Rally (FIA WRC) — Official Rules

Rallying is a motorsport discipline run on public and private roads using cars that comply with the applicable FIA technical regulations. A rally is divided into timed competitive sections called special stages, linked together by non-competitive road sections (liaisons). Crews start individually at set intervals and the winner is the crew with the lowest cumulative time, not the first car across a single finish line. The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) is the premier international series, governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

The WRC awards titles for Drivers, Co-Drivers and Manufacturers. Supporting championships run alongside the top class, principally WRC2 (Rally2 cars) and WRC3, together with the Junior WRC. Each event contributes points to these championships in parallel.

The top class is contested by Rally1 cars (the hybrid-era top tier). Subordinate categories include Rally2, Rally3, Rally4 and Rally5, each defined by FIA Appendix J technical articles. The 2026 season is the final season of the current Rally1 technical regulations ahead of the WRC27 regulatory overhaul, which prioritises affordability, sustainability and accessibility for 2027.

Special stages are the timed competitive sections of a rally, run on closed roads. Each crew is individually timed from a standing start. Stages are run over varied surfaces (gravel, asphalt, snow/ice) depending on the event. The combined times of all special stages, plus any time penalties, determine the overall classification.

Road sections (liaisons) connect the special stages and the service park on open public roads. They are not timed competitively, but crews must obey all traffic laws and complete each section within a set target time. Arriving outside the permitted window at the next time control incurs penalties (see Chapter 4).

A WRC rally typically runs over four days (a ceremonial/opening section followed by three full competitive days). From 2026, mandatory rest hours apply: the total rest hours across the rally must be at least equal to the total competition hours (excluding the opening day). Daily rest must be a minimum of 10 hours, with at least one day providing a minimum of 12 hours recovery, to protect crews, teams, officials and volunteers.

A Super Special Stage (SSS) is a short, spectator-oriented stage, often run in a stadium or arena layout with two cars on parallel tracks that meet at the finish. It is designed for live audiences and television. Although crews may appear to race side by side, each car is still timed individually and the SSS contributes to overall time like any other special stage.

A regroup is a halt under parc fermé-style control used to bring the field back together after time gaps have opened, to manage the schedule and to provide rest. Crews check in, hand over the car to officials and wait for a fixed period before being released back into the rally at controlled intervals.

Special stage times are recorded to one tenth of a second (1/10s). Each crew's stage time runs from the standing start signal to crossing the flying finish line, where the time is then taken at the stop control a short distance later. Tied times to the tenth are possible and both crews receive the same classification time for that stage.

The overall classification is decided by total elapsed time: the sum of all special stage times plus all time penalties, expressed in minutes, seconds and tenths. The crew with the lowest total elapsed time wins the rally. Liaison times do not add to the competitive total unless converted into penalties at a time control.

In rallying almost all penalties are expressed as time added to the crew's total elapsed time, rather than as points deductions. Examples include late check-in, jump starts and chicane infringements. This keeps every infringement directly comparable on the same clock that decides the result.

When a crew cannot set a real time for a stage (for example a stage cancellation, a red flag, or being directed to bypass a stage), officials assign a notional time based on the crew's pace or comparable crews, so the classification remains fair. A crew that misses a stage entirely after retiring is handled under the restart rules in Chapter 6.

Time controls (TC) are official points at which crews must check in within a precise target time, typically at stage starts and at the entry and exit of the service park. The co-driver presents the time card and the marshal records the actual check-in time. Managing arrival to the exact minute is a core skill of the co-driver.

Checking in late at a time control is penalised at 10 seconds for every minute (or fraction of a minute) late, added to the crew's total time. Repeated or excessive lateness can accumulate significant penalties over a rally.

Checking in early is penalised more heavily than lateness, at 1 minute for every minute the crew checks in ahead of its due time. This discourages crews from gaining road-position or rest advantages by arriving early.

From 2026, a crew arriving more than 10 minutes after the last competing car may be directed to bypass the stage and receive notional times. Exceeding the permitted maximum lateness for a section or leg can lead to exclusion from that leg under the super-rally provisions (Chapter 6).

On road sections crews must respect the highway code and any speed restrictions imposed by the organiser, which are monitored by GPS tracking. Speeding in controlled zones, dangerous driving, or breaching the highway code is penalised by time added, fines or, for serious or repeated breaches, by referral to the Stewards and possible exclusion. The first offence is typically a time penalty, escalating for repeat offences.

Crews line up at the stage start and are released individually, normally at intervals (commonly two or three minutes). A countdown is given and timing begins on the start signal. The car must be stationary at the start line until released; moving off before the signal is a jump start (false start).

A jump start — moving off the line before the start signal as detected by the timing system — carries a standard penalty of 10 seconds added to the crew's time for a first offence. Penalties may escalate for repeat offences during the rally, at the Stewards' discretion under the Sporting Regulations.

Stages may include artificial chicanes built from markers (such as straw bales or pylons) to slow cars at hazardous points. From 2026, completely displacing a chicane element from its marked position carries a 5-second penalty per element displaced. Crews must negotiate chicanes in the prescribed direction.

If a stage must be halted for safety (an accident, a blockage, or medical intervention), officials show a red flag, often at radio points spaced roughly every 5 km. On seeing a red flag a crew must immediately and significantly reduce speed and be ready to stop. Crews stopped by a red flag are not penalised for the lost time and are given a fair notional time.

A crew retires when it cannot continue, due to mechanical failure, accident or exceeding the maximum permitted lateness. The crew reports its retirement to officials and removes the car from the competitive route safely. Retirement on a given leg removes the crew from that leg's running but does not necessarily end its rally.

