Ranking the top 10 WRC drivers of 2024

There was no shortage of standout drives and mesmerising performances as a blend of the World Rally Championship’s old guard and new faces lit up the timing screens in 2024.

Rallying crowned a new world champion in Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, the WRC’s 'nearly man' finally ascending to the top having been runner-up on five previous occasions.

Six crews could call themselves winners this year, while nine pairings enjoyed visits to the podium in what proved be a season where seemingly anything was possible.

It is fair to say selecting this year’s 10 has possibly been the most difficult for many years given the influx of part-time drivers, but here’s Autosport’s line-up.

10. Oliver Solberg - Skoda Motorsport

Oliver Solberg may have found himself unlucky not to take home the WRC2 title

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Wins: 3 (in WRC2)
Total Podiums: 5 (in WRC2)
Stage wins: 57 (in WRC2)
Championship position: 13th, 2nd in WRC2

More often than not, Oliver Solberg set the pace in a WRC2 field stacked with talent. Had the results of Rally Chile fallen more kindly, he could so easily have ended the year as the WRC2 champion.

This was the Swede’s best shot at the WRC2 title to date, but Solberg ended the campaign three points adrift of eventual champion Sami Pajari. The statistics proved the Skoda driver was the fastest as he racked up the most WRC2 stage wins, with 57 to Pajari’s 24.

Impressive class wins in Sweden, Latvia and Finland seemingly had Solberg on course for the WRC2 title, which he could have wrapped up with another win in Chile. However, a puncture followed by a controversial nominal time being awarded to rival Yohan Rossel left his title hopes hanging in the balance, and ultimately he lost out to Pajari.

Solberg will no doubt be the favourite for the 2025 WRC2 title after joining Toyota and, if this current trajectory continues, he will be soon knocking on the Rally1 door again.

9. Dani Sordo - Hyundai Motorsport

Dani Sordo rolled back the years with his cameo appearances in the third Hyundai, outshining Lappi and Mikkelsen

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Wins: 0
Total Podiums: 2
Stage wins: 3
Championship position: 9th

The elder statesman of the WRC service park once again rolled back the years to deliver for Hyundai Motorsport in 2024. Sordo only contested three rallies but utilised all of his speed and experience to turn heads, finishing no worse than fifth, while scoring valuable podiums and points in Sardinia and Greece in what could be his final season in WRC.

Sordo’s most impressive display came in Greece, where he ran second behind team-mate and eventual rally winner Thierry Neuville.

The 41-year-old was the pick of Hyundai’s third car drivers, scoring 44 points from his three rallies. Team-mates Esapekka Lappi, who claimed victory in Sweden, and Andreas Mikkelsen were handed five rallies each but could only score 33 and 40 points respectively. Had Hyundai utilised the Spaniard more during the year, it could have made the difference in the manufacturers' title battle.

Hyundai's decision to sign Adrien Fourmaux for its third car on a full-time basis next year means Sordo’s future is uncertain, although he could prove to be a more than capable option should the Korean marque choose to run a fourth car.

8. Martins Sesks - M-Sport-Ford

Martins Sesks has put down the foundations for a future starring role in the WRC

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Wins: 0
Best result: 5th (Poland)
Stage wins: 2
Championship position: 15th

The Latvian appears destined to be a future star of the WRC after lighting up the championship in three Rally1 appearance for M-Sport-Ford.

Sesks made the most of an opportunity afforded to him by the WRC Promoter, impressing the rally world with not only his blistering speed, but a hugely likeable attitude that quickly made him a fan favourite.

Already a known quantity on the European Rally Championship scene, Sesks turned heads on his Rally1 debut, finishing fifth in Poland while driving a non-hybrid powered Puma against his hybrid-equipped rivals.

He came within a handful of kilometres of landing a podium at his home round in Latvia before a technical issue slowed him on the final stage. Sesks did however score two breakthrough WRC stage wins in the event, before going on to show solid pace in Chile, a round completely unknown to the 25-year-old unlike Poland and Latvia.

Sesks will surely be a sought-after signing for Rally1 teams moving forward.

7. Sami Pajari - Toyota Gazoo Racing

Sami Pajari will step up to Toyota's line-up on a permanent basis after winning the WRC2 title

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Wins: 3 (in WRC2)
Total Podiums: 6 (in WRC2)
Stage wins: 1 (24 in WRC2)
Championship position: 10th, 1st in WRC2

The fact Toyota has signed Sami Pajari to a full-time drive as part of its 2025 Rally1 programme is a strong indication as to how good the Finn’s season has been.

