The 2016 FIA World Rally Championship was the 44th season of the World Rally Championship, a rallying championship recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as the highest class of international rallying. Teams and drivers competed in thirteen rounds—starting with the Rallye Monte Carlo in January and finishing with Rally Australia in November—for the World Rally Championships for Drivers and Manufacturers.
Sébastien Ogier started the season as the defending drivers' champion. His team, Volkswagen Motorsport, were the defending manufacturers' champions. Both Ogier and Volkswagen Motorsport claimed their fourth consecutive drivers' and manufacturers' championships.
The calendar was announced in November 2015 by the FIA.[1] The season was scheduled to expand with one rally in comparison to the 2015 championship, contested over fourteen rounds in Europe, the Americas, Oceania and Asia,[2] [3] but the Chinese round was ultimately cancelled.
| Round | Dates | Rally name | Rally headquarters | Surface | Stages | Distance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21–24 January |  Monte Carlo Rally | Gap, Hautes-Alpes, France | 16 | 337.59km | |||
| 2 | 12–14 February |  Rally Sweden | Karlstad, Värmland | Snow | 12 | |||
| 3 | 3–6 March |  Rally Mexico | León, Guanajuato | Gravel | 21 | 399.67km | ||
| 4 | 21–24 April |  Rally Argentina | Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba | Gravel | 18 | 364.68km | ||
| 5 | 19–22 May |  Rally de Portugal | Matosinhos, Porto | Gravel | 19 | 368.00km | ||
| 6 | 9–12 June | nowrap |  Rally Italia Sardegna | Alghero, Sardinia | Gravel | 19 | 324.60km | |
| 7 | 30 June–3 July |  Rally Poland | Mikołajki, Warmia-Masuria | Gravel | 21 | 306.10km | ||
| 8 | 28–31 July |  Rally Finland | Jyväskylä, Keski-Suomi | Gravel | 24 | 333.99km | ||
| 9 | 19–21 August |  Rallye Deutschland | Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate | Tarmac | 18 | 306.80km | ||
| 10 | 9–11 September |  Rally China | Beijing, Hebei | Tarmac | Cancelled | |||
| 11 | nowrap | 30 September–2 October |  Tour de Corse | Bastia, Haute-Corse | Tarmac | 10 | 390.92km | |
| 12 | 13–16 October | Salou, Tarragona | 21 | 321.08km | ||||
| 13 | 28–30 October |  Wales Rally GB | Deeside, Flintshire | Gravel | 22 | 336.00km | ||
| 14 | 18–20 November |  Rally Australia | nowrap | Coffs Harbour, New South Wales | Gravel | 23 | 283.36km |
The following teams and drivers competed in the World Rally Championship during the 2016 season:
| Constructor | Entrant | Tyre | Drivers | Rounds | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen | 1 | Julien Ingrassia | All | |||
| 2 | Miikka Anttila | All | ||||
| Volkswagen Motorsport II | 9 |  Anders Jæger[10] | All | |||
| Hyundai (Hyundai i20 WRC) | 3 |  Thierry Neuville | Nicolas Gilsoul[11] | |||
 Hayden Paddon[12] | John Kennard | 5–6 | ||||
| 4 |  Dani Sordo[13] | Marc Martí | ||||
| Hayden Paddon[14] | John Kennard | 2, 7–8, 13 | ||||
 Hyundai Motorsport N | 10 | Hayden Paddon[15] | John Kennard | 1 | ||
| Kevin Abbring | 5–6, 11 | |||||
| 20 | Dani Sordo | Marc Martí | 2, 7, 13 | |||
| Hayden Paddon | John Kennard | 3–4, 9–12 | ||||
| Thierry Neuville | Nicolas Gilsoul | 5–6 | ||||
| Kevin Abbring | 8 | |||||
| Ford | 5 | Mads Østberg | Ola Fløene[16] | All | ||
| 6 | Eric Camilli[17] | Nicolas Klinger | 1–2 | |||
| 3–13 | ||||||
| [18] | 12 |  Ott Tänak | Raigo Mõlder | All | ||
| 21 |  Martin Prokop | Jan Tománek | 3, 5–6, 11 | |||
| 30 | Yazeed Al-Rajhi | Michael Orr | 2, 5–8, 12 |
| Constructor | Entrant | Tyre | Drivers | Rounds | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citroën | 7 | Kris Meeke |  Paul Nagle[19] | 1–2, 5, 8, 10–12 | ||
| Stéphane Lefebvre[20] | Gabin Moreau | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Gabin Moreau | 1, 5 | ||||
| Craig Breen | Scott Martin | 7–8, 10–12 | ||||
| 10 | Stéphane Lefebvre[21] | Gabin Moreau | 9 | |||
| 14 |  Khalid Al Qassimi | Chris Patterson | 2, 5, 8, 12 | |||
| Stéphane Lefebvre[22] | Gilles De Turckheim | 13 | ||||
| 15 | Craig Breen | Scott Martin | 2 | |||
| Marcos Ligato[23] | Rubén García | 4, 8 | ||||
| 16 | Quentin Gilbert | Renaud Jamoul | 13 | |||
| 83 | José Alberto Nicolas | Miguel Recalt | 4 | |||
| Leonardo Suaya[24] | 8 | |||||
