Sami Pajari Endures Nightmare Monte Carlo 2026

WRC, Sportrik Media - Sami Pajari suffered a deeply disappointing opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) 2026 with Toyota Gazoo Racing at the Rally Monte Carlo, as a weekend that began with optimism unravelled into two separate accidents and a failure to finish.

Pajari arrived in Monte Carlo aiming to raise his level compared to last season, which marked his first full year in a Rally1 car. However, the rally quickly went off course on Thursday evening when the Finnish driver slid off the road on frozen asphalt. His car struck a bridge barrier, damaging the left-rear corner and forcing an early retirement from the opening leg.

Despite the setback, the Toyota crew managed to repair the car during service, allowing Pajari to return on Friday. At that point, the focus shifted from results to extracting experience in exceptionally difficult winter conditions. Pajari acknowledged that the constantly changing grip levels and complex tyre choices created scenarios he had not previously encountered at the top level.

“After Thursday, we tried different things and aimed to maximise what we could also from a testing perspective,” Pajari explained.
“The conditions were extremely challenging all day, with difficult tyre choices in tricky conditions. There were a lot of things we hadn’t experienced before. The pace did improve, but there was still plenty of room for improvement.”

Any hope of salvaging the weekend ended on Saturday when Pajari went off the road for a second time. Carrying too much speed toward a corner, his line drifted wide into a snowbank before the car came to rest against a tree. The damage was extensive, and after assessment it became clear the car could not be repaired within the available time, prompting the team to retire the crew from the rally entirely.

Mentally, Monte Carlo proved one of the toughest events of Pajari’s WRC career. He admitted that despite arriving with strong confidence—his best feeling ever ahead of the event—he struggled from the very first stages to find rhythm and consistency.

“Before the rally, the feeling was good, even better than ever before at Monte,” Pajari said.
“But right from the start of the rally it was very challenging. I couldn’t find the pace and still made mistakes. It was a really confusing weekend.”

The frustration deepened as Pajari reflected on the overall sensation behind the wheel, describing a rally that felt unusually difficult on every level, beyond simple performance metrics.

“It even felt hopeless. When it doesn’t go, it doesn’t go,” he admitted.
“I don’t think I’ve ever driven such a poor rally from my own perspective. I don’t mean the performance, but overall how everything felt. Everything suddenly became really difficult.”

With two accidents and no meaningful result, Pajari acknowledged there were few positives to take away from Monte Carlo. He nevertheless accepted responsibility for the outcome and stressed the importance of addressing the weaknesses exposed by the rally.

“The weekend was a disappointment, definitely not what we were aiming for,” Pajari concluded.
“I’m also sorry for the team and the fans that we didn’t succeed and that I made mistakes. Now we’ll focus on the things that need to be improved.”

The WRC 2026 season resumes in three weeks with the winter-based Rally Sweden, offering Pajari an immediate opportunity to reset and respond after a Monte Carlo campaign that he will be eager to put behind him.