Red Bull Motorsports
WRC
11 things you (probably) didn't know about the WRC
The World Rally Championship is an unrelenting battle against the elements and a race against the clock. Get ready for an attack of quick stats and hard facts.
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01
In the blink of an eye
Ott Tänak celebrates winning the closest-ever finish in WRC
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
0.2s – that's the closest-ever finish in WRC, when the margin of victory was the blink of an eye. Even more remarkably it's happened twice. In 2011, Sébastien Ogier pipped Jari-Matti Latvala to the top step at Rally Jordan and at the 2024 Rally Sardegna, Ogier was leading when his GR Yaris Rally1 picked up a puncture. He pushed to the end, but Ott Tänak was two-tenths quicker to take the win for Hyundai.
02
The first rally and the road ahead
Sébastien Ogier splashes through a Rally Paraguay stage
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
The oldest rally on the calendar is Rallye Monte-Carlo, which was first run in 1911 and was originally a race from different locations to the Principality. More recent additions to the calendar include rallies in Saudi Arabia, Paraguay and the Canary Islands. The big news on the 2027 calendar is the introduction of a new Rally Scotland, which will run across Aberdeenshire and Moray. It's the first time the series has visited the UK since Wales Rally GB in 2019.
03
The longest WRC stage
The famous El Brinco stage at Rally Mexico
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
The longest WRC stage was an 80km beast at the 2016 Rally México, which used some of the roads from the famous El Brinco stage. The record is unlikely to be beaten, as modern rally stages range from about 10km to 35km and the trend is to have more media-friendly shorter stages of 12km, with occasional extended runs to push the crews’ physical and mental capacities.
04
Cost of a WRC car
WRC cars cost a lot and have to take a fair amount of punishment
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
A 2024 WRC car reportedly cost up to €1.2m, which is a chunk of money for a vehicle that take a lot of punishment across the season. However, since 2025 the budget for a car has been capped - initially at €400,000, but with proposals to lower the limit further.
While innovations and improvements in areas like technology and road safety remain top priorities, the cost cap is aimed at boosting participation and getting more drivers, manufacturers and fans from around the world involved in motorsport. That means costly elements like the previous hybrid unit are out in favour of turbocharged engines running on 100-percent sustainable fuels.
05
WRC cars were so powerful, it was shocking
Hybrid-era cars had a bit of a buzz about them
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
During the hybrid era, cars recovered energy that would otherwise have been lost through braking and converted it to electricity - much like the current era of F1 cars. That created a 100kW boost of power to take the output over 500bhp. But that high-voltage electric current could be dangerous and could shock a hapless mechanic, marshal or eager fan. The red and green lights displayed around the cars were there to show when it's safe to touch the car and when to stay back.
06
The record breakers
Loeb in the garage
© Citroen Racing
The most successful driver in WRC is Sébastien Loeb. The nine-time World Rally Champion and has won 80 WRC rounds – starting in Germany 2002 and most recently in Monte-Carlo in 2022. From 184 starts, he's won 946 stages and stood on the podium 120 times. Sébastien Ogier is second on the list - but only just. He took his ninth WRC title in 2025 to move level with Loeb, but (at time of writing) 'only' had 68 rally wins and 834 stages from 208 starts.
07
Close but no cigar
Jari-Matti Latvala has 18 wins from 210 starts
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
At 18, Jari-Matti Latvala, now boss of Toyota Gazoo Racing, has the record for the most event wins in WRC without winning a title. He first competed at Rally GB in 2002 and most recently raced at his home event, Rally Finland, in 2023. His compatriot Mikko Hirvonen is second with 15 wins. Third on the list is Welshman and current Toyota driver Elfyn Evans, who only has the 12 victories to his name, but also has a strongest chance of getting himself off this list.
08
Progressing in leaps and bounds
Jumping king: Thierry Neuville leaps over Colin's Crest
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
85m is the long jump recorded in a rally car, set by Sébastien Loeb at Rally Turkey in 2010. Thierry Neuville set the longest distance on the WRC’s most famous jump – Colin’s Crest at Rally Sweden – with a 44m jump in 2015. The Belgian also came closest to Loeb's record with a 75m jump on Rally Finland’s Ruuhimäki Wolf Power Stage in 2022.
09
Youngest and oldest winners
Youngest winner and youngest World Champion: Kalle Rovanperä
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Evergreen Sébastien Loeb wins in Monte Carlo in 2022
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
10
The most successful manufacturer
Toyota's recent dominance has seen them shoot up the manufacturers' table
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Lancia have won the WRC more than any other manufacturer, with 10 titles. In second place is Toyota, who made it nine championships in 2025, having claimed every title since 2021 to shoot up the rankings. The Japanese marque also hold the record for most event wins, with 111 at time of writing.
11
Get a grip of those WRC tyres
Adrien Formaux changes tyres after a puncture
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Since changing manufacturers in 2025, crews have just 28 Hankook tyres to use across the rally, including the shakedown. The tyres come in a wide variety of treads and compounds, ranging from the Dynapro gravel tyres offering a soft option with a deep tread. The Ventus is for high-grip asphalt roads and comes in three different compounds. And then there's the Winter tyres, the i*cept with an aggressive tread for grip in snowy conditions and the i*pike with studs to dig in and find grip on icy roads in Sweden and Gap at the start of Rallye Monte-Carlo.
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