2024 WRC drivers and teams

Pajari to replace Katsuta in Chile

Updated: Wednesday 11^th September. Takamoto Katsuta will be replaced by youngster Sami Pajari at Toyota for the Chile round of the World Rally Championship.

Katsuta has been coming under more and more pressure during a disappointing season, with Pajari impressing greatly in his only Rally1 chance so far in Finland. He followed up fourth place in his home rally in the top category by taking a Rally2 car to the same overall position in the Acropolis Rally in Greece last weekend.

Speaking about the change, Toyota boss Jari-Matti Latvala said: “It has been a tough season, but he [Katsuta] has the full support of the team and everybody knows that he has the speed. With this break, he has a chance to reset and recharge ready for the last two events which will be important – especially Rally Japan, of course, where we hope he can be fighting for the podium places again.”

He added: “After the great performance that Sami Pajari showed at Rally Finland, we wanted to see more of what he can do in a Rally1 car. The main goal in Finland was to gain experience, but he already demonstrated his high potential. In Greece, too, he again showed the high level he’s been driving at with the GR Yaris Rally2 car.

“As we look to invest further in talented young drivers for the future, it’s important to learn more about Sami’s abilities, firstly on some different gravel roads on the other side of the world in Chile, and then on asphalt in Central Europe. He will be driving a fourth car, so there is no pressure upon him to contribute towards the championship. For us it’s more about investing in the future and gaining that experience.”

Sesks to return to WRC in Chile

Updated: Tuesday 27^th August. Mārtiņš Sesks will follow up his stunning Rally1 debut at his home rally in Latvia, with a trip to the other side of the globe, as he begins his second ever hybrid WRC event in Chile.

The 24-year-old stunned the rallying world with his Rally1 debut, which was funded in part by the WRC itself. Now WRC Promoter, which runs the WRC, has stepped in to help fund a second Rally1 drive with M-Sport Ford in the WRC's only South American round.

Speaking of the decision, Peter Thul, Senior Director of Sport at WRC Promotor said: “We are thrilled to see Mārtiņš return to the Rally1 category and proud to continue supporting such a promising young talent. Mārtiņš has already shown remarkable speed and determination in Poland and Latvia, and we believe his future in the WRC is exceptionally bright. Supporting the next generation is crucial for the continued growth and excitement of the WRC, and our commitment to nurturing young talent remains stronger than ever.”

Sesks added: “We are very grateful for the opportunity to drive a Rally1 car again, just two months after our previous rally. It’s been an incredible adventure so far, and the experience of driving keeps getting better. Competing in Chile in a Rally1 car is truly amazing, so I'd like to give a big thank you to the WRC Promoter and M-Sport for their support and cooperation.”

First non-hybrid Rally1 car to join WRC

Updated: Monday 22^nd April. The first non-hybrid Rally1 car will take part in the WRC as part of a two-round deal for Latvian ERC runner-up Mārtiņš Sesks. The three-time ERC rally winner will drive a non-hybrid Ford Puma Rally1 in Rally Poland and a full hybrid car in his home event in Latvia.

The move has been funded by a collaboration between M-Sport, which runs the Ford Puma effort, and WRC Promoter, which runs the WRC. Sesks has experience on both the rallies, winning them as part of the European Rally Championship last year on his way to second in the championship.

The use of a non-hybrid car is allowed in the WRC after a tweak to the rules for 2024. While the spec hybrid system will not be fitted to Sesks’ Puma, it will have to carry extra ballast to compensate for the reduced weight.

Commenting on the move, WRC Promoter’s Senior Director of Sport, Peter Thul said: “We identified the need to put more resources into supporting the next generation of potential WRC world champions and assisting them in making the challenging step from the support categories to our sport’s highest echelon.

“Martins' performances in the past two seasons of the ERC have deemed him a worthy recipient of this support. He has demonstrated a winning edge in Latvia and Poland and we believe that with time, he will become a regular face in the WRC.”

M-Sport confirms overhauled line-up for WRC 2024

Updated: Wednesday 3^rd January. M-Sport Ford has revealed its driving line-up for 2024, replacing both the Hyundai-bound Ott Tänak and Pierre-Louis Loubet for an all-new team.

Adrien Formaux will return to the seat of a Rally1 car full-time after stepping back down to WRC2 and the British Rally Championship in 2023. Formaux had been a rising star in the WRC ranks with M-Sport before a difficult 2022 saw him step away from the top level of the sport. He made a single Rally1 appearance last season stepping in for Loubet at the closing Rally Japan.

The second seat will be taken by Grégoire Munster. The 25-year-old former Hyundai junior moved to M-Sport last year, competing in several rounds of the WRC2 championship as well as two events in the full Rally1 car taking over from Jourdan Serderidis. The high point came in the Central European Rally when he finished seventh.

