Mikko Hirvonen
Finnish former World Rally Championship driver and current rally-raid competitor.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Mikko Hirvonen is a Finnish racing driver whose career has been defined by long-term competition in the World Rally Championship and later in international rally-raid. Born on 31 July 1980, he progressed through Finnish rallying before winning the under-2000 cc Group A Finnish Rally Championship in 2002. His early international career developed quickly: he entered the World Rally Championship full-time in 2003 in a third Ford World Rally Team car, then moved to Subaru for 2004 after Richard Burns became unavailable because of illness. Although he scored points regularly for Subaru, he did not retain a factory seat for 2005 and instead competed privately in an older Ford Focus RS WRC. His third-place finish at Rally Catalunya helped restore his factory credentials. Ford brought Hirvonen back into its works program for 2006. Driving the Ford Focus RS WRC alongside Marcus Grönholm, he secured his first WRC victory at Rally Australia and added several podium finishes. He ended the 2006 drivers' championship third and contributed to Ford's manufacturers' title. In 2007 he won in Norway, Japan and Wales, again finishing third in the drivers' standings while helping Ford retain the manufacturers' championship. These seasons established him as one of the leading Ford drivers and a consistent rival to Citroën's Sébastien Loeb. After Grönholm retired, Hirvonen became Ford's lead driver for 2008, with Jari-Matti Latvala as teammate. He won the Jordan and Turkey rallies and finished second at several other events. His consistency was particularly notable: despite a rollover at the final round in Wales, he recovered to eighth, and he and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen became the first WRC crew to score points on every round of a season. Hirvonen remained a title contender in 2009, winning in Greece, Poland and Finland and briefly taking the championship lead. The title was ultimately decided in Loeb's favor at the season finale after Hirvonen suffered damage on a jump during the final rally. He continued with Ford in 2010, driving the final factory Focus RS WRC campaign before moving to the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC for 2011. For 2012 he joined Citroën Total World Rally Team as Loeb's teammate. Hirvonen won Rally Portugal, but was later disqualified because of technical irregularities involving the car's clutch and turbocharger. His 2013 season produced five podiums but no victories, and he finished fourth in the championship. He rejoined M-Sport for 2014, recording two podiums and three power-stage wins before finishing fourth in a championship dominated by Volkswagen drivers. On 6 November 2014, he announced his retirement from the WRC. Hirvonen subsequently moved into rally-raid competition with X-raid and a Mini Countryman. He finished third at the 2015 Baja Aragón and fourth at the 2016 Dakar Rally. In the 2016 FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup he won the Hungarian Baja, added third-place finishes in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Baja Aragón, and ended the overall standings fourth. He later placed thirteenth in the 2017 Dakar Rally. His public profile therefore combines elite WRC experience, manufacturer-backed competition, endurance rallying and ongoing association with international motorsport rather than a conventional consumer product brand.
History
Hirvonen developed through Finnish rally competition and won the under-2000 cc Group A Finnish Rally Championship in 2002. He entered the WRC full-time in 2003 with a third Ford World Rally Team entry and scored points at Rally Cyprus. A move to Subaru followed for 2004, where he scored points in ten rallies but did not secure a factory drive for the next season. In 2005 he competed privately in a two-year-old Ford Focus RS WRC and achieved a career-best third place at Rally Catalunya, restoring his standing with Ford. Ford signed Hirvonen for its works team in 2006. Partnered with Marcus Grönholm in the Ford Focus RS WRC 06, he won Rally Australia, collected multiple podiums and finished third in the drivers' championship. Ford also won the manufacturers' title. In 2007 Hirvonen won rallies in Norway, Japan and Wales, again finished third overall and helped Ford retain its manufacturers' crown. Following Grönholm's retirement, Hirvonen became BP-Ford Abu Dhabi's lead driver in 2008. He won in Jordan and Turkey and remained a regular podium contender. A rollover at Wales Rally GB did not prevent him from recovering to eighth; together with Jarmo Lehtinen, he scored points at every round, a first for a WRC crew. In 2009 he mounted his strongest title challenge. Victories in Greece, Poland and Finland briefly put him ahead of Sébastien Loeb in the championship. Loeb ultimately won the title after Hirvonen suffered bonnet damage following a hard landing at the final event. Hirvonen stayed with Ford in 2010 and moved to the Ford Fiesta RS WRC in 2011. In 2012 he joined Citroën as Loeb's teammate and won Rally Portugal, but the result was removed after technical irregularities concerning the car's clutch and turbo. His 2013 campaign yielded five podiums without a win and a fourth-place championship finish. Rejoining M-Sport for 2014, he recorded two podiums and three power-stage victories, again ending fourth overall. He announced his WRC retirement in November 2014. From 2015 onward Hirvonen pursued rally-raid. Driving for X-raid in a Mini Countryman, he finished third at Baja Aragón in 2015 and fourth in the 2016 Dakar Rally. He won the 2016 Hungarian Baja and finished third in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Baja Aragón, placing fourth in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup standings. His 2017 Dakar result was thirteenth. His career spans privateer rallying, manufacturer-backed WRC programs and endurance off-road competition.
