2023 World Rally Championship

The championship was expected to be expanded to fourteen rounds, with eight Europe-based rallies and six fly-away events covering the season.[16] However, the number of the events was reduced to thirteen following a lengthy delay of the calendar.[17] The anticipated rally based in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia was absent from the calendar.[18]

Rally Mexico returned to the calendar.

• Rally Mexico returned to championship after missing the 2021 and 2022 championships.[19] The organizers of the rally had previously held a national event in 2022 in the bid of a 2023 return.[20]
• Rally Chile would rejoin the calendar after the Chilean protests and COVID-19 pandemic respectively ruled out the event in 2020 and 2021.[21][22]
• The Central European Rally, a tri-nation event running a day each in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic, was introduced into the championship, replacing the Catalonian Rally.[23] The rally would be based out of southeast Germany, in the city of Passau in Bavaria, and is set to run on tarmac.[24]
• Rally New Zealand, a round of the 2022 season, would not be included on the calendar, but the organizers are seeking an opportunity for a 2024 return as a part of the rotation program with Rally Australia.[25]
• Ypres Rally Belgium, which was a part of the championship for the prior two seasons, dropped off the calendar and instead forms part of the 2023 British Rally Championship.[26]

Several rally organizers also expressed their interests to return to the championship, including Rally Argentina, Rally Australia, the German Rally, and an event in Northern Ireland.[27][28][29][30] The Argentine and Northern Irish bids ultimately failed.[31][32] In addition to the candidate events, the WRC Promoter GmbH was also working on the calendar expansion to the Middle East and United States.[33]

• The headquarters of the Rally Italia Sardegna would be once again moved from Alghero to Olbia.[34] The 2020 event was previously based in Olbia as a result of major route revisions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[35]
• The 2023 edition of the Safari Rally was based at the Lakeside town of Naivasha.[36] The rally was previously based in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.[37]

Ott Tänak (left) and Martin Järveoja (right) left Hyundai and returned to M-Sport.

M-Sport signed a full-year deal with Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja,[54] who terminated their multi-year contract with Hyundai.[55] Pierre-Louis Loubet's programme with the team was expanded, with Loubet entered every round as a manufacturer-registered points scorer.[56] Nicolas Gilsoul, who was formerly Thierry Neuville's navigator, became Loubet's new co-driver.[57] However, their partnership was ended before the 2023 Central European Rally.[58] Benjamin Veillas, the ex co-driver of Sébastien Ogier, is set to replace Gilsoul.[59] Adrien Fourmaux was demoted to the team's WRC-2 program, joining Grégoire Munster,[60] though he would substitute Loubet at the season finale.[61] Jourdan Serderidis continued to drive a privately-funded entry for the team at selected events.[62] Chilean rally driver Alberto Heller is set to make his top tier debut at his home event with the team.[63] So would the Luxembourgian driver Grégoire Munster at the event.[64] Gus Greensmith left the team after eight years.[65] He drove for Toksport in the WRC-2 championship.[66]

Craig Breen died in the pre-event test of the 2023 Croatia Rally.

Hyundai retained Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe.[67] They were joined by Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm as the team's full-time crews.[68] Craig Breen, who had previously driven for Hyundai from 2019 to 2021, rejoined the team despite having a two-year contract with M-Sport.[69][70] He shared the third car with Dani Sordo,[71] who had previously planned to retire at the end of 2022 season.[72] However, Breen died in an accident during a test before the 2023 Croatia Rally.[73] The FIA subsequently announced that his car number 42 would be retired for the rest of the season.[74] Teemu Suninen was announced to succeed his position with co-driver Mikko Markkula.[75] Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson were dropped from the team.[76] They moved to Toksport to compete the WRC-2 category.[77] Former Renault Formula One Team manager Cyril Abiteboul became Hyundai's new team boss.[78]

Toyota retained the crews of Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin and of Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen as their two full-time competitors.[79] As the defending champions, Rovanperä and Halttunen kept their car number 69 for the season, instead of opting for the number 1 plate.[80] Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston stepped up to the works team to share the third car with Ogier and Vincent Landais.[81] The team's fourth car is available for privately-funded competitors when Ogier does not compete,[82] the first of whom were Lorenzo Bertelli and Simone Scattolin at the 2023 Rally Sweden.[83] Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala also made a one-off return at the 2023 Rally Finland, announced after the Safari Rally.[84]

