List of World Rally Championship Drivers' champions
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The World Rally Championship (WRC) is a rallying series administered by Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's world governing body.[1] The series currently consists of 13 three-day events driven on surfaces that range from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice. Each rally is split into 15–25 special stages, which are run against the clock on closed roads. The WRC was formed from well-known and popular international rallies, most of which had previously been part of the European Rally Championship and/or the International Championship for Manufacturers; the series was first contested in 1973.[2] The drivers' championship was first awarded in 1977 and 1978 as an FIA Cup for Drivers title, to Sandro Munari and Markku Alén, respectively. The first official world champion in rallying was Björn Waldegård in 1979.[3]
Each season normally consists of 12 to 16 rallies driven on surfaces ranging from gravel and tarmac to snow and ice. Points from these events are calculated towards the drivers', co-drivers' and manufacturers' world championships. The driver's championship and manufacturer's championship are separate championships, but are based on the same point system. In the current points system, points are awarded at the end of each rally to the top ten WRC (overall) drivers and co-drivers that qualify as follows: 25, 17, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1. In addition to those points, from 2011 each event holds 1 special stage, the Power Stage, in which drivers and co-drivers can score extra points – currently awarded to five fastest drivers (5, 4, 3, 2, 1). From 2025 points are awarded to the five fastest crews on Sunday (5, 4, 3, 2, 1).[4]
Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier hold joint record for the most drivers' championships, winning nine during their career.[5][6] Loeb holds the record for the most championships won in a row; he won his nine titles consecutively from 2004 to 2012.[7] Kalle Rovanperä is the youngest world champion; he was 22 years old when he won the 2022 World Rally Championship.[8] French drivers have won the most titles with 19 championships between 3 drivers. Finland are second with 16 championships between 8 different drivers. Citroën cars have won the most drivers' championships with nine titles, all of them with Loeb.
Winners
[edit | edit source]By season
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By driver
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| Driver | Total | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| France Sébastien Loeb | 9 | 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 |
| France Sébastien Ogier | 9 | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2025 |
| Finland Juha Kankkunen | 4 | 1986, 1987, 1991, 1993 |
| Finland Tommi Mäkinen | 4 | 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 |
| Germany Walter Röhrl | 2 | 1980, 1982 |
| Italy Miki Biasion | 2 | 1988, 1989 |
| Spain Carlos Sainz | 2 | 1990, 1992 |
| Finland Marcus Grönholm | 2 | 2000, 2002 |
| Finland Kalle Rovanperä | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| Italy Sandro Munari | 1 | 1977 |
| Finland Markku Alén | 1 | 1978 |
| Sweden Björn Waldegård | 1 | 1979 |
| Finland Ari Vatanen | 1 | 1981 |
| Finland Hannu Mikkola | 1 | 1983 |
| Sweden Stig Blomqvist | 1 | 1984 |
| Finland Timo Salonen | 1 | 1985 |
| France Didier Auriol | 1 | 1994 |
| United Kingdom Colin McRae | 1 | 1995 |
| United Kingdom Richard Burns | 1 | 2001 |
| Norway Petter Solberg | 1 | 2003 |
| Estonia Ott Tänak | 1 | 2019 |
| Belgium Thierry Neuville | 1 | 2024 |
By nationality
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| Country | Drivers | Total wins |
|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of France.svg France | 3 | 19 |
| File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland | 8 | 16 |
| File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | 2 | 3 |
| File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | 2 | 2 |
| File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom | 2 | 2 |
| File:Flag of Germany.svg West Germany | 1 | 2 |
| File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | 1 | 2 |
| File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway | 1 | 1 |
| File:Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia | 1 | 1 |
| File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | 1 | 1 |
By manufactuer
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Privateers and manufacturers counted.
| Manufactuer | Total |
|---|---|
| Lancia | 10 |
| Toyota | 10 |
| Citroën | 9 |
| Ford | 4 |
| Mitsubishi | 4 |
| Peugeot | 4 |
| Volkswagen | 4 |
| Subaru | 3 |
| Audi | 2 |
| Fiat | 2 |
| Opel | 1 |
| Hyundai | 1 |
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b In 1977 and 1978, the drivers' championships was the FIA Cup for Drivers.[9]
- ^ Alén drove a Lancia Stratos HF at the Rallye Sanremo and at the Lombard RAC Rally.[10]
- ^ Waldegård drove a Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0 at the endurance rallies; the Safari Rally and the Rallye Côte d'Ivoire.[11]
References
[edit | edit source]General
Specific
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- ^ Rule changes summary juwra.com
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- ^ Hope-Frost & Davenport 2004, pp. 13–14
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See also
[edit | edit source]- List of World Rally Championship Co-Drivers' champions
- List of World Rally Championship Manufacturers' champions
- List of World Rally Championship records
External links
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