WRC
Welshman Elfyn Evans wins Kenyan classic to extend his FIA World Rally Championship lead as Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville complete the podium.
The icy roads of the French Alps. Brutally rough dirt tracks in Kenya and Paraguay. Asphalt in the Canary Islands and Japan. Snow in Sweden. The rock-riddled routes of Italy, Greece and Portugal. These are the extremes that drivers in the 2025 World Rally Championship are set to face.
After a thrilling 2024 season that saw Hyundai's Thierry Neuville secure his first world title, after many years of near misses, on the final day of the final rally, the 53rd season of the WRC races in 14 very different destinations across four continents in the fight to see who'll become champion.
Whatever happens, rally fans already know they're in for an exciting year as Kalle Rovanperä has made the decision to return to the series full-time, after he followed in the footsteps of fellow WRC champions Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier by taking time out to explore other motorsports.
Check out the full 2025 FIA World Rally Championship calendar below, and get the lowdown from each round right here as they culminate.
01
World Rally Championship 2025 calendar
02
Rallye Monte-Carlo 2025 – Sébastien Ogier's 10th victory in Monaco
January 23–26
Sébastien Ogier etched his name further into the history books by claiming his 10th victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship. Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, Ogier secured victory by a margin of 18.5s over his Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Elfyn Evans after a nail-biting final day through the French Alps.
Sunday’s decisive final leg threatened to turn the tide. Ogier and Evans opted to carry four studded Hankook tyres and only two super-soft slicks - an approach that proved effective on the icy roads of Avançon - Notre-Dame du Laus, but this left them vulnerable on the drier penultimate test at Digne-les-Bains/Chaudon-Norante. There, Adrien Fourmaux shone on a full-slick setup, outpacing both Toyotas by 23.9s and 17.8s respectively and momentarily threatening to disrupt the podium order.
03
Rally Sweden 2025 – Evans holds his nerve to take early WRC lead
February 13-16
Elfyn Evans fended off a determined charge from Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate Takamoto Katsuta on Sunday to secure victory at Rally Sweden and move into the FIA World Rally Championship lead. After four days of intense action on Umeå’s frozen stages, Evans delivered when it mattered most - shutting the door on Katsuta in a dramatic final-day shootout to claim his 10th career WRC win by 3.8sec.
Thierry Neuville, the reigning champion, had to work hard to secure the final podium spot, fending off resurgent team-mate Ott Tänak by just 4.9sec. Tänak, hindered by an engine mapping issue on his i20 N Rally1 on Saturday, was back to form for Super Sunday and third only to Evans and Katsuta in outright pace across the final day.
04
Safari Rally Kenya 2025 - Win propels Elfyn Evans to record WRC lead
March 20-23
Elfyn Evans tamed the wilds of Safari Rally Kenya to claim a landmark victory on Sunday and tighten his grip on the WRC title race.
The Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver, co-driven by Scott Martin, beat Hyundai rival Ott Tänak by 1m 9.9s to secure his second win of the season. In doing so, he opened up the largest championship lead ever recorded after three rounds of a WRC campaign.
Tänak was joined on the podium by team-mate and reigning world champion Thierry Neuville, who finished 2m 22.1s behind after a drama-filled weekend. The Belgian’s troubles began on Friday with a one-minute time penalty after a delayed gearbox change, followed by further penalties for a jump start and a late arrival as he worked to repair damage to his car’s cooling package on Saturday.
WRC continues with Rally Islas Canarias on April 24-27.