At the season opener Ogier took his ninth Monte Carlo Rally win, surpassing Sébastien Loeb to become the driver with the most victories at the event.[89] His navigator Landais took his first overall victory in a World Rally Championship round.[90] The second round, Rally Sweden, saw Tänak and Järveoja take an early lead, before being surpassed by Breen and Fulton on Friday evening.[91] However, Tänak and Järveoja fought back on Saturday evening,[92] and eventually won the event.[93] After being absent from Sweden, Ogier and Landais came back at the Rally Mexico, where they took another victory after capitalizing their relative late road position.[94] Despite only competing two rounds, they still led the championships.[95]

There was a tragedy before the Croatia Rally, where Hyundai driver Breen died in the pre-event test after the front-left of his i20 collided with a pole.[97] His co-driver Fulton was unharmed.[98] Evans and Martin eventually won the rally, their first since the 2021 Rally Finland.[99] They dedicated the win to Breen.[100]

The Portuguese Rally marked the start of a sequence of seven consecutive gravel events.[101] Rovanperä and Halttunen dominated the rally, taking their first victory the season as well as winning the Power Stage to add full thirty points to their championship defends.[102] The Sardinian Rally saw a rainy rally weekend.[103] Ogier and Landais were fighting for the lead until they went off the road on Saturday evening.[104] This left the Hyundai of Neuville and Wydaeghe and of Lappi and Ferm out in front before eventually scoring a 1–2 finish for the team.[105] Toyota though responded with a 1–2–3–4 finish (their third at the Kenyan event and fourth in the WRC), with Ogier and Landais claiming their third win of the season.[106] Meanwhile, Neuville and Wydaeghe were disqualified from eighth place at the next event, the Safari Rally, due to a reconnaissance breach,[107] despite having retired from two of Friday afternoon's stages with suspension damage.[108]

Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 at the Shakedown of the 2023 Rally Finland.

Heading into the second half of the season, Rovanperä and Halttunen did a Rally Estonia hat-trick, winning the rally as well as the Power Stage to extend their championship leads beyond fifty points.[109] However, they retired from their home rally on Friday after they rolled their Yaris out of contention when leading the event.[110] Evans and Martin capitalized on the opportunity by winning the event and the Power Stage to cut the championship leads down to twenty-five points.[111] The retirement did not stop Rovanperä and Halttunen though as they won the following event and respective Power Stage to score maximum points for the third time in 2023.[112] On the other hand, the crew of Neuville and Wydaeghe retired from the rally with suspension damage,[113] whilst the Finnish crew's other main championship rivals in Evans and Martin finished second,[114] further solidifying Rovanperä and Halttunen's chances of securing a second consecutive world title.[115] The final gravel event of the season saw Toyota outscore Hyundai by more than thirteen points after Suninen and Markkula retired from second, which meant Toyota sealed a third consecutive manufacturer's title.[116] The rally was won by Tänak and Järveoja.[117]

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers in each event. In the manufacturers' championship, teams are eligible to nominate three crews to score points, but these points are only awarded to the top two classified finishers representing a manufacturer and driving a 2022-specification Rally1 car. There are also five bonus points awarded to the winners of the Power Stage, four points for second place, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth. Power Stage points are awarded in the drivers', co-drivers' and manufacturers' championships.[140][141]

The driver who records a top-ten finish is taken into account for the championship regardless of the categories.

Pos. Driver MON SWE MEX CRO POR ITA KEN EST FIN GRE CHL EUR JPN Points 1 Kalle Rovanperä 21 43 44 42 11 31 22 11 Ret 11 41 217 2 Elfyn Evans 43 52 3 1 Ret 44 35 42 11 22 32 186 3 Thierry Neuville 34 3 23 331 5 1 DSQ 25 22 20 23 155 4 Ott Tänak 52 14 92 2 42 352 61 84 Ret 43 14 146 5 Sébastien Ogier 15 11 53 145 13 10 99 6 Esapekka Lappi 8 71 Ret 35 33 2 124 33 Ret 55 Ret 98 7 Takamoto Katsuta 6 Ret 23 64 334 403 4 7 34 6 55 77 8 Dani Sordo 7 55 25 Ret 5 34 63 9 Teemu Suninen 15 10 6 5 43 Ret 34 10 Oliver Solberg 14 8 8 10 7 44 9 38 6 Ret 6 33 11 Pierre-Louis Loubet Ret 6 27 7 32 Ret 7 6 45 Ret Ret 28 12 Gus Greensmith 6 14 6 Ret Ret Ret 8 7 26 13 Andreas Mikkelsen 8 5 9 10 7 23 14 Craig Breen 25 WD 19 15 Yohan Rossel 9 8 9 8 17 9 9 16 16 Sami Pajari DNS 10 13 22 29 10 7 Ret 8 12 17 Jari-Matti Latvala 55 11 18 Kajetan Kajetanowicz 10 7 8 13 Ret 11 19 Emil Lindholm 16 7 11 Ret 11 20 Ret 6 20 Nikolay Gryazin[lower-alpha 4] 10 11 Ret 9 30 34 9 47 10 6 21 Adrien Fourmaux 13 16 12 15 Ret 8 11 4 22 Mikołaj Marczyk 14 9 13 13 16 2 23 Ole Christian Veiby 9 2 24 Martin Prokop 11 13 10 15 1 25 Erik Cais 12 44 34 10 1 Pos. Driver MON SWE MEX CRO POR ITA KEN EST FIN GRE CHL EUR JPN Points Sources:[144][145]