| D-Max Racing | 18 | Felice Re | Mara Bariani | 1 | ||
| Ford | Adapta Motorsport | 15 | Henning Solberg[25] |  Ilka Minor | 2, 4–7, 12 | |
| BRC Racing Team[26] | rownspan=3 align="center" | 16 | Robert Kubica[27] | 1 | ||
| Motorsport Italia | 16 | Benito Guerra[28] | Borja Rozada | 3 | ||
| M-Sport World Rally Team | 17 | Bryan Bouffier[29] | Victor Bellotto | 1 | ||
| 22 |  Erik Melichárek | 5 | ||||
| FWRT s.r.l. | 37 | Lorenzo Bertelli[30] | Simone Scattolin | |||
| A-Style Team | 81 | Federico Della Casa[31] | Domenico Pozzi | 6 | ||
 AT Rally Team | 81 | Oleksiy Tamrazov | Nicola Arena | 8 | ||
| Abdullah Al Qassimi Rally Team | 81 | Abdullah Al Qassimi | Steve Lancaster | 8, 12 | ||
| Delta Rally | 83 | Roberto Tononi | Paolo Comini | 6 | ||
| Toksport World Rally Team | 84 | Matti Koskelo | Rami Suorsa | 8 | ||
| Mini | Eurolamp World Rally Team | 18 | Valeriy Gorban | Volodymyr Korsia | 2–8, 11–12 | |
| 82 | Mait Maarend | Mihkel Kapp | 2, 6 |
Defending World Champion Sébastien Ogier started the season with a win in Monte Carlo, his third consecutive in the principality. Ogier and Kris Meeke fought for the rally lead until Meeke hit a rock on SS12. He managed to return to the stage finish but was forced to withdraw due to damage sustained to his gearbox. Jari-Matti Latvala retired from third after losing control of his car and running off the road, hitting a spectator, though no-one was seriously injured. Andreas Mikkelsen finished second after resisting Thierry Neuville. Only seven WRC cars reached the end of the rally after six retirements.[37]
The Rally Sweden was marked by the lack of snow, which forced the organization to change the rally route and cancel some of the stages that had started to thaw out, making the studded snow tyres unsafe to use. Ogier protested the event going ahead, but with the changes to the route approved by the FIA, he took to the start and went on to claim the win.
Jari-Matti Latvala was delayed by mechanical issues, suffering a broken drive shaft early in the second stage. Andreas Mikkelsen in the third Polo R WRC was Ogier's early challenger, but as the temperature started to drop and the roads started to freeze over, Hayden Paddon emerged as his biggest rival. By the third day, the roads had completely set, allowing Ogier to maintain his lead. Mads Østberg completed the podium, having taken advantage of his rivals' ongoing battles to build and sustain a margin big enough to maintain third overall.
Having scored no points in the opening rounds while Ogier took a full 58, Jari-Matti Latvala started the Rally Mexico needing to secure a strong result if he was to have any hope of mounting a bid for the World Drivers' Championship. With the running order set based on championship positions, Ogier was forced to sweep the roads clear of loose gravel, while Latvala enjoyed comparatively clean roads. He took advantage of this from the first stage, establishing an early lead that he consistently built upon throughout the first two days of the event. With the running order for the final day—which included the single longest special stage on the calendar, weighing in at eighty kilometres—based on the rally standings, Latvala's advantage was quashed, but his lead strong enough to secure his first win of the season ahead of Ogier. Hyundai's Dani Sordo finished third overall, but a late penalty handed the final podium place to Mads Østberg.
Wishing to continue his point scoring momentum, Jari-Matti Latvala targeted Argentina as another rally to win to further his championship standings. Another driver determined to score a podium in this rally was Hayden Paddon. The two drivers were in close competition on Friday, but by Saturday morning Latvala pulled ahead. In the afternoon, however, Latvala suffered a major accident, forcing him to retire, and giving the lead to Paddon. Engine problems on Sunday combined with a quick time from Sebastian Ogier on the penultimate stage meant the winner would be decided on the power stage. Hayden Paddon won the power stage and took his first WRC event win. Sebastian Ogier placed second, While Andreas Mikkelsen placed third. Paddon was elevated to second place in the overall championship, but Volkswagen Motorsport held the lead in the manufacturers championship.
