Hybrid units have been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks. At the start of October, it emerged that the hybrid units might be scrapped from Rally1 cars as soon as the end of the current season.
The repair costs for the hybrid unit, which adds extra boost to the cars, are set to rise significantly next year. Practically speaking, any time the unit goes into fault mode, perhaps due to a hard impact, it would require repairs costing tens of thousands of euros.
M-Sport Ford team principal Richard Millener calculated that this could add several million euros to the teams’ expenses. According to Millener, M-Sport is not prepared to foot such a bill.
Read more: A multi-million euro bill for WRC teams? M-Sport Ford boss delivers a strong statement
Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul has stated that the team supports the electrification of motorsport. But in the same breath, the Frenchman backed M-Sport, saying that members of the WRC community need to look after one another.
All indications strongly suggest that hybrid units may indeed be dropped for next season.
This would mean the cars wouldn’t produce as much power. But is that necessarily a bad thing?
Rally1 cars still have plenty of power even without the hybrid system. Martins Sesks proved this in the summer at Rally Poland.
Sesks made his debut in the WRC’s top class with an M-Sport Ford Rally1 car, which had a hefty extra weight instead of the hybrid unit. Despite this, the Latvian was able to drive at a sensational pace against WRC stars.
The question is more likely: could scrapping the hybrid unit benefit the entire WRC series in the grand scheme of things?
My answer: Yes, absolutely.
A Rally1 car without a hybrid unit is cheaper to rent than a fully-fledged hybrid car. Furthermore, for drivers stepping into a Rally1 car for the first time, there would be one less element to learn.
In other words, the threshold for renting a Rally1 car would be lowered – at least a little. It’s still expensive, but who among us doesn’t enjoy a good discount?
There has long been a need for more competition in the WRC’s top class. It’s clear that no new teams will join the top class in the coming years. Moving towards hybrid-free Rally1 cars could be a temporary solution to get more of the current teams’ cars onto the start line.
The WRC promoter has already stated that it intends to continue supporting promising drivers in Rally1 cars. And what could be more exciting than seeing new names competing in the WRC’s top class, challenging top drivers with equal equipment?
