Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia started the season as the defending World Drivers' and Co-drivers' Champions after securing their fourth World Championship titles at the 2016 Rally Catalunya. Conversely, Volkswagen formally withdrew from the sport at the end of the 2016 championship. Toyota returned to the sport as a full manufacturer team, entering the Toyota Yaris WRC, as did Citroën, who returned to full-time competition after contesting a partial campaign in 2016. The 2017 season saw substantial revisions to the technical regulations aimed at improving the performance of the cars and offering teams a greater degree of technical and design freedom. The series were supported by the WRC-2 and WRC-3 championships and the newly created WRC Trophy at every round, and by the Junior World Rally Championship at selected rounds. Drivers were free to compete in cars complying with World Rally Car and Group R regulations however, only Manufacturers competing with 2017-specification World Rally Cars were eligible to score points in the Manufacturers' championship. Teams and crews contested in thirteen events-starting in Monte Carlo on 19 January and ending in Australia on 19 November-for the World Rally Championships for Drivers, Co-drivers and Manufacturers. The 2017 FIA World Rally Championship was the 45th season of the World Rally Championship, an auto racing championship recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as the highest class of international rallying.

M-Sport World Rally Team won their first World Championship title since 2007.

Rally Trophy Patch Finnish