The opening round of next year’s FIA World Rally Championship and its new hybrid era will be based exclusively in Monaco for the first time since 2006, making the Rallye Monte-Carlo all the more focused on the Principality itself in 2022.

Fans of the motorsport will be able to recall that in recent years Valence and Gap have hosted the the historic event ahead of the final day in the mountains above Monaco. However, as the upcoming Rallye will boast a renewed focus on Monaco itself, this has the potential to result in a very memorable 90th edition.

Among the most notable of adjustments for next year is the ‘harbourside’ service, which will be held in Port Hercule from January 20 until January 23. This means that a whole new emphasis has been placed on the reliability of man and machine, as there will not be any mid-leg servicing throughout the four days.

So much so will reliability be of key focus, that having departed the morning service in Monaco, only crew members will be allowed to work on their cars, using just the tools that they brought along with them.

The route itself has undergone dramatic adjustment, as 95 percent of it is different to the one that was driven this year. This route is also set to involve a whole host of new special stages that have not been driven in recent memory.

The rally will begin in the Casino Square on the evening of Thursday, January 20, before heading up into the Alpes-Maritimes mountains for an opening ‘Col de Turini night’. This drive under the cover of darkness at one of the WRC’s most iconic locations should provide a cracking start to the 90th Rallye Monte-Carlo.

According to the WRC themselves, Friday is set to be the toughest day for competitors, as they will be tasked with traversing two loops of three stages next to the Mercantour National Park totalling a distance of 118.88km.

The following Saturday will see competitors take on 94.10km of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence’s challenging roads, while the final leg of the rally will feature four stages in the north-west of the Alpes-Maritimes totalling 67.52km.

The 90th Rallye Monte-Carlo will conclude with a finishing ceremony at the Casino Square. With 17 stages covering 319.33km, this event is certainly one to look forward to for any rally fan.

Featured image: Toyota GAZOO Racing competing in the 2021 Rallye Monte-Carlo