Opening rounds The 2021 FIA World Rally Championship began in
Monaco. The
Hyundai crew of
Ott Tänak and
Martin Järveoja took an early lead, but their lead was wiped out when by a loss of power in
hairpins. The Estonian pair's rally was further hampered by two
punctures, which meant that they did not have enough rubber on one of their wheels for the car to be considered
road legal. Unable to complete the liaison between
special stages, Tänak and Järveoja were ruled out for the second consecutive year in Monte-Carlo. The
M-Sport crew of
Teemu Suninen and
Mikko Markkula also retired from the rally when they crashed out on the very first stage of the event. Local heroes
Sébastien Ogier and
Julien Ingrassia were the favourites for the weekend. Despite a
flat tire that lost the lead to their teammates
Elfyn Evans and
Scott Martin, the reigning world champions set fastest stage time after fastest stage time to regain the top spot and eventually won their eighth Monte Carlo victory, a new record for wins in
Monte Carlo. They also became the first crew to win the rally with five different manufacturers. Evans and Martin finished second to complete a
Toyota one-two. The Japanese manufacturer's party was further flourished by the dominance at the
Power Stage, which saw them build a twenty-two-point lead over the reigning manufacturers' champions Hyundai. However, their ambition was spoiled by Tänak and Järveoja, who benefited from a greater road position. The former world champions demonstrated brilliant pace throughout the weekend, leading the event from start to finish to win their first rally of the season. Unable to match the speed of Tänak and Järveoja, Rovanperä and Halttunen were threatened by Neuville and Wydaeghe going onto the final day. The battle for the runner-up spot would decide the championship leads. Eventually, the Finnish crew managed to edge the Belgian pair by 2.3 seconds as well as winning the
Power Stage. This was enough to ensure the twenty-year-old Rovanperä to become the youngest driver to lead the championship in the forty-nine-year history of the WRC. They eventually limped home in twentieth place but did collect one consolation point form the Power Stage. Rovanperä and Halttunen entered
the rally as championship leaders, but they crashed out on the very first stage of the rally. This gave Neuville and Wydaeghe a clean road, leading the rally onto Saturday. However, an incorrect tyre choice of hard and soft compound mixture plus brake issues on Saturday's morning loop saw them drop down to third. Ogier and Ingrassia became the new rally leaders, but a puncture meant their lead was limited to single-digits. Ogier and Ingrassia snatched the victory and reclaimed the championship leads. 0.6 second was the winning margin, making the rally
the third closest win in history after the
2011 Jordan Rally and the
2007 Rally New Zealand. In addition to a full thirty championship points haul, the French pair also reached their 600th stage win milestone. With two 1–2 finishes in three rounds, Toyota held an early lead in the manufacturers' standings, twenty-seven points cleared of
Hyundai. They posted several top-five stage times to record a remarkable fifth place.
Mid-season gravel events Rally Portugal marked the championship returned to the
gravel surface in over 200 days.
Hyundai dominated the early stage of the rally, holding 1–2–3 after Friday's morning loop. The situation was looking good for the South Korean manufacturer until Neuville and Wydaeghe damaged their rear-right
suspension in a tight left-hander following an over-optimistic pacenote in the afternoon. Benefitting from their main rivals' retirements and a relative late road position, Evans and Martin won the rally, their first of the season.
