Rarely has a decision been so unanimously opposed: introduced at the start of the 2024 season, the new scale used in WRC immediately proved complicated to explain and unfair. With its prizes spread out between Saturday evening and Sunday, it was possible that the winner of a rally ends the weekend with fewer points than the 2nd and this has happened several times.
This loss of the value of the victory was not at all an objective of the initiators of the project, but it was a negative consequence of what was sought: to revitalize Sundays. With a maximum of 12 points (7 for the last stage and 5 for the Power Stage), the goal was achieved. The ends of the races were breathtaking and had a major impact on the awarding of titles, because some drivers knew how to take advantage of them. Having taken into account the criticism of the past months, the decision-makers have revised their copy in order to propose for 2025 a system that corrects the first version.
WRC victory revalued in 2025
The principle of continuing to animate the last days is maintained, but the distribution will be less important. Only the first five of the stage (against the first seven in 2024) will be rewarded with 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 point while the Power Stage, the true totem of the promoter, will keep the same remuneration.
In total, the competitor who achieves a clean sweep on Sunday will pocket 10 points (compared to 12 previously). They will be added to those registered at the end of the rally and no longer to those of Saturday evening. This allocation disappears to return to a classic scale awarded once the final podium has been reached with 25 points for the winner then 17, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 point for the 10th classified.
At the end of a WRC event, if a crew achieves a perfect score, they will be able to record a total of 35 points. Despite the changes and adjustments, it is still possible that the winner of the race is not the one who leaves with the most points. If they do not score anything on Sunday and the 2nd takes the 10 points at stake (17+5+5=27).
WRC
2025 Points Scale
Points distributed according to the general classification at the end of the rally
1 - 25 points
2e - 17 points
3e - 15 points
4e - 12 points
5e - 10 points
6e - 8 points
7e - 6 points
8e - 4 points
9e - 2 points
10e – 1 points
Points distributed on Sunday (Super Sunday)
1 - 5 points
2e - 4 points
3e - 3 points
4e - 2 points
5e – 1 points
Points awarded during the Power Stage
1 - 5 points
2e - 4 points
3e - 3 points
4e - 2 points
5e – 1 points
Examples:
Case #1 – Perfect weekend : Sébastien Ogier wins the rally, achieves the best cumulative time on the Sunday specials and finishes 1st in the Power Stage: 35 points (25+5+5, maximum prize).
Case #2 – Abandonment on Sunday : Sébastien Ogier retires on Sunday and does not finish the rally: 0 points
Case #3 – The winner does not score the most points : Sébastien Ogier wins the rally but scores no points on Sunday, on the Super Sunday or the Power Stage: 25 points (25+0+0). Elfyn Evans finishes 2nd in the rally but scores maximum points on Sunday by winning the Super Sunday and the Power Stage: 27 points (17+5+5).
Case #4 – Big points despite a withdrawal : Sébastien Ogier retires on Friday or Saturday, returns to SuperRally on Sunday, sets the best cumulative time on Super Sunday and wins the Power Stage: 10 points (0+5+5).
With Loïc Rocci
ALSO READ > Transfers, calendar, rules… What’s changing in the WRC in 2025
Yves-Henri RANDIER
26/01/2025 at 10:36 a.m.
New points scale in 2025: another gas factory!! Why not ban abandonment while we're at it!