Safari Rally Kenya once again served up one of the toughest challenges of the FIA World Rally Championship season. With the conditions causing constant challenges, M-Sport battled on to bring Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne to a well-deserved finish on Sunday.

After many positives throughout the weekend, M-Sport suffers final-day heartbreak on the opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship season, after its three Rally1 cars all hit trouble on Sunday’s tricky stages.

Event: Rallye Monte-Carlo | Round: 1/14 | Date: 21-25 January 2026 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team targets a strong start at the opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, with Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crews Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy and Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne ready to launch into action on the iconic event. KEY EVENT STATS • Surface: Asphalt • Base: Gap / Monaco • Stages: 17 • Competitive Distance: 339.15 km • Total Distance:1,553.22 km WEEKEND F