The rally consisted of fourteen special stages, covering a total competitive distance of 257.64 km (160.09 mi).

Their team, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, were the reigning manufacturers' winners.

[5] Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia won the rally, their eighth win in Monte Carlo.

The route for the 2021 rally covers 257.64 km (160.09 mi) in competitive stages and is the shortest in the event's history.

The rally was originally planned to be run over sixteen stages, but was reduced to fifteen amid concerns over organisers' ability to run the event during the COVID-19 pandemic,[9] and ultimately to fourteen so as to respect the curfew established throughout France from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.[1] All dates and times are CET (UTC+1).