2016 Rally China

Calendar

The 2016 calendar was announced in November 2015 by the FIA. It was scheduled to expand to fourteen rounds, with the inclusion of the Rally of China, seventeen years after its only appearance as a round of the WRC. However, the Chinese round was ultimately cancelled due to weather damage caused by torrential storms and flooding in July. The season otherwise comprised thirteen rounds, starting with the Rallye Monte Carlo in January and finishing with Rally Australia in November.

Teams and drivers

For the 2016 season, Citroën withdrew their works team to focus on developing their 2017 car ahead of major regulation changes, though the Citroën DS3 WRC remained available to privateer teams. Anglo-Chinese tyre manufacturer DMACK planned to contest the full season as a manufacturer team, using Ford Fiesta RS WRCs built by M-Sport. Elfyn Evans was dropped by M-Sport World Rally Team in favour of Mads Østberg and Eric Camilli, though Evans would remain with the team in WRC-2. Østberg left Citroën and returned to M-Sport, partnered by Toyota test driver Camilli making his WRC début. Hayden Paddon was promoted to a full-time seat with Hyundai, while Kevin Abbring took his place making regular appearances. Ott Tänak left M-Sport and returned to DMACK.

Rally summaries

Defending champion Sébastien Ogier won the season-opening Rallye Monte Carlo, his third consecutive victory there. Ogier and Kris Meeke fought for the lead until Meeke hit a rock on SS12, forcing his withdrawal due to gearbox damage. Jari-Matti Latvala retired after running off the road and hitting a spectator, though no one was seriously injured. Andreas Mikkelsen finished second.

Only seven WRC cars finished. Rally Sweden was shortened due to warm weather turning frozen roads into soft gravel, making studded tyres unsafe. Ogier protested but took the start and won. Latvala suffered a broken drive shaft early.

Hayden Paddon challenged Ogier as roads froze, but Ogier maintained his lead. Mads Østberg completed the podium. In Rally Mexico, Latvala needed a strong result after scoring no points in the opening rounds. With Ogier sweeping roads clear of loose gravel due to championship order, Latvala built an early lead and secured his first win of the season ahead of Ogier. Dani Sordo initially finished third but a late penalty gave the podium place to Østberg.

Results and standings

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers. Three bonus points go to the winner of the Power stage, two for second and one for third. The standings reflect these allocations across the season's rounds.