Just before embarking on her first-ever World Rally Championship event with the Iron Dames team, Rumeau met up with the most successful female driver in WRC history in Monaco's Casino Square. The Frenchwoman, driving a Citroën C3 Rally2, went on to finish an impressive ninth in WRC2 at the season opener.
Mouton, who made history with Audi’s factory team, claimed four WRC victories and was the runner-up in the 1982 drivers' championship.
“I'd already met her,” Rumeau told WRC.com, “one year ago during an interview, but it was very brief.
“When Michèle came to see me in Monaco, it was a very special moment because it was my first Rallye Monte-Carlo and I was really looking forward to it. Of course, she gave me a few little tips, but that's just between us!"
The 29-year-old, who is co-driven by Julie Amblard, was pleased to finish the rally without any major dramas on what is regarded as the most technically demanding event of the calendar. The duo will compete in six more WRC rounds this season, with outings planned in Portugal, Italy, Greece, Finland, Central Europe and Saudi Arabia.

Mon 03 Feb 2025
Rumeau receives tips from WRC legend Mouton
Making your FIA World Rally Championship debut at the iconic Rallye Monte-Carlo is a special moment in itself. But for Sarah Rumeau, the experience was made even more memorable when she received advice from none other than WRC legend Michèle Mouton.

“We are really satisfied with our rally,” she said. “We did what was expected of us as a team, gaining all the experience we could and making it to the finish. We even finished in the points on this difficult event.
“We could even have done a bit better at times with a bit more knowledge of the terrain, the conditions, the tyres and the car too, but we still had a lot of fun for our first time here. Now it's up to us to continue our progress over the next few races."
Rumeau’s move to WRC2 follows a successful stint in national championships, where she and Amblard finished fifth in the French Tarmac series and sixth on gravel in 2024.
“Indeed, there are quite a few things that change between these two levels of competition,” she explained, “particularly in terms of trajectories after the passage of the Rally1 cars, you really mustn't get out of line.
“The evolution of the road is also new for me, on the first and second loop. You can't imagine the state of the road until you've driven a round of the World Rally Championship. And it even changes at Monte Carlo between the time our gravel crew come and go, with the temperatures varying so much.”