While Tanak had already confirmed his rapid return to the Hyundai fold, the future for Loubet remains unclear. He spent the beginning of 2024 taking part in his first ever Rally Raid event in the Africa Eco Race.

The addition means that the 2024 WRC season will have at least six Rally1 cars competing in each event, with both Toyota and Hyundai set to field extra cars in selected rounds.

Updated: Monday 20 November 2023 at 11:20am. Double World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanperä will not defend his title with a full season drive at Toyota, it has been announced.

The 23-year-old has signed a ‘multi-year’ deal to remain with Toyota, but will drive only half the rounds of the 2024 WRC season. Rovanperä has begun a career in drifting in 2023, and while still committed to rallying is expected to use the time away from the WRC to spend more time in his new sport.

The rest of the Toyota WRC team will remain the same for 2024, with 2023 championship runner-up Elfyn Evans returning for a full campaign alongside Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta.

Sebastien Ogier will also return for another part-time season with Toyota. The eight-time WRC Champion won three rallies in 2023 and has been enjoying his partial campaigns, which have also been dovetailed with some sportscar racing in WEC.

Updated: Thursday 16^th November at 12:30. Esapekka Lappi with continue to rally with Hyundai in the WRC in 2024, but will step back from his 2023 full-time programme to a part-time shared seat.

The Finn joined Hyundai full-time for 2023 after a part-time programme for Toyota the previous season. After an early-year run of podiums his campaign has gone off the boil in the second half following a run of serious crashes.

After Hyundai re-signed 2019 World Champion Ott Tanak for 2024 it seemed likely that there would not be a full-time place for Lappi in 2024 and this was confirmed by Lappi and the team.

Hyundai is still to decide on whether it looks to run four cars in 2024 – as rival Toyota has done several times this year – and is yet to announce whether fellow part-time driver Dani Sordo will be retained for 2024.

Very few of the potential places on the WRC have been confirmed for the 2024 season as we write this. That’s mostly because there are still rounds left to go on the current 2023 calendar, but there is also uncertainty still hangs over the future of the championship’s teams.

Which teams will be in the WRC in 2024?

Toyota and Hyundai in Rally1. That’s it for certain. M-Sport Ford currently has a question mark hanging over it, the company has lost its main driver for the new season – with Ott Tänak making the slightly surprising move back to Hyundai for 2024 – and has been honest about budget issues that it faces. It could be that in 2024 we still see the Puma Rally on the stages, but in more privateer funded hands.

Which drivers are confirmed for WRC 2024?

Thierry Neuville has long been a confirmed driver for Hyundai for next season, and he will be joined by 2019 world champion Ott Tänak, who returns to the team after a year away at M-Sport.

Which places are up for grabs in WRC 2023?

Beyond that no one has been confirmed. It would seem bonkers to think that current world champion and likely 2024 winner Kalle Rovanperä won’t return to defend his title with Toyota. Meanwhile Elfyn Evans’ renewed confidence in 2023 has seen him become the only real challenger to his phenomena of a team-mate, which suggests he too will be retained.

Takamoto Katsuta’s first season as a full-time WRC driver has been more difficult than we might have expected, but with Toyota’s backing through his career so far and impressive previous years it seems logical that he will return. Eight-time champion Sebastian Ogier also seems set to return for a part-time campaign again.

Then there’s the question of the final place at Hyundai and whether there will be another one added. Since joining the team, new principal Cyril Abiteboul (he of Drive to Survive fights with Christian Horner over Daniel Ricciardo and engines at Renault), has changed the culture enough to entice Ott Tanak back and re-instated Hyundai’s young driver programme.

The second car this year has been in the hands of Esapekka Lappi, who has shown flashes of the excellent pace that we all know he has, but also managed to destroy a car or two. With Tanak joining, the question is whether Hyundai wants to add another car to give Lappi another full season. If so it will most likely be a four-car effort, with the final car reserved for a mixture of Dani Sordo and Hyundai’s young drivers – including the likes of Timo Suninen.

If M-Sport does find the cash to continue, it will be interesting to see who drives its cars. Adrian Formaux had that chance in 2022 but struggled and was demoted to WRC2 and local rallies for 2023. His replacement Pierre-Louis Loubet then also struggled to adapt to a full-time WRC drive. Both are extremely talented young drivers in real need of opportunities, so no matter what, there’s a tough decision for Malcolm Wilson and his team.

Are any drivers leaving the WRC for 2024?

One is definitely. Jourdan Serderidis, the Greco-Belgian privateer who ran one of M-Sport’s Pumas through the last few seasons has elected to retire from driving at the end of 2023. Serderidis might not have been anywhere near as fast as the pros on the stages, but his smile and relationship with his co-driver will be missed, and of course the money he was willing to put in to ensure there was another car on the grid.

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.