Calendar changes

• Rally Australia was moved from its September date to November to become the final round of the championship.^[3]
• The calendar was to be expanded to fourteen rounds in 2016,^[6] with the inclusion of the Rally of China, seventeen years after its only appearance as a round of the WRC.^[7][8]
• The Tour de Corse relocated its headquarters from Corte to Bastia, which features a brand-new route.^[9]

Constructor changes

Citroën formally withdrew manufacturer support for the DS3 WRC at the end of the 2015 season.

• Citroën withdrew their works team from the 2016 season in order to focus on development of their 2017 car ahead of major regulation changes for the 2017 season.^[42] However, the manufacturer remained open to contesting selected events and the Citroën DS3 WRC was still made available to privateer teams.^[43] Citroën previously withdrew formal works support for a team in 2006 when the Xsara WRC reached the end of its working life, in order to focus on developing the Xsara's replacement, the C4 WRC.
• After contesting selected World Rally Championship and WRC-2 events between 2013 and 2015, Anglo-Chinese tyre manufacturer DMACK planned to contest the full 2016 season as a manufacturer team.^[28] The team is equipped with Ford Fiesta RS WRCs built and prepared by M-Sport.

Driver changes

• Elfyn Evans was dropped by M-Sport World Rally Team in favour of Mads Østberg and Eric Camilli. However he would remain with the team next season, competing in WRC-2 with all-new Ford Fiesta R5.^[25][44]
• Mads Østberg left Citroën to and returned to M-Sport World Rally Team, the team he competed for in 2013. He is partnered by Toyota test driver Eric Camilli,^[45] who made his World Rally Championship début after competing part-time in the WRC-2 championship throughout 2015.^[25][43]
• After competing part-time with Hyundai in 2015, Hayden Paddon was promoted to a full-time seat for the 2016 season.^[17][19] Hyundai's development driver Kevin Abbring took Paddon's place making regular appearances for the team, expanding on his four-round campaign in 2015.^[46]
• Ott Tänak left the M-Sport World Rally Team and returned to the DMACK World Rally Team,^[28] the team he drove for at selected events in 2014.

Round 1 — Monte Carlo Rally

Defending World Champion Sébastien Ogier started the season with a win in Monte Carlo, his third consecutive in the principality. Ogier and Kris Meeke fought for the rally lead until Meeke hit a rock on SS12. He managed to return to the stage finish but was forced to withdraw due to damage sustained to his gearbox. Jari-Matti Latvala retired from third after losing control of his car and running off the road, hitting a spectator, though no-one was seriously injured. Andreas Mikkelsen finished second after resisting Thierry Neuville. Only seven WRC cars reached the end of the rally after six retirements.^[47]

Round 2 — Rally Sweden

The Rally Sweden was marked by the lack of snow, which forced the organization to change the rally route and cancel some of the stages that had started to thaw out, making the studded snow tyres unsafe to use. Ogier protested the event going ahead, but with the changes to the route approved by the FIA, he took to the start and went on to claim the win.

Jari-Matti Latvala was delayed by mechanical issues, suffering a broken drive shaft early in the second stage. Andreas Mikkelsen in the third Polo R WRC was Ogier's early challenger, but as the temperature started to drop and the roads started to freeze over, Hayden Paddon emerged as his biggest rival. By the third day, the roads had completely set, allowing Ogier to maintain his lead. Mads Østberg completed the podium, having taken advantage of his rivals' ongoing battles to build and sustain a margin big enough to maintain third overall.

Round 3 — Rally Mexico

Having scored no points in the opening rounds while Ogier took a full 58, Jari-Matti Latvala started the Rally Mexico needing to secure a strong result if he was to have any hope of mounting a bid for the World Drivers' Championship. With the running order set based on championship positions, Ogier was forced to sweep the roads clear of loose gravel, while Latvala enjoyed comparatively clean roads. He took advantage of this from the first stage, establishing an early lead that he consistently built upon throughout the first two days of the event. With the running order for the final day—which included the single longest special stage on the calendar, weighing in at eighty kilometres—based on the rally standings, Latvala's advantage was quashed, but his lead strong enough to secure his first win of the season ahead of Ogier. Hyundai's Dani Sordo finished third overall, but a late penalty handed the final podium place to Mads Østberg.