Under the super-rally (historically "Rally 2") provisions, a crew that retired on a previous leg may restart on a following leg, provided the car is repaired and passes safety scrutineering. This allows a crew to continue scoring in Sunday and Power Stage classifications and in supporting championships even after a setback.

A crew that restarts under super-rally receives, for each special stage it missed while retired, a notional time equal to the fastest (winning) stage time in its priority group plus a 10-minute penalty added per missed stage. This keeps the restarted crew classified but well behind crews that completed every stage.

From 2026, a competitor suffering engine failure after the start of the competition may replace the engine, except Rally1 cars nominated to score Manufacturers' points. Any engine change after the start of the competitive element of the rally carries a 60-minute time penalty, and a competitor who has changed engine is barred from scoring points in any FIA championship or cup at that event.

Each car carries a two-person crew: the driver, who controls the car, and the co-driver, who navigates and manages the schedule. Both are nominated for the event and both score championship points. The co-driver is responsible for the time card, check-ins at time controls and calling the pace notes.

Pace notes are a detailed, coded description of every corner, crest, jump and hazard on each special stage, written by the crew during recce and read aloud by the co-driver as the stage is driven. They let the driver commit to corners blind, at speed, before seeing them. Pace notes are the crew's own property and a closely guarded asset.

Only the two crew members may work on the car during the rally except in designated service areas. Receiving outside assistance outside the permitted areas, or being pushed/towed other than as expressly allowed, is penalised. The crew must also keep the FIA SmartRally tracking and safety equipment operational at all times.

Before the rally, crews complete reconnaissance (recce) of the special stages in a standard road car, at restricted speed and limited to a set number of passes, to create their pace notes. From 2026, crews are prohibited from driving in the opposite direction of the rally on special stages during recce, except where the supplementary regulations explicitly permit it.

Shakedown is a short test stage run before the competition starts, allowing crews to verify the car's setup under rally conditions. From 2026, all non-Rally1 entries (including P2, P3, P4 and non-priority drivers) are limited to a maximum of two passes of the shakedown stage.

The service park is the central base where team mechanics may work on the car within strictly timed service windows. Crews check into and out of service at time controls; exceeding the allotted service time incurs late check-in penalties. From 2026 the midday service is reduced from 40 minutes to 30 minutes, returning to the standard used before the hybrid era.

Parc fermé is a secured area where cars are held under official control and no work, refuelling or assistance is permitted. Cars are placed in parc fermé overnight and at other prescribed times. Touching or working on a car in parc fermé, other than the limited acts officially allowed, is penalised and can lead to exclusion.

Championship points are awarded to the overall top 10 crews (and manufacturers) at the end of the rally on the following scale: 25 – 17 – 15 – 12 – 10 – 8 – 6 – 4 – 2 – 1 for positions 1 to 10. The 2026 system continues the format adopted in 2025, in which overall points are decided by the final classification (after Sunday), replacing the short-lived 2024 system that scored the standings after Saturday.

Separately from the overall result, the Super Sunday classification awards bonus points to the five fastest crews (and manufacturers) by combined stage time across Sunday's stages only, on the scale 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 for positions 1 to 5. This rewards strong performance on the final day independently of the overall position.

The final stage of the rally is the Power Stage (currently the Wolf Power Stage), which awards bonus points to its five fastest crews (and manufacturers) on the scale 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1, regardless of overall position. This keeps the contest alive to the very last stage.

A perfect rally yields a maximum of 35 points: 25 for the overall win, plus 5 for topping Super Sunday, plus 5 for winning the Power Stage. Drivers, co-drivers and manufacturers all draw from these same three point-earning classifications.

On special stages both crew members must wear FIA-homologated safety equipment: a helmet (FIA 8860-2018 standard), a frontal head restraint (FHR / HANS), flameproof overalls, underwear, balaclava, socks, gloves and shoes (FIA 8856-2000 standard). The crew is secured by a six-point safety harness.

Every competing car is built around a homologated roll cage forming a protective survival cell, with fire-suppression systems, fuel safety provisions and reinforced seats and mounts. Cars must pass scrutineering before the rally and may be re-inspected at any time; a car deemed unsafe is not permitted to start or continue.

Each crew carries an A3 SOS / OK board (red SOS on one side, green OK on the other). After an incident or when passing a stopped car, a crew must display the appropriate sign to following cars and to helicopters. If urgent medical help is needed, the crew activates the SOS function on the on-board emergency console and displays the red SOS sign. A red warning triangle is placed at least 50 metres before a stopped car to warn following crews.

All cars carry the FIA SmartRally tracking system, giving race control live position, speed and incident alerts (such as a sudden stop or rollover). Radio points and medical/intervention teams are stationed along each stage, typically about every 5 km, to respond rapidly to incidents and, where necessary, to red-flag the stage.

A rally is run by a defined officials structure, including the Clerk of the Course, Chief Safety Officer, Chief Medical Officer, time-control marshals, scrutineers and the panel of Stewards. From 2026, under the Candidate Rally framework, the Clerk of the Course, Chief Safety Officer and Chief Medical Officer must remain consistent between a Candidate Rally and the actual WRC event.

A competitor who believes a regulation has been breached may lodge a protest with the Stewards within the prescribed time limit, accompanied by the required fee. The Stewards investigate and issue a decision, which may impose time penalties, fines or exclusion. Decisions may be appealed to the FIA International Court of Appeal under the International Sporting Code.

After the last stage and the close of any protest period, the Stewards publish the final classification, listing each finishing crew by total elapsed time including all penalties. Championship points (Chapter 9) are allocated from this final classification together with the Super Sunday and Power Stage results.