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Black Excluded (EX) Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Cancelled (C) Blank Withdrew entry from the event (WD) Notes: 1 2 3 4 5 – Power Stage position

The co-driver who records a top-ten finish is taken into account for the championship regardless of the categories.

Pos. Co-driver MON SWE MEX CRO POR ITA KEN EST FIN GRE CHL EUR JPN Points 1 Jonne Halttunen 21 43 44 42 11 31 22 11 Ret 11 41 217 2 Scott Martin 43 52 3 1 Ret 44 35 42 11 22 32 186 3 Martijn Wydaeghe 34 3 23 331 5 1 DSQ 25 22 20 23 155 4 Martin Järveoja 52 14 92 2 42 352 61 84 Ret 43 14 146 5 Vincent Landais 15 11 53 145 13 10 99 6 Janne Ferm 8 71 Ret 35 33 2 124 33 Ret 55 Ret 98 7 Aaron Johnston 6 Ret 23 64 334 403 4 7 34 6 55 77 8 Cándido Carrera 7 55 25 Ret 5 34 63 9 Mikko Markkula 15 10 6 5 43 Ret 34 10 Elliott Edmondson 14 8 8 10 7 44 9 38 6 Ret 6 33 11 Nicolas Gilsoul Ret 6 27 7 32 Ret 7 6 45 Ret Ret 28 12 Jonas Andersson 6 14 6 Ret Ret Ret 8 7 26 13 Torstein Eriksen 9 8 5 9 10 7 25 14 James Fulton 25 WD Ret 16 19 19 15 Arnaud Dunand 9 8 9 8 17 9 9 16 16 Enni Mälkönen DNS 10 13 22 29 10 7 Ret 8 12 17 Juho Hänninen 55 11 18 Maciej Szczepaniak 10 7 8 13 Ret 11 19 Reeta Hämäläinen 16 7 11 Ret 11 20 Ret 6 20 Konstantin Aleksandrov[lower-alpha 5] 10 11 Ret 9 30 34 9 47 10 6 21 Alexandre Coria 13 16 12 15 Ret 8 11 4 22 Szymon Gospodarczyk 14 9 13 13 16 2 23 Petr Těšínský 12 44 34 10 1 24 Zdeněk Jůrka 10 1 Pos. Co-driver MON SWE MEX CRO POR ITA KEN EST FIN GRE CHL EUR JPN Points Sources:[144][146]

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Black Excluded (EX) Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Cancelled (C) Blank Withdrew entry from the event (WD) Notes: 1 2 3 4 5 – Power Stage position

Only the best two results of each manufacturer in the respective overall classification and Power Stage at each rally are taken into account for the championship.

Pos. Manufacturer MON SWE MEX CRO POR ITA KEN EST FIN GRE CHL EUR JPN Points 1 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 1 42 11 32 11 31 13 11 11 11 32 466 21 53 3 43 64 44 22 42 34 22 41 NC3 Ret NC4 WD Ret NC NC NC Ret NC NC 2 Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 34 25 23 25 25 1 3 25 22 34 23 360 5 3 45 61 33 2 64 33 43 55 Ret NC NC1 Ret WD NC Ret DSQ NC Ret NC Ret 3 M-Sport Ford WRT 42 14 52 1 42 52 41 5 5 43 14 247 Ret 6 6 5 5 Ret 5 64 Ret Ret Ret Pos. Manufacturer MON SWE MEX CRO POR ITA KEN EST FIN GRE CHL EUR JPN Points Sources:[144][147]

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Black Excluded (EX) Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Cancelled (C) Blank Withdrew entry from the event (WD) Notes: 1 2 3 4 5 – Power Stage position