Round 4 — Rally Argentina

Wishing to continue his point scoring momentum, Jari-Matti Latvala targeted Argentina as another rally to win to further his championship standings. Another driver determined to score a podium in this rally was Hayden Paddon. The two drivers were in close competition on Friday, but by Saturday morning Latvala pulled ahead. In the afternoon, however, Latvala suffered a major accident, forcing him to retire, and giving the lead to Paddon. Engine problems on Sunday combined with a quick time from Sebastian Ogier on the penultimate stage meant the winner would be decided on the power stage. Hayden Paddon won the power stage and took his first WRC event win. Sebastian Ogier placed second, While Andreas Mikkelsen placed third. Paddon was elevated to second place in the overall championship, but Volkswagen Motorsport held the lead in the manufacturers championship.

Round 5 — Rally de Portugal

Participating in his third even of the season as Citroën was not included in the manufacturers championship, Kris Meeke was determined to gain experience for the upcoming 2017 season. He managed to keep a strong lead throughout Friday, but second place was in high contention. Dani Sordo and Sebastian Ogier fought for the position in the afternoon. Hayden Paddon and Ott Tänak would run off of the road in the same place. Paddon's car became engulfed in flames which destroyed it, but Tänak managed to pull his vehicle away from the inferno. Saturday proved only to increase the gap between Meeke and Ogier, and on Sunday Andreas Mikkelsen would take second place off of Ogier. Kris Meeke took the event win, but Ogier would take the three power stage points.

Round 6 — Rally Italia Sardegna

Jari-Matti Latvala wished to gain another win in Italy's WRC Event to reignite his season after scoring points in only two of five events so far. He led Friday morning, but by the last stage was passed by Thierry Neuville. Hayden Paddon ran off of the road on stage seven, destroying his car for the second event in a row. Andreas Mikkelsen and later Mads Ostberg would both be involved in incidents on Saturday afternoon, forcing Mikkelsen out of the point-scoring positions and Ostberg to retire. Thierry Neuville would win his second WRC event, followed by Latvala in second and then Ogier, who managed to score all three power stage points.

Round 7 — Rally Poland

After career-best position in Poland in 2015, Ott Tänak was determined to make the most out of this year's running of the event. Friday saw the lead changing between Tänak, Andreas Mikkelsen, and Hayden Paddon, the later two of which wanted redemption for the lack of points in Sardinia. On Saturday, Tänak would expand his lead over Andreas, who was close behind. Sunday seemed as if Tänak would take the victory, but on the penultimate stage Tänak would receive a punctured tire, putting him in second place. Andreas Mikkelsen ended up winning the event ahead of a crushed Tänak, with Hayden Paddon finishing in third.

Round 8 — Rally Finland

Being his home event, and after winning the event the previous two years, Jari-Matti Latvala was an obvious contender in Finland. Kris Meeke would return to participate for the first time after his victory in Portugal. Meeke took the lead on Friday and held it firm, while Latvala chased behind. Ott Tänak, despite holding an early second place, would spin and puncture a tire before the day was out. Sebastian Ogier would get stuck in a ditch, putting him out of the points. On Saturday, Meeke would distance his lead over Latvala a long way. Stages thirteen and fourteen would be canceled by violent crashes by Lorenzo Bertelli and Eric Camilli respectively. Craig Breen would find his way into third after Tänak's crash. On Sunday, Meeke became the first Brit to win the event. Latvala would follow up, and Craig Breen would score third, a personal best. Kris Meeke ended up breaking the record for the highest average speed in a rally.

Round 9 — Rallye Deutschland

The first event on tarmac since Monte Carlo, Sebastian Ogier would not have to clean the roads as he did by going first in gravel stages. Though determined to place first, an early mistake pushed him behind Andreas Mikkelsen. Thierry Neuville, considering Germany his home event as it is the closest event to his home country Belgium, kept behind Ogier in third. Jari-Matti Latvala retired on the first stage due to gearbox issues. Ogier would regain the lead on Saturday, and Dani Sordo would take third from Neuville. By the end of the event, Mikkelsen would fall a further two positions, giving the win to Ogier. Dani Sordo would place second, finishing ahead of Neuville by less than a tenth of a second.

Round 10 — Tour de Corse

Due to the cancellation of Rally China, the Tour de Corse was the round after Rallye Deutschland. Being another tarmac event, Sebastian Ogier saw this as another opportunity to take a win. Ogier started off strongly, winning all four events on Friday. Kris Meeke pushed his way into second, but a spin and a puncture set him back. Dani Sordo also fell from second due to a puncture. This gave the position to Thierry Neuville and third to Jari-Matti Latvala. On Saturday, Andreas Mikkelsen overtook Latvala and attempted to chase Neuville. Meeke would crash on Saturday, pulling him out of the points places. The event would finish in the order it was in that evening, with Ogier finishing first, Neuville finishing second, and Mikkelsen in third. Despite finishing in sixteenth, Meeke would take first in the power stage.

