How the WRC's points shakeup has split opinion - and 2024's other new elements

Arguably the biggest change heading into the 2024 season is the FIA’s decision to introduce an all-new points scoring system.

Points will be awarded under the scale of 18-15-13-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 to those in the top 10 at the end of Saturday, but only to those crews who reach the final classification of the rally at the end of Sunday. The Saturday points of any crew who fail to finish on Sunday will be awarded to the next best-placed pairing. Additional points will be awarded for a separate classification based purely on the Sunday stages to the top seven, on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

The prime reason for the new system is to prevent drivers from cruising through Sunday’s stages preserving tyres for the end-of-rally Power Stage. Points for the Power Stage will remain unchanged, with the five fastest drivers receiving bonus points, from five for the winner to one for fifth.

The winner of the rally will, as usual, be determined by combined overall times from the start of the event, and there is still a maximum possible 30 points available at each round. But the new system raises the potential for the winner to leave the weekend without the biggest points haul.

It has sparked plenty of debate among drivers and team bosses…

Elfyn Evans, Toyota driver

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Evans: "It has devalued the value of an event win a little bit"

“I can’t say I’m huge fan and I think it has devalued the value of an event win a little bit, in that somebody who finishes fourth in a rally can still have the opportunity to walk away with more points than the rally winner. It’s complicated. It’s difficult to work out who is doing what and, if you come away from a rally weekend with only 18 points, it’s not going to feel like such a rewarding rally victory.”

Ott Tanak, Hyundai driver

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Tanak: "It won’t change anything as you need to take the maximum from everything"

“Let’s see how it works out. In terms of approach, it won’t change anything as you need to take the maximum from everything. It’s always easy to criticise but generally let’s say the meaning of victory is quite a lot less, so it’s not a big difference anymore if you are winning or second. It just gets a bit more complicated as well. I guess for us as the drivers it doesn’t really change anything. For sure, it means that you have to maximise on Sunday.”

Thierry Neuville, Hyundai driver

Photo by: Fabien Dufour / Hyundai Motorsport

Neuville: "Those with a bad starting position need minimum Saturday and Sunday to catch back some time, and this will not be possible anymore"

“It’s going to add more excitement and a bit of strategy as well. But for sure the drivers that are going to start with a good road position are going to be securing already a big amount of points on the Saturday night, so for those with a bad starting position you need minimum Saturday and Sunday to catch back some time, and this will not be possible anymore.”

Adrien Fourmaux, M-Sport-Ford driver

Photo by: M-Sport

Fourmaux: "It will make the championship tighter"

“I think it will make the championship tighter for sure and it will make the drivers push on the Sunday. If you lose something on Saturday, you can still score points on Sunday or the opposite: if you have a really bad Sunday, you still have your points from Saturday [if you reach the finish]. You can score more points if you get to the end all the time, but you can also lose a lot if you retire.”

Cyril Abiteboul, Hyundai team principal

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Abiteboul: "There are a few things that probably need to be looked into and taken into consideration"

“We’ve been brainstorming with other teams and the FIA, and we came up with a proposal to split the weekend into two parts. There is a level of complexity having gone through the promoter, the FIA and the WRC Commission, and it’s a bit more complex than initially designed.

“But as long as it still achieves the effect of making Sunday more exciting than what is has been, I will be a happy man. Let’s see how the WRC community can take advantage of this opportunity to tell a new story, which hopefully can be a positive effect in capturing a new type of fan. We need the casual fans that Formula 1 has been capable of capturing by testing new things like this.

“There are a few things that probably need to be looked into and taken into consideration. For example, the road orders need to be considered, in particular, this year with the situation we have in the championship, and also tyre allocation. But it’s important we don’t have any kneejerk reaction about an attempt from the sport to improve one of its weaknesses.”

Richard Millener, M-Sport team chief

Photo by: M-Sport

Millener: "It’s probably a slight advantage for us with our line-up"

“I think it’s great. Nobody likes change, but I think we have to change. WRC, as a whole, hasn’t done any changes since the introduction of Power Stage points, and they were a great change, but then we kind of went stale and stagnant for five years. This is a big change, but I think it has brought in a lot more strategy.

“It’s probably a slight advantage for us with our line-up. We can have a strong Friday and Saturday, maybe from an advantageous road position, and then we can reassess on Saturday night. There’s more strategy from the teams because at the moment it’s very much driver related, which is great, but team sports work when the whole team is involved. I think this is a really good step. It’s not the only one we need to make.”