Pajari finished six of his seven WRC2 points scoring rounds on the podium, and won three times in Sardinia, Poland and Greece. The 23-year-old and co-driver Enni Malkonen ultimately secured the WRC2 title by finishing second in Japan to snatch the crown away from Oliver Solberg.

Pajari’s run to the WRC2 title came amid three outings with Toyota’s Rally1 line-up. The Finn delivered speed on his Rally1 debut in Finland to finish an impressive fourth overall, netting a maiden WRC stage win on the famous Ruuhimaki test, and went on to finish sixth in Chile.

A crash on the Sunday at the Central European Rally proved the only black mark on a stunning campaign that saw the emergence of rallying’s new flying Finn.

6. Elfyn Evans - Toyota Gazoo Racing

A tough year for Elfyn Evans still resulted in a championship runner-up spot

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Wins: 1 (Japan)
Total Podiums: 7
Stage wins: 24
Championship position: 2nd

By his own admission 2024 wasn’t a vintage year for Elfyn Evans, despite actually finishing runner-up in the championship for a fourth time.

“It has not been a great season from that side and I would say I have not had the feeling I have had even in previous years behind the wheel,” said Evans after Ott Tanak’s final day crash handed him victory in the Rally Japan season finale.

Herein lies the crux of Evans’ season. The Welshman scored more second place finishes than anyone, but the Toyota driver often didn’t have the edge or confidence in the GR Yaris to consistently challenge for victories.

A retirement in Finland proved hugely costly, while Evans also suffered plenty of misfortune which compounded efforts to chase down Neuville. In Croatia, a final day spin threw away a victory chance, while in Portugal and Greece he suffered punctures. Thick fog arriving at the worst time hampered another victory bid in Chile.

Crucially, Evans picked up only 76 points from Super Sundays, where rivals Neuville and Tanak took 104 and 98 points respectively - a stat which also hindered his title ambitions.

5. Adrien Fourmaux - M-Sport-Ford

Adrien Fourmaux's performances earned a move to Hyundai for next season

Photo by: M-Sport

Wins: 0
Total Podiums: 5
Stage wins: 11
Championship position: 5th

Quite simply, the Frenchman was the revelation of the season on his return to Rally1 with M-Sport and could easily have found his way higher up the list.

M-Sport’s faith in standing by Fourmaux, after a difficult crash strewn 2022 Rally1 campaign, was well and truly repaid. Fourmaux spent 2023 competing in Rally2 machinery as he looked to rebuild himself and the decision worked wonders.

A much faster and mentally strong Fourmaux delivered five podium finishes, including a career first rostrum in Sweden. The 29-year-old went on to back that up with an impressive run to third in Kenya, avoiding the many pitfalls that derailed his rivals, and sat third in the championship after three rounds. Further third place finishes arrived in Poland, Finland and Japan, to ensure he scored rostrums on all surfaces.

Fourmaux was not only fast but consistent in squeezing everything from his Ford Puma, which wasn’t as developed compared to the GR Yaris and i20 N. He also scored points in every round, a feat only matched by champion Neuville.

The reward for a breakout 2024 arrived in a lucrative move to Hyundai for 2025, where he has already made a strong start to life in sky blue and orange.

4. Ott Tanak - Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tanak was mighty when everything went well, but mistakes took the title away from his reach

Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport

Wins: 2 (Sardinia, Central Europe)
Total Podiums: 6
Stage wins: 29
Championship position: 3rd

The fact Tanak was able to take the title fight down to the wire after a topsy-turvy campaign outlined the Hyundai driver’s resilience, but in truth 2024 was not one of the Estonian’s best.

There were no issues with Tanak’s speed on his return to Hyundai’s World Rally Championship squad after a season at M-Sport, but consistency was lacking.

The Estonian wasn’t always comfortable behind the wheel of a much improved i20 N Rally compared to the 2022-spec car, but he was able to tame it to his liking towards the end of the year. Still, Neuville edged him throughout the year with the former taking 45 stage wins to Tanak’s 29.

