The top 10 WRC drivers of 2013

For the first time in a decade the World Rally Championship wasn't won by Sebastien Loeb. But it was still dominated by a Seb.

Volkswagen arrived in the WRC with its new Polo and Sebastien Ogier dominated in a manner not dissimilar to his Citroen-driving namesake. Nine wins from 13 events was impressive, and included two against outgoing legend Loeb.

In Ogier's wake, the drivers at Ford and Citroen had their moments, but were ultimately well-beaten.

Here then, is AUTOSPORT's top 10 drivers of a landmark WRC season.

1. SEBASTIEN OGIER

VW Motorsport VW Polo WRC
Championship position: 1st (290 points)
Wins: 9
Stage wins: 111

Got a minute? Got 15? Right, power-up, sit down, click here and watch Ogier on Ouninpohja in Finland. Look. Learn. Done? Good. That's what it takes to be a world champion.

Ogier was brilliant everywhere this year. But he was super-brilliant on the final stage in Finland. It still takes the breath away to see the way he savages sixth-gear corners, flicking the car at the apex and catching it at the exit at well over 100mph.

True talent doesn't come any more honest than that. Volkswagen dreamed of a season like this and Ogier made it come true. A magnificent year from the Frenchman.

2. THIERRY NEUVILLE

Qatar WRT (M-Sport) Ford Fiesta WRC
Championship position: 2nd (176 points)
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 22

Whacking a rock on Burzet in Monte Carlo just a mile from the place where he'd done it a year before wasn't the best way to ingratiate himself to the M-Sport team on round one. But from then on, the relationship between the Belgian and the Brits just built and built.

Neuville celebrated a podium for the first time in Mexico and went on to score six more en route to second in the championship.

His consistency over the last eight rounds of the series not only highlighted his comfort in a very fast World Rally Car, but also his ability to challenge Ogier in years to come.

3. SEBASTIEN LOEB

Citroen Total Abu Dhabi Citroen DS3 WRC
Championship position: 8th (68 points)
Wins: 2
Stage wins: 21

Is third a bit high for a man who only started four rallies this year? Not a bit of it. Loeb was the only man to lead the championship other than Ogier this season - and then stayed second for much of the first half of the year.

Loeb's class and natural ability shone through in Argentina and France, when he shook off a lack of match practice to demonstrate that he could still cut it at the highest level.

It was a real shame that he couldn't pull off one more win at home in France, but touring the streets he'd hung out on as a youth waving to his fans on the final afternoon was one of the most emotional moments of 2013.

4. ROBERT KUBICA

PH Sport Citroen DS3 RRC
Championship position: 13th (18 points), WRC2 champion
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 0

Delivered the expected speed on asphalt very quickly, but it was on the gravel that Kubica really impressed. He studied, he listened and he learned.

He quickly demonstrated that he was head and shoulders above much of the WRC2 opposition, but his sights were and are set some way higher than a class award.

Biggest disappointment of the year came in Wales. Forced to take a new co-driver, which included a switch from Polish to Italian, he binned his biggest chance yet in a factory Citroen.

Kubica's pace was definitely one of the season's talking points though. And that speed blended with a couple of years' experience could be enough to take him to the top.

5. JARI-MATTI LATVALA

VW Motorsport VW Polo WRC
Championship position: 3rd (162 points)
Wins: 1
Stage wins: 31

Found the Polo a difficult beast to tame through the first half of the year - a scenario that looked even worse given Ogier's hand-in-glove approach to a car he'd already spent a development season in.

A win on the Acropolis gave Latvala confidence, but a miserable Finland run took it away again. He remained ill-at-ease on the quick loose throughout the year, but his pace on asphalt was fabulous.

He absolutely deserved to win Catalunya and was in with a shot in France as well.

Definitely bore the brunt of VW's mechanical issues through the season, but Latvala is still capable of carrying the fight to Ogier. He just needs to be clever, confident and quick.

6. MIKKO HIRVONEN

Citroen Total Abu Dhabi Citroen DS3 WRC
Championship position: 4th (126 points)
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 10

This was definitely supposed to be Mikko's year. And it couldn't have gone more wrong.

After a typically tough Monte, Hirvonen heaped pressure on himself to win Sweden and promptly put it in the trees.

From then on that pressure got bigger and bigger. When everything worked, he was second to Ogier, but all too often luck wasn't with him - witness the puncture and then electrical failure that ruled him out of the fight in Argentina.

Or dropping a load of time after being forced to run in comfortably the worst of the rain in Finland. Or co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen making a totally out of character error in Wales.

Hirvonen deserved more. And should have taken more.

7. MADS OSTBERG

Qatar WRT (M-Sport) Ford Fiesta WRC
Championship position: 6th (102 points)
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 17

Pretty much shattered by a water-related engine problem in Sweden, Ostberg's luck didn't improve with an electrical problem in Mexico.

Portugal started well, with a real challenge to Ogier before an uncharacteristic roll on SS3. There was another shunt in Sardinia. And the season went downhill from there...

Ostberg looked a shadow of the driver whom M-Sport and Citroen had squabbled over at the end of 2012. A problem with his eyesight played on his mind, but in Wales, seeing straight again, he was much more like his old self.

8. ANDREAS MIKKELSEN

VW Motorsport VW Polo WRC
Championship position: 10th (50 points)
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 8

Mikkelsen started his programme in Portugal, but stopped it again for Germany when his co-driver was unable to start after injuring his back in Finland.

The two-time Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion drove this season with his head.

He was relaxed and confident enough in himself and his position within the Volkswagen team that he didn't feel compelled to press on and try to prove something.

That said, when he did get busy with a battle, he showed great speed and the kind of ability that will make him a real threat to Ogier in the coming years.

9. ELFYN EVANS

Qatar WRT (M-Sport) Ford Fiesta R5
Championship position: 12th (20 points)
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 0

Evans made the most of a great opportunity courtesy of Malcolm Wilson and M-Sport. He picked up plenty of experience of the WRC this season and helped no end with the development of the Fiesta R5.

The highlight of the year had to be jumping into Nasser Al-Attiyah's World Rally Car at the last minute for Sardinia - and then landing a hugely impressive sixth place.

He then showed a real turn of speed in Germany and fabulous maturity on his home round in Wales last month. Forget the fact that he missed out on WRC2 glory, like the WRC2 winner (Kubica) this boy has hit sights set much higher.

10. DANI SORDO

Citroen Total Abu Dhabi Citroen DS3 WRC
Championship position: 5th (123 points)
Wins: 1
Stage wins: 13

What a massively odd year for the Spaniard. Struggled like mad to find balance and confidence in the Citroen as he came back to the DS3 WRC after a couple of years in a much stiffer Mini. But his struggle was sporadic: wonderful in Portugal, woeful in Mexico...

He totally couldn't come to terms with Finland and was dropped for Australia. And in the middle of all that, he scored his first ever WRC win after edging Neuville in Germany.

Paid a heavy price for a silly mistake in Spain and was pretty much nowhere in the ever-changing conditions in Wales.