- 2016
Rally-raid breakthrough
[1]Finished fourth in the Dakar Rally, won the Hungarian Baja and ranked fourth in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup.
- 2014
WRC retirement
[1]Announced his retirement from the World Rally Championship before Wales Rally GB.
- 2012
Citroën victory and disqualification
[1]Won Rally Portugal for Citroën but was disqualified over technical irregularities.
- 2009
Closest WRC title challenge
[1]Won three rallies and briefly led the drivers' championship before finishing runner-up to Sébastien Loeb.
- 2007
Three-rally winning season
[1]Won rallies in Norway, Japan and Wales and helped Ford secure a second consecutive manufacturers' championship.
- 2006
First WRC victory
[1]Won Rally Australia and finished third in the drivers' championship while contributing to Ford's manufacturers' title.
- 2003
Full-time WRC debut
[1]Competed full-time in the World Rally Championship for Ford and scored points at Rally Cyprus.
- 2002
Finnish Group A championship
[1]Won the under-2000 cc Group A Finnish Rally Championship.
Products and positioning
An experienced Finnish motorsport professional positioned around consistency, factory-team competition and technical expertise in both stage rallying and long-distance rally-raid.
World Rally Championship car
Ford Focus RS WRC
Hirvonen drove Ford Focus RS WRC cars during his factory-backed Ford campaigns, including the 2006 and 2007 seasons and the final Focus-era programs. The car formed the basis of his first WRC victory and his early championship challenge.
World Rally Championship car · 2011
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Hirvonen switched to Ford's new 1.6-litre turbocharged Fiesta RS WRC for the 2011 season, continuing his factory relationship with Ford after the Focus RS WRC era.
World Rally Championship car · 2012
Citroën DS3 WRC
Hirvonen competed in the Citroën DS3 WRC in 2012 and 2013 as teammate to Sébastien Loeb. He won Rally Portugal with the car in 2012 before the result was overturned after technical inspection.
Rally-raid car · 2015
Mini Countryman rally-raid car
After retiring from WRC, Hirvonen competed for X-raid in a Mini Countryman adapted for rally-raid. The program included Baja Aragón, the Dakar Rally and FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup events.
Brand decisions
2015
Move into rally-raidStrategyBackground
Following his WRC retirement, Hirvonen continued professional motorsport in a different endurance-oriented discipline.
Action taken
He joined X-raid's rally-raid program and competed with a Mini Countryman.
Aftermath
He achieved a third-place Baja Aragón result in 2015 and a fourth-place Dakar Rally finish in 2016.
2014
Retirement from the World Rally ChampionshipStrategyBackground
After a long factory-backed WRC career and a fourth-place 2014 championship finish with M-Sport, Hirvonen decided to leave the championship.
Action taken
He publicly announced his retirement immediately before Wales Rally GB.
Aftermath
Hirvonen moved into rally-raid competition with X-raid in 2015.
Recent events
- 2015
Hirvonen transitions to rally-raid competition[1]
Other
After leaving the WRC, Hirvonen began competing for X-raid in rally-raid events with a Mini Countryman.
- 2014
Hirvonen announces retirement from the World Rally Championship[1]
Other
Hirvonen announced his retirement from WRC competition immediately before the start of Wales Rally GB.
- 2013
Hirvonen returns to M-Sport for 2014 WRC season[1]
Leadership change · Other
M-Sport confirmed that Hirvonen would return to the team, formerly Ford's factory WRC operation, for the 2014 season.
- 2012
Hirvonen wins Rally Portugal but is disqualified[1]
Product generation · Regulation
Hirvonen initially won Rally Portugal for Citroën and moved provisionally into the championship lead, but was disqualified after technical irregularities were found in the clutch and turbocharger.
Sources2 sources
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