Dani Sordo and new co-driver
Borja Rozada completed the event second overall to bring their team valuable points after a disaster weekend for Hyundai, while Ogier and Ingrassia rounded out of the podium. The
Sardinia island rally witnessed another catastrophic weekend for Hyundai. Despite a dominant performance on Friday, the crews of Tänak and Järveoja and of Sordo and Rozada retired from Saturday due to rear suspension damage. Following Hyundai's double disasters, Ogier and Ingrassia took over the rally, with Evans and Martin covered second. With another 1–2 finish, Toyota's lead over Hyundai extended to massive forty-nine points. Neuville and Wydaeghe were the only hope of Hyundai. The Belgian crew was struggling throughout the event and could only managed to finish third. failure denied
Thierry Neuville and
Martijn Wydaeghe's victory in
Kenya. The
Safari Rally in
Kenya,
Africa is renowned for impassable, hard to traverse, open, soft, bumpy, rocky and gravel roads. When the World Rally Championship returned to
Kenya after nineteen years, nothing changed. Neuville and Wydaeghe retired from the lead on the final day with a suspension-collapsed issue. This meant for the third consecutive rally, a Hyundai retired from the top spot. Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta became the new rally leader afterwards, leading a WRC event for the first in his career, but he and his co-driver Barritt were soon overhauled by a charging Ogier and Ingrassia, who were once down in seventh overall. The French crew eventually won the eventful rally to wrap up their fourth victory of the season, and held a commanding lead of thirty-four points in the drivers' and co-drivers' championships heading into the second half of the season. Katsuta secured his WRC podium alongside Barritt, with Tänak and Järveoja rounded out of the podium. and
Martin Järveoja retired from Friday at their
home event. Halfway through the season, the championship's next stop was
Rally Estonia. Ahead of home crowds, local favourites Tänak and Järveoja were keen to repeat their success one year ago. They initially led the rally, but double punctures on Friday's morning loop put them from heroes to zeroes as they run out of spare wheels. Following Tänak and Järveoja's issue, Rovanperä and Halttunen took the lead. Having fended off the pursuit of
Craig Breen and
Paul Nagle, they claimed their maiden WRC win. At 20 years and 290 days, Rovanperä became
the youngest driver to win a WRC event, breaking the previous record of 22 years and 313 days held by
Jari-Matti Latvala. Breen and Nagle achieved their first podium of the season by finishing second, with teammates Neuville and Wydaeghe rounded out of the podium with their fifth third place.
New and return rallies was featured in Sunday's route of the rally. The debut of
Ypres Rally on the calendar meant
Belgium became the thirty-fifth country to host a WRC event. The combination of
bridle path and the famous
Spa-Francorchamps circuit proved to be relentless for competitors. Local experience was the key to success, which was why local heroes Neuville and Wydaeghe came out in front, bagging an emotional home triumph. This was also the first career victory for Wydaeghe. The only crew who can match their blistering pace were their teammates Breen and Nagle. The Irish crew completed the weekend with another second place.
Greece hosted the championship's return to the Acropolis rally after an eight year absence. Victory was claimed to Rovanperä and Halttunen, who avoided major incidents to secure their second victory of the season. The result also enabled Toyota to extend their championship lead to fifty-seven points. With only three rounds remaining, their position in the title race was highly favourable. and
Scott Martin during
the event.
Rally Finland went ahead on the twenty-first birthday of Rovanperä, who was keen to win his home event. He and Halttunen were running in the front field until they hit with a large pile of gravel on Saturday morning. This caused significant damage to their Yaris, which led to their retirement from the day. Katsuta and new co-driver
Aaron Johnston also retired from the day when they ran too deep into a quick left-hander and clouted the bank on the right. Neuville and Wydaeghe's slim title hopes were completely shattered when they stopped halfway through the second test of the Patajoki stage following a compression broke the radiator and caused a water leak. Championship leaders Ogier and Ingrassia were struggled for pace all the weekend, and a one-minute time penalty for not fastening
crash helmet strap meant they were in a no men's land. Meanwhile, teammates Evans and Martin were out in front and ultimately won the rally as well as the Power Stage. The result saw Evans and Martin slashed the championship gap by a massive twenty points, trailing Ogier and Ingrassia by twenty-four points after the event.
Closing rounds Although Neuville and Wydaeghe lost any chance to clinch the world titles coming into the event, they completely dominated the
Spain tarmac, winning a total of ten special stages to grab their second victory of the season after overcoming a late
starter motor problem. Evans and Martin kept their title hopes alive as they outscored championship leaders Ogier and Ingrassia. The French crew was looking good to achieve a podium finish till an engine stall at Saturday's final test erased their gap over local heroes Sordo and
Cándido Carrera and eventually got overhauled on Sunday morning. Katsuta and Johnston's hope of a good result was gone at the very first stage when their Yaris understeered into the barrier at the opening stage of Friday. The championship was down to the wire as the season finale was again held at
Monza. Holding a healthy lead in the championship standings, championship leaders Ogier and Ingrassia immediately took the lead. Title rivals Evans and Martin passed Ogier and Ingrassia by the end of the first day, but soon lost it back to the French crew in the following morning loop. The top spot changed hands repeatedly. Eventually, Ogier and Ingrassia came out on top, winning their fifth rally of the season to bag their eighth world titles. Sordo and Carrera rounded out of the podium after teammates Neuville and Wydaeghe spun into
traffic barrier on Saturday. Manufacturer-wise, Toyota won a total of nine victories out of twelve in comparison to Hyundai's three, which was enough for the Japanese team to clinch the title. ==Results and standings==