Motorsport's governing body has shared its key objectives for the future of the WRC, presented to the World Council today.
These objectives were put together following an in-depth analysis of the current WRC conducted by the FIA working group, created in December last year to “assess and recommend the future direction of the rally” following a decline in entries to the top championship. A survey recently launched by the FIA among fans has helped provide useful data for the decision-making process.
The FIA has confirmed a number of proposals for the future of the WRC, including the abandonment of hybrid power and the introduction of a new set of regulations for Rally1 from 2026. The future of the hybrid Rally1 class has been at center of the debate, with the hypothesis that the championship could abandon Rally1 altogether and move to Rally2 or the new Rally2 Plus.
However, the FIA has announced that Rally1 cars will continue to form the basis of the top category, but will operate without a hybrid unit and with a reduction in aerodynamics and turbo restrictor to reduce costs. Cost has been a critical element of the current hybrid Rally1 cars, introduced in 2022, with the FIA, teams and competitors saying the price tag of almost one million euros is too high.
The regulations approved for this year allowed the Rally1 cars to race without a hybrid, but with ballast. However, cars entered with this specification are not eligible to earn points in the championship.
Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1
Photo by: M-Sport
The new sporting and technical regulations starting from 2025 will be published in June this year.
“The current Rally1 car will continue to be the WRC's flagship vehicle in both 2025 and 2026, but with changes aimed at reducing cost and performance. These include the removal of the plug-in hybrid unit, with performance offset by a reduction in overall weight, and a reduction in air restrictor and aerodynamics,” reads the FIA statement.
The Rally2 cars will continue in their current form for the duration of their homologation as the basis for national and international series. However, Rally2 cars participating in WRC events from 2025 will have the option to race with a WRC kit consisting of a larger restrictor, a larger exhaust, an optional shifter with paddles and a rear wing, with the aim to reduce the performance gap between the Rally1 and Rally2 cars.
From 2026, revised Rally1 technical regulations will be introduced for the flagship WRC category, based on the current Rally1 concept. These regulations will join the current Rally1 regulations for the 2026 season.
These new rules will use a common safety cell to reduce costs and complexity, and will allow manufacturers and tuners to develop cars with their own bodywork based on production models, including compact SUVs, or a Concept Car designed according to criteria rigorous techniques, linked to center of gravity and aerodynamics, in order to standardize performance.
The power will be 330 HP and the engine performance will be controlled by a reference torque curve for all cars. The engine and transmission will be limited in cost and the technology will be limited, as will aerodynamic efficiency. Furthermore there will be a restriction of the maximum speed to reduce development and costs.
Andreas Mikkelsen, Torstein Eriksen, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport
The cost per car will be limited to 400,000 euros and the WRC manufacturers will have to make their cars available for sale directly in the configuration in which they left the parc fermé of a WRC event.
An electric category will be introduced in the WRC as soon as possible and the FIA technical department will be tasked with establishing an appropriate technical regulation that can utilize the new Rally1 safety cell and achieve performance parity with Rally1 cars powered by sustainable fuel.
“WMSC members have carefully considered the recommendations of the WRC working group and have been united in supporting the set of objectives that have been set,” said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“Having reached the point where the WRC Commission can now work to finalize the proposals that will underpin the future of the WRC, once approved by the WMSC, is a significant moment for the championship, its investors and the wider rallying community “.
“It is also important to note that the results of the WRC fan engagement survey will be carefully considered by the WRC Commission during the process of developing the final proposals. I thank everyone who participated as we continue the process of delivering a WRC that is relevant for the present and suitable for the future”.
The FIA also announced that it will establish the WRC Promotion Team internally, in close collaboration with WRC Promoter stakeholders, event organizers and manufacturer teams, “to exploit the promotional opportunities around each event and maximize the full potential of the WRC”.
Event organizers will have more freedom in developing their rally route. However, while the start day of an event and the number of stage kilometers may vary, all rallies are expected to finish on Sunday with the Power Stage.
The global calendar could include a small number of shorter sprint-type and longer endurance-type events, in addition to rallies that follow the current format. However, the overall timed kilometers traveled during a season will remain largely unchanged, with events still staged on a mix of tarmac, gravel and snow.
As part of cost-cutting measures, the staffing of a three-car team will be limited in future.
The set-up of the service park will follow a new model, with builders being allocated locally sourced structures as workspace. As well as saving costs and reducing the amount of transport required, this will provide greater flexibility, should the location of the service park change during an event. It will also reduce the total area required for the service park by event organisers.
To enable organizers to adopt less rigid formats, reduce distances between connecting sections and broaden the scope of events, remote support opportunities will be encouraged, with the ability for teams to transport limited parts in a small support vehicle .
#WRC #Sensational #Rally1s #hybridfree
