Which drivers and co-drivers won the World Rally Championship (WRC) title in which years, and what cars they drove
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is a team effort: No driver can tackle the long special stages on gravel, asphalt, or ice alone. That’s why, in addition to the drivers’ title, a co-drivers’ world champion is always crowned in the WRC.
Fun fact: The drivers’ and co-drivers’ world championships are the most recent titles in the history of the World Rally Championship. While the first Manufacturers’ World Championship title was awarded as early as 1973, the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ World Championships have only existed since the 1979 season.
In this article, we present the complete list of all Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ World Champions in the World Rally Championship since 1979 and specify which cars they drove. The list of Manufacturers’ World Champions is available in this article.
1979: Björn Waldegard / Hans Thorszelius (Ford Escort RS1800)
1980: Walter Röhrl / Christian Geistdörfer (Fiat 131 Abarth)
1981: Ari Vatanen / David Richards (Ford Escort RS1800)
1982: Walter Röhrl / Christian Geistdörfer (Opel Ascona 400)
1983: Hannu Mikkola / Arne Hertz (Audi Quattro)
1984: Stig Blomqvist / Björn Cederberg (Audi Quattro)
1985: Timo Salonen / Seppo Harjanne (Peugeot 205 Turbo 16)
1986: Juha Kankkunen / Juha Piironen (Peugeot 205 Turbo 16)
1987: Juha Kankkunen / Juha Piironen (Lancia Delta HF 4WD)
1988: Miki Biasion / Tiziano Siviero (Lancia Delta HF Integrale)
1989: Miki Biasion / Tiziano Siviero (Lancia Delta HF Integrale)
1990: Carlos Sainz / Luis Moya (Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165)
1991: Juha Kankkunen / Juha Piironen (Lancia Delta Integrale 16V)
1992: Carlos Sainz / Luis Moya (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185)
1993: Juha Kankkunen / Nicky Grist (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185)
1994: Didier Auriol / Bernard Occelli (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185)
1995: Colin McRae / Derek Ringer (Subaru Impreza 555)
1996: Tommi Mäkinen / Seppo Harjanne (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III)
1997: Tommi Mäkinen / Seppo Harjanne (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IV)
1998: Tommi Mäkinen / Risto Mannisenmäki (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V)
1999: Tommi Mäkinen / Risto Mannisenmäki (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI)
2000: Marcus Grönholm / Timo Rautiainen (Peugeot 206 WRC)
2001: Richard Burns / Robert Reid (Subaru Impreza WRC)
2002: Marcus Grönholm / Timo Rautiainen (Peugeot 206 WRC)
2003: Petter Solberg / Phil Mills (Subaru Impreza WRC)
2004: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroën Xsara WRC)
2005: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroën Xsara WRC)
2006: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroën Xsara WRC)
2007: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroën C4 WRC)
2008: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroën C4 WRC)
2009: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroën C4 WRC)
2010: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroën C4 WRC)
2011: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroën DS3 WRC)
2012: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena (Citroën DS3 WRC)
2013: Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
2014: Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
2015: Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
2016: Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC)
2017: Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC)
2018: Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC)
2019: Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Toyota Yaris WRC)
2020: Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Toyota Yaris WRC)
2021: Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Toyota Yaris WRC)
2022: Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
2023: Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)
2024: Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydeaghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
2025: Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)