Misjudging an icy corner in Monte Carlo, followed by crashes in Sweden and Kenya, left Tanak on the back foot while an unavoidable collision with a deer in Poland further dented Tanak’s title hopes. A sizeable crash in Finland was his own doing, resulting in a costly DNF.

When everything did come together Tanak was incredibly strong, as highlighted by wins in Sardinia and Central Europe. A strong haul of 98 points from Super Sundays kept Neuville on his toes.

Tanak could have found himself higher in the list had he not made a rather expensive and unforced error while leading in Japan, which ultimately cost Hyundai the manufacturers’ title.

3. Sebastien Ogier - Toyota Gazoo Racing

Sébastien Ogier did more rallies than initially planned, such was his early form in the Toyota

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Wins: 3 (Croatia, Portugal, Finland)
Total Podiums: 6
Stage wins: 52
Championship position: 4th

The eight-time world champion was only supposed to contest a partial campaign in 2024. But such was his speed, Toyota persuaded Ogier to contest 10 rounds that briefly led to a tilt for a ninth world title. Ogier was also instrumental in Toyota’s ultimately successful manufacturers’ title bid.

The 40-year-old delivered his very best to score three wins, including a record breaking sixth triumph in Portugal to surpass the WRC great Markku Alen. 

Victories in Croatia and Finland also proved key for Toyota, but were not so pivotal as a mesmerising final stage of the year that snatched the manufacturers’ title from Hyundai in Japan. The drive was among the best performances of the season.

Ogier topped the stage wins chart (52), outlining his ever-present speed, and could have scored more victories had the final rounds of the season played into his hands. In Greece a turbo failure put him on the back foot before a rare roll on the final stage, which was followed by collector's item crashes in Chile and Central European that ended his faint drivers’ title hopes.

2. Kalle Rovanpera - Toyota Gazoo Racing

Kalle Rovanpera proved why he is a world champion during his part-time season with four wins

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Wins: 4 (Kenya, Poland, Latvia, Chile)
Total Podiums: 4
Stage wins: 47
Championship position: 7th

The two-time world rally champion opted against defending his title this year for a partial campaign to recharge his batteries and expand his motorsport horizons.

While the 24-year-old only contested seven WRC rallies, he continued to turn heads by leading all of them. Rovanpera scored more wins than any driver in the championship this year and surpassed the tally achieved in his 2023 title run, with triumphs in Kenya, Poland, Latvia and Chile along the way.

The Poland victory will be no doubt be regarded among the best of his career, acting as a super sub for the injured Sebastien Ogier. Despite limited preparation, a rushed recce and sleepless nights trying to prepare for stages, Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen dominated the event in what was the drive of the season - which earns the Finn a lofty position in this list.

Rovanpera could so easily have racked up seven wins had he not crashed in Sweden and Portugal, but there was little he could do to avoid a rock that robbed him a dominant Finland win on the penultimate stage.

In his six outings, Rovanpera racked up 47 stage wins - only five behind the benchmark set by Ogier, who contested four more rallies.

1. Thierry Neuville - Hyundai Motorpsort

Thierry Neuville finally realised his dream of winning the WRC title

Photo by: Romain Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport

Wins: 2
Total Podiums: 6
Stage wins: 50
Championship position: 1st

After 17 years of hard graft, Thierry Neuville can finally call himself a world rally champion.

Often regarded as one of the best drivers never to lift the title, the five-time runner-up enjoyed a standout season as he led the championship from start to finish, a feat most recently achieved by Sebastien Ogier in 2016.

Neuville was not only fast and consistent in 2024, but mentally strong to cope with the rigours of opening the road for the entire season.

Neuville scored two impressive victories, the first in Monte Carlo where the Hyundai driver scored the only maximum points haul of the season. The second, at the Acropolis Rally, came under serious pressure as the weight of opening the roads took its toll.

The Hyundai driver refused to buckle amid Ogier’s mind games in Greece, where the Frenchman suggested Neuville should “stop crying” and “learn how to open the road”, as he scored an emphatic win. But perhaps the best example of Neuville’s steely resolve was his refusal to panic when a turbo failure in Japan dented his title hopes.

Neuville mastered the WRC’s controversial new points system the best, scoring 104 of his 242 points from Super Sundays. His speed and consistency, as one of only two drivers to score points in every round, was duly rewarded.

Will Neuville remain the driver to beat in WRC 2025?

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool