The British outfit M-Sport has worked with Ford for decades. In recent years, the relationship has been more technical than factory-level – M-Sport has not functioned as Ford’s works team for a long time and has instead needed to assemble its own budget.
The World Rally Championship will undergo a major shift after next season, as new technical regulations will come into force for 2027. Of the current WRC teams, only Toyota has confirmed that it is developing a WRC27-spec car, based on the technology of today’s Rally2-category machines.
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener stated earlier in the autumn that the team will not be able to develop a new car in time for the start of 2027.
According to the Belgian outlet AutoTrends, M-Sport may end up taking an unexpected direction when the rules change. Citing British sources, the publication reports that M-Sport could end its cooperation with Ford – but that a new partner is already on the horizon.
The rumours suggest that M-Sport may join forces with the Chinese manufacturer Lynk & Co. Lynk & Co was founded in 2016 as a joint project between China’s Geely Auto and the Swedish brand Volvo.
The claims indicate that M-Sport could in future run WRC27-spec cars based on a Lynk & Co body shell in the top class of the World Rally Championship.
Lynk & Co has enjoyed considerable success and championship titles in the FIA-sanctioned international touring car series, now known as the TCR World Tour. In 2019, Lynk & Co became the first Chinese brand to compete in an FIA world-level championship.
The Swedish team Cyan Racing has been responsible for running Lynk & Co’s racing machinery. Next year, however, Cyan Racing’s cars will change, as the Lynk & Co models step aside and are replaced by Geely Preface cars.
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener stressed in October that the British team’s number-one goal is to continue its cooperation with Ford towards a WRC27-spec car.
“But if that can’t happen, then there’s always the option to do it ourselves. However, if you are doing it yourself, it’s a huge investment. So we have to make sure the vision and what we believe in are correct – and that we can get that investment back again,” Millener underlined at the time.
In recent years, M-Sport has competed in the World Rally Championship with the Ford Puma Rally1.