Season summary

Round	Event name	Winning driver	Winning co-driver	Winning manufacturer	Winning time	Report
1	Monte Carlo Rally	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Volkswagen Motorsport	3:49:53.1	Report
2	Rally Sweden	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Volkswagen Motorsport	1:59:47.4	Report
3	Rally Mexico	Jari-Matti Latvala	Miikka Anttila	Volkswagen Motorsport	4:25:57.4	Report
4	Rally Argentina	Hayden Paddon	John Kennard	Hyundai Motorsport N	3:40:52.9	Report
5	Rally de Portugal	Kris Meeke	Paul Nagle	Abu Dhabi Total WRT	3:59:01.0	Report
6	Rally Italia Sardegna	Thierry Neuville	Nicolas Gilsoul	Hyundai Motorsport N	3:35:25.8	Report
7	Rally Poland	Andreas Mikkelsen	Anders Jæger	Volkswagen Motorsport II	2:37:34.4	Report
8	Rally Finland	Kris Meeke	Paul Nagle	Abu Dhabi Total WRT	2:38:05.8	Report
9	Rallye Deutschland	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Volkswagen Motorsport	3:00:26.7	Report
10	Rally China	Rally cancelled (due to the 2016 China floods)
11	Tour de Corse	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Volkswagen Motorsport	4:07:17.0	Report
12	Rally Catalunya	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Volkswagen Motorsport	3:13:03.6	Report
13	Wales Rally GB	Sébastien Ogier	Julien Ingrassia	Volkswagen Motorsport	3:14:30.2	Report
14	Rally Australia	Andreas Mikkelsen	Anders Jæger	Volkswagen Motorsport II	2:46:05.7	Report

FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers. There are also three bonus points awarded to the winner of the Power stage, two points for second place and one for third.

Pos. Driver MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER CHN FRA ESP GBR AUS Points 1 Sébastien Ogier 11 11 21 23 31 31 61 24 13 C 13 12 1 21 268 2 Thierry Neuville 3 14 Ret 6 29 1 43 41 31 C 2 3 33 32 160 3 Andreas Mikkelsen 23 42 Ret 3 23 13 1 7 4 C 32 Ret 122 1 154 4 Hayden Paddon 25 2 53 11 Ret Ret 3 52 5 C 6 4 4 4 138 5 Dani Sordo 62 6 4 42 4 4 Ret WD 2 C 7 23 6 53 130 6 Jari-Matti Latvala Ret 26 12 16 62 23 52 23 482 C 4 141 7 9 112 7 Mads Østberg 4 3 3 5 7 Ret 8 6 6 C 9 5 8 6 102 8 Ott Tänak 7 5 6 15 Ret 5 2 Ret 23 C 10 6 21 7 88 9 Kris Meeke Ret 233 1 1 C 161 Ret 5 64 10 Craig Breen 8 7 3 C 5 10 Ret 36 11 Eric Camilli Ret Ret 16 8 5 6 10 Ret 50 C 8 19 10 Ret 28 12 Esapekka Lappi 9 12 21 14 8 7 C 11 8 16 13 Stéphane Lefebvre 5 35 9 Ret C 9 14 14 Henning Solberg 7 9 27 7 15 12 C WD 14 15 Martin Prokop 7 8 9 C Ret 12 16 Kevin Abbring Ret 152 9 C Ret 7 Ret 10 17 Pontus Tidemand 11 9 19 Ret 8 C 9 13 8 18 Teemu Suninen 12 10 9 45 8 11 10 56 C 15 28 14 8 19 Jan Kopecký 19 10 9 C 12 8 16 WD 7 20 Marcos Ligato 7 44 C 6 21 Elfyn Evans 8 9 17 30 13 11 C 11 WD 6 22 Lorenzo Bertelli Ret Ret 8 13 WD Ret 12 Ret WD C 17 11 15 10 5 23 Armin Kremer 10 19 12 Ret 10 C Ret 2 24 Nicolás Fuchs 14 10 10 Ret 20 C 21 11 2 25 Valeriy Gorban 24 10 Ret Ret 28 27 21 C 15 37 1 Pos. Driver MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER CHN FRA ESP GBR AUS Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Black Excluded (EX) Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Cancelled (C) Blank Withdrew entry from the event (WD) Notes: 1 2 3 – Indicate position on Power stage

FIA World Rally Championship for Co-Drivers

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers. There are also three bonus points awarded to the winner of the Power stage, two points for second place and one for third.

