Earlier this season, the FIA announced that the current regulations would remain in place until the end of the homologation period in 2026. However, work is already well underway behind the scenes to develop new rules set to take effect in 2027. The goal is to present these new rules to manufacturers in December this year.
For now, the FIA is keeping all potential options open. This means the future of the WRC could include internal combustion engines, electric engines, or hybrids.
“We can consider that all technologies are suitable but what is important is to take the best decision what is good for rally in terms of technology and which championship is good for each technology,” FIA Technical Director Xavier Mestelan Pinon told Autosport.
“Today we strongly believe that biofuel or synthetic fuel is a good business and now after that we want to open the rules to electrify the engine and when I say that it could be hybrid or full EV,” Pinon continued.
One concern with fully electric vehicles is that they lack the sound that fans associate with the WRC, and there are also worries about their performance. The FIA is aware of these concerns.
“It is important that an ICE car and an electrified vehicle have the same performance. The target again is to have more cars in the Rally1 category so that means the basic car will be ICE,” Pinon noted.
However, alongside internal combustion engines, other options, such as electric motors, could be introduced.
“We strongly believe that an electrified version could make sense and we have had some discussions with potential newcomers and current manufacturers so it is very difficult to say.”
Pinon emphasized that it is still too early to discuss specific rules or even the direction in which the new regulations might take the WRC.
“My personal opinion is that full EV could make sense because for stages that are 35 kilometres it is easy to manage with the same level of performance as the ICE car and you can have some charging unit at the end of each stage,” Pinon suggested.
The WRC has used hybrid cars since 2022. The current vehicles have 1.6-litre turbo engines paired with a hybrid unit that can provide an additional 100 horsepower boost. These cars have been praised by drivers and fans alike for their sound, visual appeal, and performance.
