Founded by former factory team driver Malcolm Wilson, M-Sport took charge of Ford’s World Rally Championship programme in 1997 and quickly became a powerhouse in the sport.
With stars like Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz, and Marcus Grönholm behind the wheel, the team racked up numerous rally victories. Grönholm’s back-to-back manufacturers’ titles in 2006 and 2007 with the Focus RS WRC cemented M-Sport’s reputation as a front-running squad.
As the Fiesta replaced the Focus in 2011, Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen added more wins to the team’s tally. However, Ford’s withdrawal from WRC at the end of 2012 dealt a financial blow, forcing M-Sport to operate independently.
After years without a title, the arrival of Sébastien Ogier in 2017 transformed the team’s fortunes. The Frenchman spearheaded a dominant campaign, securing both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships in the new-generation Fiesta. A year later, Ogier repeated the feat before departing for Citroën.
M-Sport remained competitive but struggled to maintain its winning form in the seasons that followed. However, in 2022, the squad made history as nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb piloted the Puma Rally1 to victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo – the first event of the WRC’s hybrid era.
A bold new line-up in 2023 saw Ott Tänak return to the team, bringing renewed optimism. While the Estonian couldn’t dethrone Kalle Rovanperä, he still delivered victories in Chile and Sweden. Meanwhile, teammates Pierre-Louis Loubet and Grégoire Munster endured mixed fortunes. Loubet struggled to replicate his 2022 highs, while Munster adapted quickly after joining mid-season, showing flashes of promise in Chile and Central Europe.
After a challenging 2023, M-Sport doubled down on youth development. Adrien Fourmaux was recalled after a season in Rally2, while Munster secured a full-time seat. Latvian talent Mārtinš Sesks was handed opportunities at ORLEN Rally Poland, Rally Chile Bio Bío, and his home event, Tet Rally Liepāja.
The gamble on young talent paid off. Fourmaux delivered five podiums in a breakthrough season, while Munster secured three top-five finishes. Sesks, too, showed immense potential, running inside the podium places in only his second top-level appearance before a transmission failure on the Wolf Power Stage denied him a top-three finish.
M-Sport faced another transition heading into 2025. Fourmaux departed for Hyundai, with Munster remaining with the team full-time. Rising Irish star Joshua McErlean stepped up after impressing in WRC2, becoming the first Irish driver to compete at rallying’s top level since the late Craig Breen.
