Has the WRC found the sweet spot with its 2025 points system?

The World Rally Championship will adopt a revamped and much simpler points system next year to replace 2024’s widely criticised and often confusing concept. Confirmation of the new system, announced at last week's World Motor Sport Council, has been much anticipated following a season where the distribution of points generated more headlines than the rallies themselves.

Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier went as far as labelling this year’s points system a “joke”, with his main gripe being that this complex system devalued rally wins and was difficult to understand. His was a view shared by his rivals, teams and fans.

However, the FIA has addressed this for 2025 and it seems a step in the right direction has been achieved. It should not only safeguard the positives of this year’s format, but significantly reduce the negatives too.

This year’s radical points system was introduced with good intentions - to spice up the action on Sundays, which had become dull as crews often elected to cruise through stages and save their rubber for the final points-paying Power Stage.

The introduction of a sliding scale (18-15-13-10-8-6-4-3-2-1) that would be awarded at the end of Saturday, but only banked if a crew finished a rally win Sunday, added a new dimension to proceedings. When combined with a maximum of 12 points offered on ‘Super Sunday', it left open the possibility that winners would not always bank the most points, and on four occasions (Sweden, Portugal, Latvia and Central Europe) in 2024, the driver that stood on the top step of the podium walked away with fewer points than the driver in second.

Not only did the new system devalue the win, but it offered a second chance for drivers who retired early in the event to still leave with 12 points. That is a significant prize for completing three or four stages at most rallies.

Tanak still picked up 11 points in Poland despite retiring after his altercation with a deer

Photo by: Tomasz Kaliński

On the plus side, the drama levels on Sundays reached new heights and offering several thrilling climaxes to rallies - most notably the Japan season finale, where the manufacturers' title was decided on the final stage. It offered new challenges to drivers, which many embraced.

“What has been clear this year is that the Sundays have been super exciting for everybody," said 2024 world champion Thierry Neuville before the new points system was unveiled. “For us, it was super fun, as it is a different kind of preparation; you make the cars fast and as light as you can, to make sure you get the maximum points because a few tenths can change a lot.

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“For me it was interesting. We need to keep that [Sunday excitement] somehow, but I think the reward for those that retire and are then able to take 12 points [on Sunday] should be lower.”

Saturday points have been abolished and the winner stands to score eight more points than the runner-up

While the improved action is great, if the viewer is struggling to understand what they are watching then it's probably a sign that a change is required. Although the points system achieved its original goal, hindsight suggests it went too far in one direction.

What will change for 2025 and will it work?

After working through several points system proposals, the FIA has voted on a system that has on paper redressed the balance.

From next year the total points available from a rally will increase from 30 to 35. Saturday points have been abolished, with the scale 25-17-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 awarded to the top 10 at the end of a rally. It is important to note that the winner stands to score eight more points than the runner-up.

Super Sunday excitement should remain intact, but its points weighting has decreased from 12 to 10. Instead of the top seven crews scoring points, it is now the top five on Sunday’s classification that score, while the Power Stage points structure (5-4-3-2-1) remains untouched.

Increasing the gulf in points offered to winners over runners-up is a measure that meets approval with Rovanpera

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

“This one [points system] already looks better,” said Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera when asked about the new structure. “This year it was just bad, so let’s hope the points system works for us.”

The points system does appear to be a reasonable compromise. The value of the rally victory has been restored, and while it is still possible for a driver finishing second to score more points than the winner, the chances have been significantly reduced.

Perhaps the best example that illustrates how this new structure values victories more is if you apply it to Rovanpera’s part-time 2024 campaign. The Finn netted 114 points, taking four wins during a reduced schedule before he returns to full-time status next year. But under the 2025 system, he would gain a further 18 points, which if translated directly to the results from 2024 would have been enough to lift Rovanpera from seventh to sixth in the championship.

It is always difficult to make comparisons, as competitors will approach rallies differently with the new points system. But on the face of it, the result of the 2024 title race wouldn’t have changed a great deal if 2025's system was applied.

Neuville would still come out on top, albeit with a slightly smaller margin of 28 points over runner-up Elfyn Evans. Neuville, who mastered this year’s system the best, would only gain seven points on his 2024 tally, while Evans (+11) and Ott Tanak (+16) would both have benefitted - albeit without changing their position in the rankings.

This, of course, is all hypothetical, as the 2025 points system faces its litmus test next year. But in principle, the key problems appear to have been resolved. Victories are rewarded more, the structure is simpler, and fans should still be able to enjoy the edge-of-the-seat Super Sunday action that made the 2024 WRC title fights among the most exciting in years. Bring it on.

Can Neuville defend his title with the new points system next year?

Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport