On Wednesday, the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council made significant decisions regarding the future of the WRC. Among the guidelines was the decision to abandon the hybrid units in the top-class Rally1 cars after the current season.
The FIA aims to reduce the cost of Rally1 cars and, by extension, the series itself to attract new manufacturers and teams in the near future. The rules for the coming years are set to be finalised this summer.
“Overall, there are good aspects, but in my opinion, we cannot proceed entirely with these guidelines as they stand. They require fine-tuning. There are elements that have not been fully thought through,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com straightforwardly.
“It’s positive that we now have guidelines and decisions. They have been long deliberated.”
Let’s delve into the aspects that, in Latvala’s view, have not been fully considered. The plans include reducing the performance of Rally1 cars next year by means other than just removing the hybrid unit.
“Removing the hybrid unit is probably a sensible move to lower costs. But at the same time, changing the restrictor and aerodynamics was not what the manufacturers wanted. This increases costs again because the cars need to be tested,” Latvala points out.
“The engine’s performance needs to be optimised for different restrictors. And how does it affect the car when aerodynamics are reduced? In my opinion, those were unnecessary changes. They could have just removed the hybrids, and the performance would immediately drop by 0.2 seconds per kilometre. They could have added weight to the car instead.”
The questionable cost cap
The FIA’s statement announced new technical rules for Rally1 cars for the 2026 season. The intention is to reduce the cars’ power to 330 horsepower and bring the technology closer to the current Rally2 cars. Additionally, a cost cap of 400,000 euros is planned for the cars.
The statement suggested that the new “regulations will run alongside the current Rally1 regulations for the 2026 season.” This was not further elaborated.
This could lead to the conclusion that it is not mandatory to develop a new car for 2026; teams could continue using similar cars to those in the 2025 season. This is also Latvala’s understanding, although he is not entirely sure.
“We have not yet had the chance to discuss the new guidelines with the FIA. They were only released to us yesterday, and we planned to discuss them shortly. But my understanding is that you can continue with the (2025) rules in 2026, and the new rules will be introduced alongside them,” Latvala explains.
According to Latvala, Toyota has no plans to build a new car for 2026.
“It’s coming up too quickly. The year 2027 has been earmarked as the time by which a new car should be developed.”
Latvala is somewhat sceptical that a top-class car can be built for 400,000 euros by the 2027 season. The “sales rule” proposed for the WRC series also raises concerns for the team principal.
Under the FIA’s guideline, WRC factory teams are obliged to sell their cars immediately after a race if there is a buyer.
“The current cars have been very expensive, perhaps too expensive. If a Rally2 car’s price level is around 300,000 euros, then to come down to 400,000 euros for a Rally1 car… I’m not sure that’s immediately feasible. Perhaps if the target price for a Rally1 car were about half a million euros, that would be more realistic.”
“If the price is 400,000 euros and it has to be sold right after the competition, I don’t understand that rule. Cars this expensive cannot be sold directly from parc fermé,” Latvala emphasises.
