The 2024 FIA World Rally Championship was a motorsport championship that was the 52nd 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 competed for the World Rally Championships for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers. Crews were free to compete in cars complying with Groups Rally1 to Rally5 regulations; however, only manufacturers competing with Rally1 cars were eligible to score points in the manufacturers' championship. The championship began in January 2024 with the Monte Carlo Rally and concluded in November 2024 with the Rally Japan. The series was supported by the WRC2 and WRC3 categories at every round of the championship and by Junior WRC at selected events.
Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen were the reigning drivers' and co-drivers' champions, having secured their second championship titles at the 2023 Central European Rally. However, they only contested at selected events. Toyota were the defending manufacturers' champions.
At the conclusion of the championship, Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe won their first World Rally Championship titles at the 2024 Rally Japan. Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin were second, trailing by 32 points. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were third, a further ten points behind. In the manufacturers' championship, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT successfully defended their title, holding only a three-point advantage over Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, with M-Sport Ford WRT in third.
Calendar
The 2024 season was contested over thirteen rounds crossing Europe, Africa, South America and Asia.
Calendar changes
The championship was expected to be expanded to 14 rounds, however WRC Promoter GmbH retained the existing total of 13 events with the reasoning that it would aid participation of more Rally1 cars.
- Rally Liepāja stepped up from the European Rally Championship to hold a World Rally Championship event under a new name, Rally Latvia. The rally was held on gravel roads that range from the cities of Rīga and Liepāja to the regions of Talsi, Tukums, Kuldīga and Dienvidkurzeme. It replaced Rally Estonia on the calendar.
- Rally Poland returned to the championship. This marked the first time the event was held as a WRC event since 2017.
- Rally Mexico dropped off the calendar, but the organisers are seeking an opportunity for a 2025 return.
- Rally Estonia was also not featured in 2024, but the event is set to return in 2025.
The WRC Promoter GmbH was also working on the two key calendar expansions for the future.
- Progress had been made for the candidate event in the United States, a location that was also aiming to join the championship in 2024.
- The other key expansion was Rally China, which was last featured in 1999. The rally was also scheduled to be held in 2016, but it was ultimately cancelled due to the damage caused by the 2016 China floods.
In addition, the candidate list also included the event in Saudi Arabia, where it aimed at a 2025 calendar slot. The rally was a part of WRC Promoter GmbH's plan to deliver a desert event. Rally Argentina was also bidding to return to the championship.
Other changes
- The organizers of the Monte Carlo Rally relocated its headquarters back to Gap in France. The rally was previously based in Monaco.
- The Kenyan Rally, which took place in June in the previous three seasons, moved ahead to March at the weekend of Easter as the third round of the season.
- The running date of the Central European Rally was moved two weeks earlier with a headquarter change to avoid the clash with All Saints' Day.
Entries
The following manufacturers contested the championship under Rally1 regulations.
The following crews entered in Rally1 cars as privateers or under arrangement with the manufacturers.
M-Sport featured a new line-up, with the crew led by Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster became the two full-time competitors. Pierre-Louis Loubet, who drove for the team over the last two seasons, was announced to compete in the WRC2 category with Toksport. Latvian driver Mārtiņš Sesks made his top tier debut with the team as a part of the collaboration program with WRC Promoter GmbH.
Hyundai retained the crew of Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja rejoined the team after spending one year with M-Sport. Esapekka Lappi was also remained with the team, but his program was reduced. His co-driver Janne Ferm announced to end his WRC career after completing the 2024 Rally Chile. Andreas Mikkelsen returned to Hyundai for his second stint the team, sharing a third car with the crew led by Dani Sordo and Lappi.
Toyota kept the lineup from 2023, with the crews led by Elfyn Evans and by Takamoto Katsuta became the two full-time competitors for the team. Reigning world champion Kalle Rovanperä signed a multi-year contract with the team, but he only contested a partial program this season. Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier continued his approach to the championship, competing at selected events. They did not share a third car. Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen made their top class debut at the 2024 Rally Finland.
Regulation changes
Points system had a major revision to prevent saving tyres for the Power Stage. The top ten competitors in the overall classification by the end of Saturday were subject to score 18–15–13–10–8–6–4–3–2–1 points respectively as long as they completed a classified rally finish, otherwise these points would be pass to the next eligible competitor. Top seven fastest runners of Sunday to receive 7–6–5–4–3–2–1 points respectively.
A shorter itinerary of 48 hours was featured at the Rally Italia Sardegna, which was a trial run of the compact weekend format that was proposed by the FIA.
