2025 WRC Drivers and Teams

Thierry Neuville re-signs for Hyundai

Updated: Thursday 5^th September. Current WRC championship leader Thierry Neuville has signed a new one-year contract to stay with Hyundai in the World Rally Championship for 2025.

With debate still swirling as to the nature of Hyundai’s participation after 2025, the length of Neuville’s new contract does nothing to quell the questions around the Korean firm’s WRC future.

The new season will be Neuville’s 12th consecutive with Hyundai - where he has remained since he left M-Sport Ford.

Speaking of the new contract Neuville said: “There are not many partnerships in motorsport that have spanned as long as ours, but since 2014 we have achieved great success together. I’ve said before that this team has become a second family to me, and our ambition and motivation has only grown year after year.

“I am very happy to extend my contract with Hyundai Motorsport for the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season. It would be a great honour to win our first drivers’ title with them at the end of this season, and to carry that forward into a 12th year together. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.” 

Which manufacturers will take part in the WRC in 2025?

The same ones as have taken part since 2020. So, Ford in M-Sport guise, Hyundai and Toyota. There’s no suggestion at the moment that any new manufacturers are considering joining in the near future, which is what has caused the FIA’s attempt to overhaul the regulations. As we know those attempts failed, and so we will see the same three teams continue for another season.

Which drivers are confirmed for 2025 in the WRC?

At the moment, just three. 

Thierry Neuville has just re-signed for Hyundai on a new one-year contract and Cyril Abiteboul has confirmed that 2019 champion Ott Tänak will also be back in a Hyundai i20N next season, having rejoined the team at the start of 2024 and seeming much happier at the Korean marque than in his last spell.

The other driver is two-time World Champion Kalle Rovanperä who is set to return to a full-time drive in 2025 after taking a year out of proper contention in 2024. The Finn spent 2024 winning the rallies that he did enter, having a go at drifting full-time and even circuit racing, with quite a lot of success. He said before he left the WRC that his time away would help him be even better when he came back, which should be scary for everyone else.

Who else will drive for Toyota?

We don’t currently see a reason why that wouldn’t be Elfyn Evans; the Welshman might not have had the best first half of his 2024, but he’s still the benchmark for consistency and has not really let Toyota down in his time with the team. 

The identity of the third full-time driver is a little more difficult to tell. Takamoto Katsuta has been Toyota’s project for several years, but his progress seems to have stalled in 2024. Podiums in the previous few seasons were followed up by being comprehensively behind all other full-time 2024 drivers other than debutant Grégoire Munster.

Toyota boss Jari-Matti Latvala admitted that he was going to seriously have to consider Sami Pajari as a potential for a 2025 drive following the youngster’s Rally1 debut in Finland in 2024, potentially putting Katsuta at risk? Perhaps he might find himself sharing a drive with Pajari.

Whether or not he wins a ninth championship in 2025, we also can’t really see Sébastien Ogier fully walking away from the series just yet. He seemed to be enjoying rallying almost more than ever in 2024, and with Pirelli no longer on the scene to draw the Frenchman’s ire there seem to be even fewer realistic obstacles to the odd appearance.

The first person on the potential replacement list appears to be Adrien Fourmaux. The Frenchman has impressed massively since he returned to a Rally1 car this year, finishing on the podium regularly and technically remaining in contention for the title with just four rounds to go. That seems to have caught the eye of Cyril Abiteboul and Hyundai, so Fourmaux might have some thinking to do before the new year.

Hyundai could also think about returning to Oliver Solberg. They dumped the young Swede rather unceremoniously at the end of the 2022 season following a few incidents. At the time it seemed harsh, and Solberg has spent his time since rebuilding his reputation in WRC-2. He currently leads those standings after a dominant performance in Finland and surely must be catching the eye of those at his old team.

And what about M-Sport Ford?

Always the last ones we know anything about, the underfunded British sort-of factory team regularly punches above its weight. There’s no doubt that there is potential in the Puma Rally1 (it has won events and Adrian Fourmaux is one of the stars of 2024) but the lack of cash compared to rivals means not only does the team that took Seb Ogier to his 2017 and ‘18 titles struggle to recruit drivers, but it has little budget for development and testing.  

If Fourmaux goes, you would expect that M-Sport will take a serious look at whether it can fund a drive for Mārtiņš Sesks. The Latvian’s one-off Rally1 Hybrid appearance in his homeland drew rave reviews and impressed the team. M-Sport must be wondering what a full season could do for him.

Then, there’s the question of Grégoire Munster. There’s no doubt that some money must be coming with the Luxembourg driver, but is that money enough to offset the second car sitting among the WRC-2 competitors in the overall standings? Yes, 2024 is a learning year, but does anyone think that the step up will be enough to justify a second crack? If someone like Oliver Solberg could bring budget for the following year, who knows (although Solberg himself seems unlikely given M-Sport’s Red Bull sponsorship and Solberg’s support from Monster…).

Beyond that we really don’t know anything, so keep an eye on GRR for updates on the state of play through WRC silly season.

WRC 2025 drivers and teams

Images courtesy of Motorsport Images