2025 World Rally Championship

Thierry Neuville is the defending driver's champion.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT (GR Yaris Rally1 pictured) are the defending manufacturers' champions.

The 2025 FIA World Rally Championship is a planned motorsport season that will be the fifty-third occurrence of the World Rally Championship, an international rallying series organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and WRC Promoter GmbH. Teams and crews compete for the World Rally Championships for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers. Crews are free to compete in cars complying with Groups Rally1 to Rally5 regulations; however, only manufacturers competing with Rally1 cars are eligible to score points in the manufacturers' championship. The championship is set to begin in January 2025 with the Monte Carlo Rally and conclude in November 2025 with the calendar newcomer Rally Saudi Arabia. The series is supported by the WRC2 and WRC3 categories at every round of the championship and by Junior WRC at selected events.

Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe are the reigning drivers' and co-drivers' champions, having secured their first championship titles at the 2024 Rally Japan. Toyota are the defending manufacturers' champions.

Calendar

class=notpageimage|

A map showing the locations of the rallies in the 2025 championship. Event headquarters are marked with black dots.

The 2025 season is scheduled to be contested over fourteen rounds crossing Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.

Round	Start date	Finish date	Rally	Rally headquarters	Surface	Stages	Distance	Ref.
1	23 January	26 January	Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo	Gap, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France	Mixed[a]	18	343.80 km	[1]
2	13 February	16 February	Rally Sweden	Umeå, Västerbotten County, Sweden	Snow	18	300.22 km	[2]
3	20 March	23 March	Safari Rally Kenya	Nairobi, Nakuru County, Kenya	Gravel	21	384.86 km	[3]
4	24 April	27 April	Rally Islas Canarias	Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain	Tarmac	18	306.12 km	[4]
5	15 May	18 May	Rally de Portugal	Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal	Gravel	TBA	TBA
6	5 June	8 June	Rally Italia Sardegna	Olbia, Sardinia, Italy	Gravel	TBA	TBA
7	26 June	29 June	Acropolis Rally Greece	Lamia, Central Greece, Greece	Gravel	TBA	TBA
8	17 July	20 July	Rally Estonia	Tartu, Tartu County, Estonia	Gravel	TBA	TBA
9	31 July	3 August	Rally Finland	Jyväskylä, Central Finland, Finland	Gravel	TBA	TBA
10	28 August	31 August	Rally del Paraguay	Encarnación, Itapúa, Paraguay	Gravel	TBA	TBA
11	11 September	14 September	Rally Chile	Concepción, Biobío, Chile	Gravel	TBA	TBA
12	16 October	19 October	Central European Rally	Bad Griesbach, Bavaria, Germany	Tarmac	TBA	TBA
13	6 November	9 November	Rally Japan	Toyota, Aichi, Japan	Tarmac	TBA	TBA
14	27 November	30 November	Rally Saudi Arabia	Jeddah, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia	Gravel	TBA	TBA
Sources:[5][6]

Calendar changes

The calendar was expanded to fourteen rounds, including five flyaway events.^[7] This was originally planned for the 2024 season,^[8] but WRC Promoter GmbH retained the total of thirteen events in the hopes of attracting more Rally1 entries.^[9]

Rally Islas Canarias is set to join the WRC calendar.

• Rally Estonia is set to return to the championship after missing the 2024 season.^[10] The event is due to replace Rally Latvia on the calendar.^[11]
• Rally Islas Canarias is due to be promoted from the European Rally Championship and become a World Championship event under a two-year deal.^[12] The event is planned to be run on tarmac roads.^[13]
• Rally Saudi Arabia is due to join the championship in 2025 as their organisers signed a ten-year contract with WRC Promoter GmbH.^[14] The rally is planned to be based in Jeddah, and be run as the season finale.^[15]
• Rally Paraguay is set to become a WRC event from 2025 after signing a multi-year deal, making Paraguay the thirty-eighth nation to host a WRC championship round.^[16]
• The Croatia Rally will not be featured on the calendar for the first time since the event joined the championship in 2021.^[17] However, the event is set to return in 2026.^[18]
• Rally Poland will also be removed from the calendar after making a one-year return to the championship in 2024.^[19]

Contracted crews

The following manufacturers are set to contest the championship under Rally1 regulations.^[20]

