3 winners and losers of the 2025 WRC season
26th December 2025The World Rally Championship is gearing up for another season, with the season opener in Rally Monte-Carlo getting underway in a month. Here are our winners and losers of the 2025 season.
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Winner – Sebastien Ogier
Toyota’s world champion, in a part-time schedule, went on to secure his ninth world title in 2025 and has tied the record of nine world championships alongside his compatriot, Sebastien Loeb.
Ogier looked strong all season after he secured six rally wins in 11 of the rallies he entered in 2025, including a record-extending 10th rally win in Monte Carlo in January.
The multiple world champion also claimed 10 podiums in the 11 rallies he contested. His puncture in the Central European Rally put an end to his 100% record.
Loser – Elfyn Evans
In a season which looked like it was time for Elfyn Evans to lift the crown and name himself as a World Champion. However, it was not meant to be, and the record books will show him as a five-time runner-up in the WRC.
As disgraceful as it sounds, the 2025 season was Evans’ best performance to date after he claimed the championship lead in Sweden and bolstered that in Kenya. The summer gravel events and the running order put the pain in Evans’ championship hopes.
Whilst losing the championship by four points would sting for the Welshman, he should be proud of his performance this year.
Winner – Joshua McErlean
M-Sport Ford’s Joshua McErlean came into the sport this year, and nothing was really expected of the Irishman. The season was a year of learning for the rally driver, as expected, like teammate Gregoire Munster before him.
Whilst mistakes were expected, like in Sweden, McErlean put in some consistent performances across the season. His best finish came in the form of seventh-place overall on three separate occasions (Monte Carlo, Finland and Central Europe).
After a year of learning, it’s a question of what the Irish duo of McErlean and Treacy can deliver in 2026. Especially as he will be pushed on by compatriots Jon Armstrong (driver) and Shane Byrne (co-driver).
Loser – Thierry Neuville
2025 was Thierry Neuville’s year to defend his world title, having secured the feat for the first time in 2024, but the Belgian driver had a troublesome season.
The first event of the season was the first sign of trouble for the Belgian crew as they failed to slow the car enough for a right-hand hairpin on SS6 and SS9 in Rally Monte Carlo.
Hyundai’s defending world champions went on a winless drought throughout the season for 13 of the 14 rounds, with their thirst for victory being quenched in Saudi Arabian season finale. Their only win of the year.
Winner – Sami Pajari
Sami Pajari stood in as Toyota’s rookie for the season following his championship success in the WRC2 class. However, the Finnish driver did not get a clean start to their season after they retired in the Monte Carlo curtain raiser.
Whilst they managed to stay out of trouble for most of the season, moments did pop up, like their heavy shunt at the Rally Islas Canarias. However, he had been consistent throughout the season.
His standout performance came late on at Rally Japan as the Finn clinched his first top-three finish to complete an all-Toyota podium, behind both Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans respectively.
Loser – Kalle Rovanpera
In his first full season back after opting to take a part-time schedule in 2024, Rovanpera suffered a rocky start to the year, taking him four rounds to reach the podium in the Canaries, where he clinched his first win of the season.
Following his announcement to depart from the WRC, Rovanpera was able to keep himself in contention for the title until the final round of the season. But, the fairytale ending of his WRC career, for the foreseeable future, was not to be as he finished seventh overall in Saudi Arabia.
Ultimately, the two-time world champion finished the season 37 points adrift of the eventual championship winner, Ogier.
Read more WRC here:
- FIA confirm new WRC constructor for 2027
- M-Sport Ford announces McErlean and Armstrong for WRC 2026
- Hyundai confirm 2026 WRC ‘tried and tested’ line-up
- 3 Winners and Losers of WRC Rally Saudi Arabia
- Sebastien Ogier has clinched ninth title as Thierry Neuville takes Saudi Arabia win
- Sebastien Ogier on the cusp of ninth world title at Rally Saudi Arabia
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
