In future, the WRC may introduce compulsory rest periods for drivers, team personnel and other staff who make the rallies possible.
A proposal drawn up jointly by the FIA, the WRC promoter and the drivers was discussed at the WRC Commission meeting on 22 September.
The aim is to ensure competitors and team staff get sufficiently long breaks between rally days.
“The aim is to improve consistency across all rallies and ultimately create safer working conditions for the crews, officials and volunteers who make the events possible,” the FIA stated in its release.
The matter has already been discussed to some extent, but the issue really came to the fore during Rally Portugal earlier this year.
In Portugal, the timetable was extremely tight: drivers jumped into the car at the crack of dawn and only got to bed late at night – or even in the early hours of the morning. The intense schedule drew very critical views from drivers at the time.
Perhaps the harshest criticism came from Hyundai’s Ott Tänak, who stated that drivers were sometimes treated “like animals.” Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä also criticised the length of the rally days in Portugal, though the Finn expressed himself in a somewhat gentler tone.
Members of the WRC Commission gave their approval in principle to the decision on compulsory rest times. In addition, the meeting also agreed on other changes to operational practices. However, the new rules still require the approval of the FIA World Motor Sport Council before they can take effect.
In addition to mandatory breaks, it was also agreed that remote service will in future only be allowed once per rally. This rule is not carved in stone, however, as organisers may propose other alternatives, which the FIA can then approve – or reject – on a case-by-case basis.
The reasoning behind this rule change is to reduce the workload of team staff, as well as to cut costs.
Organisers were also presented with a stricter timetable regarding rally route plans. In future, the organising body must submit the route plan to the FIA six months before the rally begins. Previously, the deadline was five and a half months.