Pos. Co-driver MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER CHN FRA ESP GBR AUS Points 1 Julien Ingrassia 11 11 21 23 31 31 61 24 13 C 13 12 1 21 268 2 Nicolas Gilsoul 3 14 Ret 6 29 1 43 41 31 C 2 3 33 32 160 3 Anders Jæger 23 42 Ret 3 23 13 1 7 4 C 32 Ret 122 1 154 4 John Kennard 25 2 53 11 Ret Ret 3 52 5 C 6 4 4 4 138 5 Marc Martí 62 6 4 42 4 4 Ret WD 2 C 7 23 6 53 130 6 Miikka Anttila Ret 26 12 16 62 23 52 23 482 C 4 141 7 9 112 7 Ola Fløene 4 3 3 5 7 Ret 8 6 6 C 9 5 8 6 102 8 Raigo Mõlder 7 5 6 15 Ret 5 2 Ret 23 C 10 6 21 7 88 9 Paul Nagle Ret 233 1 1 C 161 Ret 5 64 10 Scott Martin 8 7 3 C 5 10 Ret 36 11 Benjamin Veillas 16 8 5 6 10 Ret 50 C 8 19 10 Ret 28 12 Janne Ferm 9 12 21 14 8 7 C 11 8 16 13 Ilka Minor 7 9 27 7 15 12 C WD 14 14 Gabin Moreau 5 35 9 Ret C 12 15 Jan Tomanek 7 8 9 C Ret 12 16 Sebastian Marshall Ret 152 9 C Ret 7 Ret 10 17 Jonas Andersson 19 11 9 19 Ret 8 C 9 13 8 18 Mikko Markkula 12 10 9 45 8 11 10 56 C 15 28 14 8 19 Pavel Dresler 19 10 9 C 12 8 16 WD 7 20 Rubén Garcia 7 44 C 6 21 Craig Parry 8 9 17 30 13 11 C 11 WD 6 22 Simone Scattolin Ret Ret 8 13 WD Ret 12 Ret WD C 17 11 15 10 5 23 Gilles De Turckheim C 9 2 24 Pirmin Winklhofer 10 19 12 Ret 10 C Ret 2 25 Fernando Mussano 14 10 10 Ret 20 C 21 11 2 26 Volodymyr Korsia 24 10 Ret Ret 28 27 21 C 15 37 1 Pos. Co-driver MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER CHN FRA ESP GBR AUS Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Black Excluded (EX) Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Cancelled (C) Blank Withdrew entry from the event (WD) Notes: 1 2 3 – Indicate position on Power stage

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers

Points are awarded to the top ten classified finishers.^[48]

Pos. Manufacturer No. MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER CHN FRA ESP GBR AUS Points 1 Volkswagen Motorsport 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 6 7 1 C 1 1 1 2 377 2 Ret 8 1 9 5 2 5 1 8 C 4 8 6 8 2 Hyundai Motorsport 3 3 7 Ret 6 Ret Ret 4 2 3 C 2 3 3 3 312 4 5 2 4 4 3 4 3 3 2 C 6 2 5 4 3 Volkswagen Motorsport II 9 2 4 Ret 3 1 8 1 5 4 C 3 Ret 9 1 163 4 M-Sport World Rally Team 5 4 3 3 5 6 Ret 7 4 6 C 8 5 7 6 162 6 Ret Ret 8 7 4 6 8 Ret 9 C 7 9 8 Ret 5 Hyundai Motorsport N 10 7 Ret 9 C 7 146 20 6 5 1 9 1 Ret 6 5 C 5 4 4 5 6 DMACK World Rally Team 12 6 5 6 8 Ret 5 2 Ret 7 C 9 6 2 7 98 7 Jipocar Czech National Team 21 7 7 7 C Ret 18 8 Yazeed Racing 30 Ret 8 Ret Ret Ret C Ret 4 Pos. Manufacturer No. MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER CHN FRA ESP GBR AUS Points

Key Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Points finish Blue Non-points finish Non-classified finish (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Black Excluded (EX) Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Cancelled (C) Blank Withdrew entry from the event (WD)