Manufacturer	Entrant	Car	No.	Driver name	Co-driver name
Ford	M-Sport Ford WRT	Ford Puma Rally1	13	Grégoire Munster	Louis Louka
			TBA	Josh McErlean	Eoin Treacy
Hyundai	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	1	Thierry Neuville	Martijn Wydaeghe
			8	Ott Tänak	Martin Järveoja
			16	Adrien Fourmaux	Alexandre Coria
Toyota	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	5	Sami Pajari	Marko Salminen
			17	Sébastien Ogier	Vincent Landais
			18	Takamoto Katsuta	Aaron Johnston
			33	Elfyn Evans	Scott Martin
			69	Kalle Rovanperä	Jonne Halttunen

In detail

M-Sport retained the crew of Grégoire Munster and Louis Louka for another complete season.^[21] They are set to be joined by Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy as the team second full-time crew.^[22] The deal was done as a collabration with Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.^[23]

Hyundai team chief Cyril Abiteboul confirmed that Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja will continue driving for their team in 2025.^[24] Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe extended their contract for one year with the team.^[25] Having won the title in 2024, Neuville is set to compete with number #1, thus becoming the first reigning world champion to do so since Sébastien Ogier in 2022.^[26] Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria moved from M-Sport to drive a third car full season.^[27]

Sami Pajari is confirmed to be promoted to the top tier by Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT to contest a full season.

Toyota retained the crew of Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen, who are due to return full-time after they contested a partial season in 2024.^[28] They are set to join the crew of Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin and of Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston as the team's full-time competitors.^[29] Newly-crowned WRC2 champion Sami Pajari, who ran selected races with the team in 2024, was signed with a full-time programme with the team.^[30] However, he would be joined with new co-driver Marko Salminen,^[31] following the departure of Enni Mälkönen at the end of last season.^[32] Ogier and Vincent Landais would continue to run a partial season with the team.^[33]

Regulation changes

Technical regulations

Hankook (top) to replace Pirelli (bottom) as the new official tyre supplier.

South Korean tyre manufacturer Hankook will become the official tyre supplier of the championship, providing tyres to all entrants of four wheel drive cars.^[34] The company replaces Pirelli, who supplied tyres to the championship between 2021 and 2024.^[35] Under the terms of the agreement, Hankook will supply tyres until the end of the 2027 championship.^[36]

Rally1 cars will no longer use the hybrid system introduced in 2022, and subsquently the minimum weight of the cars and the width of the air intake will be reduced to compensate for the change so that cars maintain the same power-to-weight ratio that they had when using the hybrid system.^[37] The decision was made when teams expressed concerns about the increasing costs of repairing the hybrid system.^[38]

Sporting regulations

The points distribution system will be revised for the second consecutive season following widespread criticism of the 2024 point system.^[39] Points will be awarded based on the general top ten classification at the end of the rally in a scale of 25–17–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1, with additional points awarded to the five fastest crews on Sunday and the five fastest crews in the Power Stage.^[40] Saturday points will be dropped.^[41]

Results and standings

Season summary

Round	Event	Winning driver	Winning co-driver	Winning entrant	Winning time	Report	Ref.
1	Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo					Report
2	Rally Sweden					Report
3	Safari Rally Kenya					Report
4	Rally Islas Canarias					Report
5	Rally de Portugal					Report
6	Rally Italia Sardegna					Report
7	Acropolis Rally Greece					Report
8	Rally Estonia					Report
9	Rally Finland					Report
10	Rally del Paraguay					Report
11	Rally Chile					Report
12	Central European Rally					Report
13	Rally Japan					Report
14	Rally Saudi Arabia					Report

Scoring system

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers in each event.^[42] In the manufacturers' championship, teams are eligible to nominate three crews to score points, but these points are only awarded to the top two classified finishers representing a manufacturer and driving a 2022-specification Rally1 car. There are also five bonus points awarded to the winners in an accumulated standings across all Sunday stages, four points for second place, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth. The same points scale will be awarded to the five fastest crews of the Power Stage as well.^[43]

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Overall	25	17	15	12	10	8	6	4	2	1
Sunday	5	4	3	2	1	—
Power Stage	5	4	3	2	1	—