Jari-Matti Latvala, Toyota team supremo

Photo by: Toyota Racing

Latvala: "It means that there are basically two different competitions"

“It’s very different, the points system now. It means that there are basically two different competitions. It’s slightly complicated, and I hope over the year we start to understand it better and realise the system and how it goes. In the beginning I think it’s difficult to say exactly what is the best approach. We will see over the year and we now need to learn it over the first few rallies. It’s something different, but it’s the same for everybody. Let’s hope that the competition is now stronger on Sunday, but on Sunday there will be a risk, but you can’t risk too much.”

Toyota joins the WRC2 playground

Photo by: Toyota

WRC2 welcomes Toyota in 2024, adding more intrigue to a strong second-tier

WRC2 will welcome a new player in 2024 – Toyota is joining the fray with its new GR Yaris Rally2 car. The Japanese marque has been developing the machine since 2022 in order to join the thriving customer market, which includes Rally1 rivals Hyundai and M-Sport Ford alongside Skoda and Citroen.

The GR Yaris Rally2 made its public debut at Rally Japan in 2022 and has since undergone an extensive 15,000km development programme. For its WRC bow on the Monte Carlo Rally, it will be driven by Sami Pajari, Stephane Lefebvre, Bryan Bouffier and Jan Solans.

It all means an even more intriguing WRC2 battle. Toksport Skoda will be led by Oliver Solberg, last year’s runner-up Gus Greensmith and 2019 champion Pierre-Louis Loubet, who rejoins the second tier after a Rally1 stint with M-Sport in 2022 and 2023. Citroen will be represented by Yohan Rossel, Nikolay Gryazin and Marco Bulacia, while M-Sport and Hyundai are not represented in the class on the Monte and have yet to reveal their plans, although Teemu Suninen is strongly linked with a seat at the South Korean marque.

Non-hybrid Rally1 cars now eligible

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

Privateer entries will be allowed to participate in Rally1 cars without the expensive hybrid units

Non-hybrid Rally1 cars can now compete in the World Rally Championship, after the FIA World Motor Sport Council agreed to a WRC Commission proposal to allow entries without the control plug-in system. Instead, they will have to carry the weight of the full EV system as ballast, and won’t be eligible for manufacturers’ championship points.

Running without the 100kW Compact Dynamics hybrid unit will result in a reduction of approximately 100bhp, plus lower cost. It also opens the doors for Rally1 cars to compete in regional rallies. “It essentially creates a step between Rally2 and Rally1 and it’s something the manufacturers have supported,” explains FIA road sport director Andrew Wheatley.

Teams are also now limited to using a maximum of three new hybrid units in 2024 – down from nine – to cut costs. But drivers will no longer incur a five-minute penalty for changing an engine between pre-rally scrutineering and the first time control, a rule that impacted Ott Tanak on Rally Estonia last year.

Latvia to make debut, Poland returns

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Latvia will switch from the European Rally Championship to the WRC this year

The WRC’s 13-round calendar has undergone a shake-up for 2024, with the biggest changes a maiden visit to Latvia and the return of Poland. The Baltic nation has earned a promotion from the European Rally Championship and its gravel stages will fill the July slot usually held by neighbouring Estonia, which has been unable to secure funding to remain on the calendar and will join the ERC.

Poland rejoins the WRC for the first time since 2017, effectively replacing Mexico to host round seven. The only other changes are the Monte Carlo Rally’s return to Gap as its host, while Safari Rally Kenya has moved from a June slot to host the third round in March. 

The calendar comprises four asphalt rounds, eight gravel rallies and one snow event.

New looks for WRC teams

Photo by: Toyota Racing

All the factory Rally1 teams have produced new liveries for 2023

Unusually, all three WRC Rally1 teams have undergone significant changes to their liveries for the 2024 season. Toyota has dispensed with its traditional red, white and black colours for a matte black look on the latest iteration of its GR Yaris. Hyundai has undertaken a noticeable reworking of its livery, featuring its factory sky blue and orange colours that adorn a lighter i20 N. M-Sport has replaced its Fords’ electric blue livery of 2023 with a striking white-and-blue paintjob that harks back to some of the Blue Oval’s famous colour schemes of the past.

Photo by: M-Sport

M-Sport's new livery on its Ford Puma Rally1 will certainly stand out