For next season, it is planned to completely remove hybrid units from Rally1 cars and to reduce their aerodynamics and power as well. Conversely, a WRC kit will be available for Rally2 cars, which would allow cars from two different categories to compete almost equally for victories in the World Rally Championships. However, these rules have not yet been finalised.
The underlying motive, of course, is cost reduction until entirely new rules come into effect for the 2027 season. However, developing next season’s car won’t come cheap for the current WRC teams.
Hyundai, Toyota, and M-Sport Ford have, according to rally website DirtFish, drafted a joint letter to the FIA, demanding that the current rules remain in place until the end of the ongoing classification period, i.e., the end of 2026.
The WRC Commission, operating under the FIA, has a meeting next week, so it remains to be seen whether the appeal from the three manufacturers will have any impact. The new rules are set to be ratified in June at the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council, but some adjustments to them are anticipated.
“This is progress. To have the manufacturers unified and all, quite literally, on the same page is a very big step forward. It’s also a demonstration of the depth of feeling on this topic,” an insider source whispers on the DirtFish site.
“I think everybody is well aware that there’s work to be done in the world championship, but the teams are the common denominator here. We have three teams and eight cars – perhaps we can make some changes to the sporting regulations to bring more cars next year, but significant (technical) regulatory change is something which is making a lot of people very nervous right now.”
An undoubtedly interesting couple of months lie ahead behind the scenes. Will the FIA and the promoter’s ambitious reform package proceed, or will the handbrake be applied?
“The FIA’s Working Group has done some really good work in highlighting issues, but perhaps its best work is in bringing the teams together,” the source says.