Season report
Opening rounds
Neuville and Wydaeghe won the season opener, where they received thirty points, the maximum under the new points system, after leading by the end of Saturday, recording the shortest time on Sunday and winning the Power Stage. As championship leaders, Neuville and Wydaeghe were supposed to be first on road at the first leg of the next round, but their i20 was unable to start because of a fuel pressure issue before the first stage of the afternoon. This led to title rivals Evans and Martin being first on the road, who lost time due to the conditions. Nevertheless, Evans and Martin still outscored Neuville and Wydaeghe at the conclusion of the event, closing the gap to only three points in the championships. Lappi and Ferm took the victory, ending their winning drought stretching six-and-a-half years, with Fourmaux and Coria achieved their first podium finish.
After Hyundai had won the first two races, Toyota responded with a 1–2 finish at Rally Safari, extending their manufacturers championship lead to four points. Neuville and Wydaeghe had a troublesome weekend, but a successful run on Sunday saw the Belgian crew rebuild their driver's championship lead back to six points. Toyota's Ogier and Landais won in Croatia, after snatching the rally lead when the crews ahead (Neuville and Wydaeghe, Evans and Martin) made mistakes.
Mid-season gravel events
The first gravel rally of the season was Portugal, where Ogier and Landais won again. They were on course for a hat-trick of victories at Sardegna, but a puncture at the Power Stage meant Tänak and Järveoja overtook them to win. The winning margin was only 0.2 seconds, the joint closest win (with the 2011 Jordan Rally) in WRC. Ogier and Landais withdrew from the Polish Rally before it began, due to a road accident during recce. Rovanperä and Halttunen were their replacements for Toyota, who won the rally despite limited preparation. They also won the following round in Latvia, leading the rally from start to finish and taking their 200th stage victory. Having debuted in Poland, the Latvian pair Sesks and Francis won their first stage early in their home rally. They were on course for a maiden podium finish, but a differential issue on the final day caused them to drop out of contention.
In Finland, Rovanperä and Halttunen were leading their home event, but rolled their car on the event's penultimate stage. Tänak and Järveoja withdrew after experiencing a violent crash at the rally, which hospitalized Järveoja. Evans and Martin suffered a transmission issue which caused them to drop out of the top ten, before they crashed out during the penultimate stage. With their main rivals not scoring, championship leaders Neuville and Wydaeghe extended their championship lead to 27 points, with the rally winners Ogier and Vincent rising to second place. The event also saw Pajari and Mälkönen make their WRC debut, where they won the ninth stage in their Rally1 career.
At the Acropolis Rally, the Toyotas of Ogier & Landais and Evans & Martin both suffered turbocharger issues. Toyota's third crew of Katsuta and Johnston crashed out whist competing for the rally lead, leaving Hyundai occupying the top three places at the end of first day. Ogier had been 45 seconds ahead of championship leader Neuville, but ended almost two minutes behind; Ogier publicly stated that Neuville should "stop crying" and "learn to drive first on the road". Neuville and Wydaeghe won the rally, with Hyundai occupying all three places on the podium, as they had done two years ago at the same event. Ogier and Landais had recovered to second place before rolling their Yaris during the Power Stage. Hyundai's dominance meant they built a 35-point lead in the constructor's championship. Toyota struck back at the following round in Chile, taking the top three places themselves for a maximum point haul which halved the championship lead. The winners in Chile were Rovanperä and Halttunen.
Closing rounds
Tänak and Järveoja won the penultimate round in Germany; Ogier and Landais had been leading but crashed out on the penultimate stage. The victory reduced the gap for the driver's championship to 25 points, ensuring the title would be decided at the final event. At the final rally in Japan, Tänak and Järveoja crashed out on the final day while leading the rally, handing Neuville and Wydaeghe the championship. An engine issue had left Neuville and Wydaeghe outside the top ten. The retirement of Tänak and Järveoja left the manufacturer's title undecided, with Hyundai and Toyota level on 553 points based on the provisional standings before the Power Stage. Toyota outperformed Hyundai at the stage, plus a 1–2 event-finish led by Evans and Martin, meaning Toyota won the manufacturer's championship for the fourth straight year. The winning margin was only three points, the tightest since 1983 (when Lancia won by two points).
Results and standings
Season summary
Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top ten crews in the overall classification by the end of Saturday, and top seven crews in an accumulated overall classification of all Sunday stages in each event. In the manufacturers' championship, teams were eligible to nominate three crews to score points, but these points were only awarded to the top two classified finishers representing a manufacturer and driving a 2022-specification Rally1 car. There were also five bonus points awarded to the winners of the Power Stage, four points for second place, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth. Power Stage points were awarded in the drivers', co-drivers' and manufacturers' championships.
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers
The driver who recorded a points-scoring classification would be taken into account for the championship regardless of the categories.
FIA World Rally Championship for Co-Drivers
The co-driver who recorded a points-scoring classification would be taken into account for the championship regardless of the categories.
FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers
Only the best two results of each manufacturer in the respective overall classification by the end of Saturday, accumulated position of all Sunday stages and Power Stage at each rally were taken into account for the championship.
Notes
References
External links
- Official website (in English, French, and Spanish)
- FIA World Rally Championship 2024 at eWRC-results.com
