The WRC started the hybrid era at the end of January with the Rallye Monte-Carlo, therefore exactly one month ago, and in the weekend just ended the first discontent arose regarding the big news of this season.
At the Rally Sweden, the second round of the season, two out of three teams fielding hybrid Rally1 cars had to withdraw their own crew due to a problem with the electrical components of the hybrid propulsion.
Hyundai and Toyota had to do without Ott Tanak and Elfyn Evans due to a malfunction that caused the green light on the windshield and rear side windows to go out. If it is lit, it indicates that the system is working correctly and that it is possible to intervene on the car.
Otherwise, with the red light on or all three off, the sporting regulations stipulate that the cars cannot be touched for safety reasons. The regulation, approved for months now, is now in the eye of the storm precisely for the retreats of Tanak and Evans. Hyundai and Toyota made no secret of their disappointment at the end of the Swedish weekend, which effectively eliminated two great protagonists of the rally and of the season from the race.
“For one thing, Ott is very frustrated by what happened and so are we, as he had a great pace,” Hyundai Motorsport vice team principal Julien Moncet told Motorsport.com. “We know how fast he can be in Sweden and to finish his race like this is disappointing. I think we are on the same boat as the other teams and with the FIA. We have to rethink some sporting regulations to prevent this situation from happening again.”
“We all work together. We have already had some meetings over the weekend to make sure to update the rules to try to avoid other situations of this kind, like the ones we experienced during the Rally of Sweden”.
“It’s never easy, because we have to try to think and hypothesize everything that could happen, but we are learning. We have to prevent it from happening again in the future.”
Jari-Matti Latvala is also on the same line of thinking. The Toyota Racing team principal had to deal with the retirement of Elfyn Evans in the first special on Sunday precisely because of a hybrid problem.
On the Welshman’s GR Yaris the green light has gone out, indicating the correct functioning of the electrical part of the propulsion. The red one was not on, but the regulation states that if the green light is not on, the competitor is forced to withdraw the car. And so happened to Evans after hitting a snow bank and spun.
“We have too many problems with hybrid drives at the moment,” Latvala told Motorsport.com. “These need to be stable and shouldn’t be the reason why a manufacturer has to retire a racing car. There are improvements to be made. We hope the FIA reacts to this situation and changes things.”
“I think we need to review the regulations. We know and understand that in motorsport there may be technical problems, but on hybrid units, which are supplied to us from the outside, we cannot intervene. We cannot do anything about it.”
“The regulations should not prevent us from continuing the race. We saw Rovanpera who managed to win the event despite not being able to count on the thrust of the hybrid on Sunday (but he had green lights, ed), while Evans did not. . We should be in a situation where we don’t have to stop the cars. I think we can think about updating the sporting regulations. “
“The first priority is safety, but I think what we have now in terms of regulations can be improved, keep the elements on safety, but also not have to collect the cars.”
If the sporting regulations now become the subject of discussion by the teams for sporting reasons, it should not be forgotten that the choices made by the Rally division of the FIA acted and drafted the regulations in this way for safety reasons. Drivers, professionals and fans must have the opportunity to be protected.
“Motorsport is dangerous”. Motorsport is dangerous, reads every FIA pass issued for motor sporting events. The fact remains that, in the first year of hybrid propulsion in the WRC, those who made the laws did not want to take risks, regulating the use and management of electrical components in a severe and rigid manner.
From a teams point of view, it is understandable to want more freedom, especially when you have to invest huge amounts of money to fight to win rallies and world titles. But it is good to never forget the danger of such cars if there is a hybrid malfunction. Safety must remain at the basis of the rules governing the hybrid, so as not to have to regret a change that could prove to be too anticipated and risky.
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