FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is optimistic about Argentina returning to the WRC, reviving an event won by legends including Sébastien Loeb.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is optimistic that the World Rally Championship will return to Argentina, renewing attention on one of the series’ defining tests. Argentina last staged a WRC round in 2019, when Thierry Neuville took victory for Hyundai.
A roll call of champions
Argentina entered the WRC calendar in 1980 and quickly became a clear measure of greatness. Walter Röhrl won the first championship edition in a Fiat 131 Abarth. Carlos Sainz, Tommi Mäkinen and Sébastien Loeb later made the rally a major part of their legacies.
Loeb set the benchmark.
Loeb’s eight-year lockout
Loeb won Rally Argentina eight consecutive times from 2005 through 2013, although the event was absent from the 2010 WRC calendar. The streak started in a Citroën Xsara WRC and carried through the C4 WRC and DS3 WRC eras.
That run helps explain why Loeb leads any numbers-based WRC driver ranking. He won nine consecutive championships from 2004 to 2012 and set the championship record with 80 rally victories.
Argentina forced drivers to adapt repeatedly, but Loeb kept winning as routes and machinery changed.
Citroën set the team standard
Citroën’s record in Argentina went beyond Loeb. Kris Meeke won in 2015, with Craig Breen third to complete a 1-3 result for the manufacturer. The victory also made Meeke the first British WRC event winner since Colin McRae in 2002.
Hyundai controlled the final four editions before Argentina dropped from the schedule.
Hayden Paddon won in 2016, Neuville followed in 2017, Ott Tänak triumphed in 2018 and Neuville returned to the top step in 2019.
An era comparison with real weight
Argentina’s historical value rests on continuity across technical periods. Röhrl won with rear-wheel drive in 1980. Group B cars came next, followed by Group A machinery, World Rally Cars and the faster generations introduced during the 2010s.
Any future winner would gain a rare direct link to champions from earlier eras.
Sainz earned his three Argentina victories in 1991, 2002 and 2004, a span of 14 seasons. Mäkinen won three straight editions from 1996 through 1998. Loeb’s eight victories formed a longer, more dominant peak. Hyundai’s four-driver streak, meanwhile, showed the team’s depth rather than dependence on one specialist.
The next step toward a return
The latest report did not specify a comeback date. Securing a place on the WRC calendar requires the event, promoter and governing body to complete the formal process.
The immediate development is Ben Sulayem’s public confidence, as Argentina seeks its first championship start since Neuville and Hyundai won there in April 2019.
