Hankook Completes Demanding Season Opener at Rallye Monte-Carlo as the 2026 WRC Gets Underway

Rapidly changing winter conditions in the Alps placed strategy and adaptability at the center of the 2026 WRC season opener
Hankook’s rally tyres supported stable competition across high-speed tarmac, snow, and ice throughout the demanding Monte-Carlo stages
The championship now moves into a challenging winter stretch, with early-season momentum carrying through to Rally Sweden

Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 27 January 2026 – Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), wrapped up on January 25 across Monaco and France, with premium tyre manufacturer Hankook supporting the season opener as the championship’s exclusive rally tyre supplier.

Rallye Monte-Carlo opened the 2026 WRC season against an unpredictable winter mountain backdrop, where snow, ice, wet asphalt, and dry tarmac repeatedly intersected across the stages. Along the tarmac roads winding through the French Alps, rapidly changing conditions remained a constant factor throughout the rally, placing tyre performance and strategic decision-making at the heart of the competition.

The rally was contested across 17 special stages totaling 339 km through Monaco and France. Despite the demanding environment, the event progressed steadily, with drivers required to respond to shifting surface conditions at every stage. Precision driving and well-timed strategic decisions proved essential throughout the season opener, which is widely regarded as one of the most challenging events on the WRC calendar.

Hankook supported the rally by supplying its Ventus Z215 tarmac rally tyre and Winter i*cept SR20 snow rally tyre, helping ensure stable competition across Monte-Carlo’s demanding winter conditions. The Ventus Z215 delivered precise handling and cornering stability on dry asphalt, while the Winter i*cept SR20 provided reliable grip across sections combining snow and ice. Together, the tyres helped drivers maintain performance throughout the rally’s characteristic winter challenges.

After a closely fought contest, Oliver Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson of the Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally Team claimed victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo, emerging as the winner of the opening round of the 2026 WRC season. In particular, Solberg made headlines by becoming the youngest winner of the Rallye Monte-Carlo, breaking a 56-year-old record set by Björn Waldegård in 1970. Furthermore, the Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally Team swept the podium, demonstrating overwhelming competitiveness and stable performance from the very first round of the 2026 season.

Since the 2025 season, Hankook has supplied rally tyres exclusively across all WRC classes under a three-year agreement, continuing to demonstrate its technical competitiveness on the global motorsport stage. In preparation for this role, the company conducted more than 2,000 km of driving and performance testing across eight countries from 2023 onward, leading to the development of FIA-certified high-performance rally tyres designed to deliver stable performance in harsh environments.

The 2026 FIA World Rally Championship continues with 14 rounds across four continents from January through November. The next challenge comes at Rally Sweden from February 12 to 15, where full-snow and ice stages, high-speed running on studded tyres, and extreme cold temperatures will once again place durability and traction at the forefront following the Monte-Carlo opener.

Over Hankook Tire

Hankook produceert wereldwijd innovatieve, prijswinnende high performance radiaalbanden voor het premium segment voor auto's, SUV's, terreinwagens, lichte vrachtwagens, vrachtwagens en bussen evenals voor de autosport (circuit- en straatracen/rally's).

Hankook investeert voortdurend in onderzoek en ontwikkeling om haar klanten steeds de hoogste kwaliteit in combinatie met uitstekende technologie te bieden. In vijf ontwikkelingscentra en acht grote fabrieken wereldwijd ontwikkelt en produceert Hankook bandoplossingen, die specifiek zijn afgestemd op de wensen en eisen van de regionale markten. In Europa vindt de bandontwikkeling voor de lokale markten en eerste montage plaats in overeenstemming met de toonaangevende Europese autofabrikanten in het regionale technisch centrum in Hannover/Duitsland. De banden worden onder andere geproduceerd in de ultramoderne Europese fabriek in Rácalmás/ Hongarije, die in 2007 werd ingewijd en voortdurend uitgebreid wordt.

Het Europese hoofdkwartier van de bandenfabrikant is gevestigd in Neu-Isenburg, Duitsland in de buurt van Frankfurt am Main. De fabrikant heeft meerdere vestigingen in verschillende Europese landen en verkoopt haar producten op andere lokale markten via regionale distributeurs. Wereldwijd biedt Hankook werk aan ongeveer 20.000 mensen en levert haar producten in meer dan 160 landen. Het bedrijf is geselecteerd als de technische partner en exclusieve bandenleverancier van Generatie 3 voor het FIA ABB Formule E Wereldkampioenschap, dat start in 2023. Toonaangevende autofabrikanten vertrouwen bij de eerste montage op banden van Hankook. Ongeveer 38 procent van de wereldwijde omzet van de onderneming is afkomstig uit Europa.

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Hankook Tire Europe GmbH | Marketing Communications Europe | Siemensstr. 14, 63263 Neu-Isenburg | Germany