Participating in his third even of the season as Citroën was not included in the manufacturers championship, Kris Meeke was determined to gain experience for the upcoming 2017 season. He managed to keep a strong lead throughout Friday, but second place was in high contention. Dani Sordo and Sebastian Ogier fought for the position in the afternoon. Hayden Paddon and Ott Tänak would run off of the road in the same place. Paddon's car became engulfed in flames which destroyed it, but Tänak managed to pull his vehicle away from the inferno. Saturday proved only to increase the gap between Meeke and Ogier, and on Sunday Andreas Mikkelsen would take second place off of Ogier. Kris Meeke took the event win, but Ogier would take the three power stage points.
Jari-Matti Latvala wished to gain another win in Italy's WRC Event to reignite his season after scoring points in only two of five events so far. He led Friday morning, but by the last stage was passed by Thierry Neuville. Hayden Paddon ran off of the road on stage seven, destroying his car for the second event in a row. Andreas Mikkelsen and later Mads Ostberg would both be involved in incidents on Saturday afternoon, forcing Mikkelsen out of the point-scoring positions and Ostberg to retire. Thierry Neuville would win his second WRC event, followed by Latvala in second and then Ogier, who managed to score all three power stage points.
After career-best position in Poland in 2015, Ott Tänak was determined to make the most out of this year's running of the event. Friday saw the lead changing between Tänak, Andreas Mikkelsen, and Hayden Paddon, the later two of which wanted redemption for the lack of points in Sardinia. On Saturday, Tänak would expand his lead over Andreas, who was close behind. Sunday seemed as if Tänak would take the victory, but on the penultimate stage Tänak would receive a punctured tire, putting him in second place. Andreas Mikkelsen ended up winning the event ahead of a crushed Tänak, with Hayden Paddon finishing in third.
Being his home event, and after winning the event the previous two years, Jari-Matti Latvala was an obvious contender in Finland. Kris Meeke would return to participate for the first time after his victory in Portugal. Meeke took the lead on Friday and held it firm, while Latvala chased behind. Ott Tänak, despite holding an early second place, would spin and puncture a tire before the day was out. Sebastian Ogier would get stuck in a ditch, putting him out of the points. On Saturday, Meeke would distance his lead over Latvala a long way. Stages thirteen and fourteen would be canceled by violent crashes by Lorenzo Bertelli and Eric Camilli respectively. Craig Breen would find his way into third after Tänak's crash. On Sunday, Meeke became the first Brit to win the event. Latvala would follow up, and Craig Breen would score third, a personal best. Kris Meeke ended up breaking the record for the highest average speed in a rally.
The first event on tarmac since Monte Carlo, Sebastian Ogier would not have to clean the roads as he did by going first in gravel stages. Though determined to place first, an early mistake pushed him behind Andreas Mikkelsen. Thierry Neuville, considering Germany his home event as it is the closest event to his home country Belgium, kept behind Ogier in third. Jari-Matti Latvala retired on the first stage due to gearbox issues. Ogier would regain the lead on Saturday, and Dani Sordo would take third from Neuville. By the end of the event, Mikkelsen would fall a further two positions, giving the win to Ogier. Dani Sordo would place second, finishing ahead of Neuville by less than a tenth of a second.
Due to the cancellation of Rally China, the Tour de Corse was the round after Rallye Deutschland. Being another tarmac event, Sebastian Ogier saw this as another opportunity to take a win. Ogier started off strongly, winning all four events on Friday. Kris Meeke pushed his way into second, but a spin and a puncture set him back. Dani Sordo also fell from second due to a puncture. This gave the position to Thierry Neuville and third to Jari-Matti Latvala. On Saturday, Andreas Mikkelsen overtook Latvala and attempted to chase Neuville. Meeke would crash on Saturday, pulling him out of the points places. The event would finish in the order it was in that evening, with Ogier finishing first, Neuville finishing second, and Mikkelsen in third. Despite finishing in sixteenth, Meeke would take first in the power stage.
Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers. There are also three bonus points awarded to the winner of the Power stage, two points for second place and one for third.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Notes: 1 2 3 – Indicate position on Power stage |
Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers. There are also three bonus points awarded to the winner of the Power stage, two points for second place and one for third.
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Notes: 1 2 3 – Indicate position on Power stage |
Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers.[38]
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
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