On Wednesday, the rules of the World Rally Championship for the coming years were announced. Next year, a new point calculation system will be used again.
In the World Series, we therefore only had time to drive for a year with the new point system, which was described as confusing. Last season, the winner of the race weekend did not necessarily collect the most points.
At that time, there were three points in the division: based on the combined results of Friday and Saturday’s special tests, the winner received 18 points. On Sunday, in addition to the Power Stage system, which had already become a tradition, there was also another separate points race in use, where the maximum score was seven points.
In the 2025 season, like in 2023, the winner will get 25 points, while the runner-up will get 17. In addition to the Power Stage, Sunday’s race also offers additional points, now instead of the previous maximum of seven, from five to one.
Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvala is pleased with this reform.
– Absolutely positive. This year the scoring system was so confusing that it was hard for people to figure it out.
A better system
Latvala adds that the good thing about this year’s system was that the competition for the manufacturers’ title was so tight. In the end, Toyota only beat Hyundai by a difficult three-point margin.
However, he sees that now in the latest system, completing the rally to the end is more valued. On the other hand, Sunday’s extra points guarantee that there will be enough excitement for the final day.
This season there were situations where a driver drove out during the race weekend, but still had time to collect, for example, the third most points.
– There was drama until the end of 2024. The bad thing was that when the conditional points were handed out, no one really remembered how Saturday’s points would go.
– If you drove out on Sunday and were five minutes out of the way, you still got Saturday’s points when you only drove through Sunday. Still got 18 points. It happened during the season to both our and other teams’ drivers. In a rally, you have to drive to the end and only at the end do you get the points, Latvala reminds.
Closer to the Rally2 class
In 2027, there will be bigger changes that will be valid for no less than ten years. Thus, potential new car manufacturers would have two years to decide on their participation in the series and develop new types of cars.
The plan is to save significantly on expenses. The cost ceiling would drop to 345,000 euros.
Latvala says that starting in 2027, a new type of car can enter the series.
– If, for example, you want to come in an SUV-style car. There is now a market place when such cars can be raced. It is also possible to come by electric car. A hybrid car is also possible, Latvala lists.
When the price level drops a lot, the car’s performance drops at the same time. Now we are somehow getting closer to Rally2 class cars.
– Performance cannot be built to the way it is. The FIA’s desire is to drop speeds. At the speeds that were driven this year, there has never been a faster car on the asphalt.
Latvala sees that, especially from the point of view of young drivers, narrowing the differences between classes is not a bad thing.
– The bigger the difference, the harder it is to adapt to a faster car. Roughly speaking, the difference between a Rally1 and a Rally2 car per kilometer is one second. However, at the moment it is two seconds per kilometer, in certain conditions even two and a half.
– That’s a big difference. I would see it as a good thing that the cars are coming closer to each other.
New stables?
The cost ceiling would therefore decrease to 345,000 euros. Latvala does not think that getting there is very realistic.
– Yes, it will probably be more expensive. But if the values of the cars can be halved, it’s a really big step forward. Today, car prices are approaching the million euro range, so cars are hugely expensive. If they can be halved, that’s a really good thing.
Latvala believes that lowering prices will attract more new manufacturers to the series.
– The problem has been that we haven’t had a certain kind of continuity. There have been relatively many changes in a short period of time. Now we know 2027 rules that will try to go the next ten years. I think it will open up opportunities to get new manufacturers involved.
Latvala would have liked the new changes to take a stand on small details. However, he understands that at this stage he will not go into details.
Latvala doesn’t want different kinds of gimmicks for the rally, which is, for example, in the WEC.
– Let’s start to even it out by giving, for example, additional weights to some stables. It is not a good solution, says Latvala.