Notes

1. The Monte Carlo Rally is run on a tarmac and snow surface.

References

1. "Itinerary Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo 2025". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
2. "Itinerary Rally Sweden 2025". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
3. "Itinerary Safari Rally Kenya 2025". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
4. "Itinerary Rally Islas Canarias 2025". eWRC-results.com. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
5. "WRC reveals spectacular expanded 2025 calendar". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
6. "WRC reveals spectacular expanded 2025 calendar". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
7. Howard, Tom (4 July 2024). "WRC set to expand to 14 rounds for 2025 campaign". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
8. Howard, Tom (19 May 2023). "WRC closing in on 14-round 2024 calendar". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
9. Barry, Luke (15 August 2023). "WRC to unveil 13-round 2024 calendar before Greece". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
10. Cole, Michael (23 November 2023). "European Rally Championship set for Estonia in 2024 as WRC returns in 2025". balticnews.com. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
11. Howard, Tom (23 June 2024). "WRC adds Paraguay to 2025 calendar in multi-year deal". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
12. Brittle, Cian (12 March 2024). "Rally Islas Canarias agrees two-year deal to join WRC calendar". blackbookmotorsport.com. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
13. Evans, David (11 March 2024). "Canary islands WRC slot for 2025". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
14. Howard, Tom (2 June 2024). "WRC signs 10-year deal to host Saudi Arabia round". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
15. Evans, David (1 June 2024). "Saudi Arabia confirmed as WRC round for 2025". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
16. Lindsay, Alasdair (23 June 2024). "Paraguay joins WRC calendar from 2025". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
17. Howard, Tom (20 July 2024). "Croatia Rally confirms absence from 2025 WRC schedule". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
18. Howard, Tom (15 November 2024). "Croatia strikes new deal to rejoin WRC in 2026". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
19. Howard, Tom (27 April 2024). "WRC working on Croatia renewal, Poland a one-off". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
20. "WRC manufacturers confirm three-year hybrid agreement". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
21. "Munster secures full-season M-Sport drive for 2025 WRC". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
22. "Done deal: Irishman Josh McErlean joins M-Sport Ford in WRC". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
23. Barry, Luke (19 December 2024). "McErlean completes M-Sport's 2025 WRC lineup". dirtfish.com. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
24. Malk, Regina (28 July 2024). "Ott Tänak jätkab Hyundai tiimis 2025. aastal". saartehaal.postimees.ee (in Estonian). Postimees. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
25. "Neuville signs extended WRC deal with Hyundai". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
26. Howard, Tom (30 December 2024). "Number #1 set to return to WRC in 2025". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
27. "Hyundai signs Adrien Fourmaux for 2025 WRC". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
28. "Partial programme will help me 'recharge' for full-time return, says Kalle Rovanperä". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
29. "Pajari promoted as Toyota reveals 2025 WRC roster". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
30. Evans, David (25 November 2024). "Toyota signs Pajari for fourth full-time 2025 seat". dirtfish.com. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
31. Barry, Luke (3 December 2024). "Pajari confirms his new co-driver". dirtfish.com. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
32. Barry, Luke (24 November 2024). "Pajari and co-driver Mälkönen end their partnership". dirtfish.com. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
33. Gomes, Leonel (25 November 2024). "Toyota Gazoo Racing Unveils Star-Studded Line-Up for 2025 WRC Season". motorcyclesports.net. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
34. "Hankook wins WRC tyre tender". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
35. "Pirelli won't bid for WRC tire supply contract". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
36. Bowen, James (6 December 2023). "Hankook to become WRC tire supplier from 2025". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
37. Thukral, Rachit (15 November 2024). "WRC drops hybrid power as part of 2025 Rally1 refresh". Autosport. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
38. Evans, David (16 November 2024). "Hybrid removed from Rally1 cars for 2025". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
39. Howard, Tom (9 September 2024). "New WRC points proposals under review for 2025". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
40. "Sharper focus on rally wins with 2025 WRC points update". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 11 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
41. Evans, David (23 October 2024). "Saturday points set to be dropped by WRC for 2025". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
42. Howard, Tom (12 December 2024). "FIA reveals 2027 WRC regulations, new points system for 2025". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
43. Evans, David (12 December 2024). "WRC points system revamped for 2025". dirtfish.com. DirtFish. Retrieved 12 December 2024.

External links

• Official website (in English, French, and Spanish)
• FIA World Rally Championship 2025 at eWRC-results.com