WRC
WRC Performance of the Year: Meet the 2025 Nominees
Across new events, new surfaces and high-pressure moments, four drivers produced standout performances that defined the 2025 campaign.
As voting opens for WRC.com’s Performance of the Year award, here are the four nominees.
01
Sébastien Ogier - ueno Rally del Paraguay
Sébastien Ogier has built a career on solving rallies faster than anyone else, and his victory on Paraguay’s WRC debut was another example of that craft. A tyre deflation on Friday morning dropped the Frenchman more than half a minute off the lead, yet from that moment on he set the pace. Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais won nine stages across the weekend as they climbed relentlessly up the order, handling Saturday’s rougher loop with precision before extending their advantage when heavy rain arrived on Sunday.
The result - Ogier’s first win in South America and his fourth of the season - came by 26.2sec over Elfyn Evans and carried added weight: a new event, no pre-event testing, and a field still learning the characteristics of Paraguay’s red-clay gravel. It was the authoritative, problem-solving performance that has come to define the now nine-time world champion.
© WRC
02
Kalle Rovanperä - Rally Islas Canarias
Kalle Rovanperä delivered one of the most complete asphalt drives of recent years on Gran Canaria’s mountain roads. After a muted start to his 2025 season, the Finn arrived needing a result - and produced a masterclass. He and Jonne Halttunen won 15 of the rally’s 18 stages, including a streak of 12 consecutive wins that broke the field open by Saturday afternoon. Even Sébastien Ogier, long considered the reference on sealed-surface events, had no answer.
Rovanperä’s eventual margin of 53.5sec reflected the Finn’s dominance during a rally where Toyota secured a 1-2-3-4 finish. He rounded it off by topping Super Sunday and winning the Wolf Power Stage to claim the maximum 35-point haul. It was a statement victory - the drive that reset his season and reasserted his authority on asphalt.
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03
Oliver Solberg - Delfi Rally Estonia
Oliver Solberg’s return to Rally1 machinery produced one of the stories of the year. Called up by Toyota and armed with just two days of testing, the Swede seized control of Rally Estonia from the second stage and never let it go. Nine stage wins and a mature head carried him to a 25.2sec victory over Ott Tänak on the Estonian’s home roads.
The win marked Solberg’s first in the WRC’s top class, made him the third-youngest winner in championship history and delivered Toyota its 100th WRC victory. Context mattered: this was his first Rally1 start since early 2022, against full factory opposition, on a rally where experience normally decides everything. It was a breakthrough weekend that underlined his readiness for a full-time return at the front.
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04
Mārtiņš Sesks - Rally Saudi Arabia
Mārtiņš Sesks produced an outstanding performance on the WRC’s debut in Saudi Arabia, leading the desert rally outright in an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. Quickest on two of Thursday morning’s opening stages, the Latvian immediately adapted to the mix of soft sand, rocky outcrops and punishing ruts that defined the new event. He reclaimed the lead on Friday with a stunning eight-second stage win and carried it into the final day after managing both tyre deflations and rapidly changing conditions better than many of the title contenders.
A double puncture, followed by a technical issue, ended Sesks’ hopes on Sunday, but the impact of his drive was undeniable: five stage wins, multiple stints in the overall lead and a level of performance that far exceeded expectation for a young driver still learning Rally1 machinery. It was a breakthrough performance in every sense - the clearest indication yet of his potential on the world stage.
© WRC
05
VOTE NOW
Fans can now cast their vote for the 2025 WRC Performance of the Year by clicking here. Winners will be revealed in early January.
