The World Motor Sport Council is set to seal the technical rules for Rally1 cars for the 2025 and 2026 seasons in June. The WRC working group already made its proposals for rule changes in February, and discussions have since been ongoing between the WRC manufacturers and the FIA.
While Toyota tested the proposed solutions in April, Hyundai has not significantly prepared for potential radical rule changes.
“So rather than trying to do a bit of everything – which is never good in motorsport – we’ve decided consciously to make an assumption and to focus 100% of our resources on it (the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid),” Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul told Dirtfish.
“This means that we are not spending one Euro, one hour of design office time or one kilometre of test time in relation to the alternative regulation,” the Frenchman stated.
Hyundai is taking a big gamble, especially compared to its main rival, Toyota, which has at least somewhat prepared for possible changes.
However, it is also important to remember that Abiteboul, seasoned in the world of Formula 1, is highly skilled in media tactics. This could very well be a pure bluff – one way or another.
Even though the rules have not been officially finalized, the teams likely have a relatively clear understanding of the forthcoming regulations at this stage. It is also possible that there will be no major changes to the rules.
According to Abiteboul, Hyundai’s approach carries its own risks.
“We made quite a brave – and that can be a very dangerous – decision to assume a certain set of regulations for next year and to develop a technical strategy according to what we assume will happen.”
“We may be proven wrong. If that happens, we will be clearly on the back foot for next year. But right now, with that assumption, we know exactly what to do and we are in the process of doing it,” Abiteboul said.
