2025 season, the landmark streak stood at an impressive 231 rally finishes.
Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford Team Principal, said:
“Rallye Monte-Carlo was a huge challenge, with one of the toughest formats on the calendar, multiple service locations, long days and incredibly difficult weather conditions. While Sunday was a big disappointment and none of our three Rally1 cars reached the finish, there were still many positives to take away - chief among them, the outstanding WRC debut of Jon and Shane.
“Sitting as high as third overall and consistently matching, and even beating, established Rally1 competitors, they have really announced their arrival at this level, and I’m excited to see what the rest of the season brings.
“There were also great performances from Romet Jürgenson on his first Monte-Carlo outing, and a historic Rally3 result from Matteo Fontana, who claimed two outright stage wins and led Super Sunday in a Fiesta - a fantastic showcase of the Rally3 category.
“Sadly, our consecutive manufacturer points-scoring record, which began here in Monte-Carlo in 2002, came to an end. While that is a huge shame, we can be incredibly proud of keeping the record alive for 24 years and of the legacy it represents for Ford and M-Sport.
“We now have a well-earned short break before Sweden, and I’d like to thank everyone in the team who worked so hard to get us through an incredibly demanding event.”
#95 Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
Armstrong made an impressive start on Thursday evening, as he and co-driver Shane Byrne contested their first rally in the WRC’s top-tier category. A committed drive in dark, snowy and icy conditions on Stage 2 delivered the third-fastest time, briefly lifting Armstrong to third overall before heavy fog on SS3 dropped the pairing to fifth.
Challenging wet, icy and snowy conditions on Friday saw Armstrong consistently set top-seven stage times. An unfortunate puncture on SS8 cost time and affected tyre choice for SS9, but the Irish pairing still ended the day sixth overall.
Saturday brought further challenges, with heavy snowfall and a front-right puncture on SS10, before Armstrong enjoyed a memorable Rally1 run through Monaco’s Super Special Stage, holding sixth overall overnight.
Armstrong set out on Sunday aiming to secure a strong finish, but slushy conditions on the penultimate stage caused him to understeer into a wall, damaging the suspension and forcing retirement.
Despite the early end, Armstrong and Byrne’s Monte-Carlo debut was hugely impressive, with the pair set to attract further attention as the season continues on Rally Sweden.
Jon Armstrong said: “A proper baptism of fire for our first WRC event in the Rally1 car, we were happy to show some good pace throughout the weekend but ultimately wanted to get a solid result which we didn’t manage to do on this occasion.
“The conditions were crazy, a proper challenge and we are already looking forward to a new challenge in Sweden.”
#55 Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy
Josh McErlean’s opening weekend of the season proved as another valuable learning experience as he carefully navigated the unique challenges of Rallye Monte-Carlo. Taking a cautious approach in the early stages, his focus was on understanding the constantly changing conditions.
Challenges emerged on Thursday evening, when McErlean and co-driver went off the road 5.5 km into the stage while battling difficult conditions in the dark, becoming stuck in a ditch and were forced to retire for the day.
Restarting on Friday, McErlean worked to rebuild his confidence, he would go on to set the sixth-fastest time on SS5. However, darkness again played a role on SS9, where the Irish crew slid off on a slippery right-hander, again testing McErlean’s tarmac experience and resilience in adverse conditions.
Saturday’s focus shifted to consistency and learning, with the aim of surviving the demanding stages to reach the Monaco Harbour stage, lined with fans.
Ultimately, McErlean’s rally would come to an end on Sunday’s penultimate stage, when a heavy impact with the armco just moments from the finish damaged the front-left suspension. Despite the early exits, the four-day event delivered valuable lessons and insight into Monte-Carlo’s unique demands, providing a strong foundation as McErlean looks ahead to a more confident push in Sweden, where he will draw on his strong experience from last year.
Josh McErlean said: “It was a really tough Rallye Monte-Carlo for me personally, and not the result I wanted to start the season with. Monte is an event that can catch anyone out, and this weekend certainly tested me. Despite that, the support from M-Sport and the team never wavered, and there are still positives to take away. I’ll take the lessons on board, reset, and come back determined to show what we’re capable of.”
#13 Grégoire Munster / Louis Louka
Grégoire Munster began Rallye Monte-Carlo with confidence, eager to take on the event’s legendary stages, but the conditions quickly underlined why it remains one of the toughest rallies on the calendar. An early challenge came on SS2, where the final 3 km were completed without power steering, testing both skill and resilience. He would have to carry this problem through the final stage of the night and would sadly drop valuable time in the process.
Friday brought further setbacks with back-to-back punctures on SS5 and SS6, yet Munster responded strongly, setting the fifth-fastest time on SS7 and fourth-fastest on SS9.
Despite notoriously difficult conditions on Saturday - even for a driver known for thriving on messy asphalt - Munster’s consistency moved him back up to eighth overall by the end of the day. However, Sunday brought an early end to his rally, as a mechanical issue on the road section to the opening stage forced retirement, bringing his additional outing in the Puma Rally1 with M-Sport to a premature close.
Grégoire Munster said: “Even though it didn’t start well with an issue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were good for us, with some fifth and fourth-fastest stage times. We had a few punctures, but without those I think we could have fought for a strong result.
"We were climbing back up the overall standings after passing Haddon and Katsuta on Saturday, and we were hoping to gain more on Sunday. Unfortunately, we didn’t even make it to the first stage due to a mechanical issue. That’s really disappointing, because I don’t know when I will drive a Rally1 car again, so I would have liked to finish on a high.
"Still, we showed some good things, and I hope we’ll get another opportunity in the future.”
#24 Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja
Romet Jürgenson completed his first Rallye Monte-Carlo showcasing strong pace and composure in a highly competitive RC2 field. From the outset, the Estonian impressed with consistent top-ten category times, highlighted by a standout fifth-fastest run on Friday’s SS6, which saw him end the day seventh in RC2.
Saturday continued positively with solid, consistent running, and Jürgenson was on course for the fastest RC2 stage time before an electrical issue on SS12 forced the pairing to stop in the final three kilometres to carry out crucial repairs. Undeterred, they resolved the issue and completed the stage, albeit at the cost of over 18 minutes, reaching the Monaco Super Special Stage and ending the day 12th overall in RC2.
Sunday marked an impressive comeback, with Jürgenson delivering a committed drive across the final four stages. He set the third-fastest time on the opening stage of the day, gained a position overall, then followed up with a second-fastest run on SS15 to climb a further two places in increasingly slushy conditions. A second-quickest time on the Power Stage secured ninth overall in RC2 and an impressive sixth place on Super Sunday, just outside the points but underlining his pace, resilience and potential on one of the toughest editions of Rallye Monte-Carlo in recent years.
Romet Jürgenson said: “I think this was a really good learning rally for us. We experienced almost every possible condition Monte-Carlo can throw at you, so coming here was a good investment.
"We didn’t start especially fast, as we were trying to understand how to drive in these conditions, but as the rally went on we began to get more comfortable, and from SS12 onwards I think we showed some really good pace.
"It was unfortunate to have the issue we did, but overall we can be very happy with the event. I’m looking forward to Sweden, where I already have more experience and we can push for a strong result.”
Final Classifications
RC2
9th: Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja (16th overall)
Retired Sunday: Grégoire Munster / Louis Louka (mechanical issue on road section), Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne (accident in SS16), Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy (accident in SS16).
