RallyJournal.com journalists Aki Hietavala, Toni Heinonen, and Ville Hirvonen scrutinised the proposals under a magnifying glass. Members of the “Rally Panel” were largely in agreement with the suggestions made by the WRC working group.
Read below the thoughts of Hietavala, Heinonen, and Hirvonen on the new proposals for the WRC!
A rite of passage to paradise?
Guidelines issued last Wednesday by the WRC task force have rocked the rally world.
Starting next season, the hybrid units introduced only a few years ago will be consigned to the scrap heap. Rally1 cars will continue in the premier class for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, but efforts will be made to reduce costs, including scrapping the hybrid units. Meanwhile, a WRC kit will be available for Rally2 cars, including, among other things, a larger exhaust and restrictor, as well as a rear wing. It is not yet known if an upgraded Rally2 car can compete in the premier class, but if so, this will certainly add more colour to a series that has struggled for vibrancy for years.
Newly updated Rally1 rules will be announced for 2026, so effectively, the series will go through a sort of rite of passage for a couple of seasons until possibly in 2027, more teams join with new cars. However, it is hoped that as early as next year, manufacturers like Citroen or Skoda will upgrade their Rally2 cars, and if such cars are permitted in the premier class, the series will see much more variety.
The FIA’s idea is to cap the cost of a Rally1 car at 400,000 euros in the new 2026 rules, which would cut the current required budget by more than half. The direction is right, and something had to be done. Whether this will attract new car brands to the sport remains to be seen. As a rally fan, one certainly hopes so, and in the future, private drivers should have better chances to compete against factory drivers and vie for a spot in the limelight.
One of the most interesting of the other rules was definitely the so-called “folk racing rule”. In the future, WRC manufacturers must be ready to sell their cars right after the event in parc fermé. This clause seems quite peculiar. If a team develops a dominant car for the 2026 season, can a rival team buy the car and copy the innovations for their own car? I suspect this clause will be further refined.
In the coming years, the performance of the top-class car will be closer to a Rally2 car than the current car. I must say, the current Rally1 hybrid machines are magnificent. They pack plenty of sound and power. However, I am fully prepared to accept cars with significantly lower performance levels if it means more teams, drivers, and thereby competitors, join the premier class. It’s undeniably dull when, even this year, only a handful of different drivers are genuinely competing for victories.
Finally, the FIA has done something to save rally. The methods may be debatable, but at least there’s an attempt. Perhaps something should have been done a decade ago.
Aki Hietavala
A return to the good old days?
The guidelines announced last week were so significant that they weren’t immediately digestible.
This time, the FIA cannot be accused of being a cumbersome organisation where change proposals disappear into the bureaucratic machine and officials’ dusty drawers. Such bold upheavals partly reflect the alarming situation the World Rally Championship, especially its premier class, has found itself in. More competition is needed – and fast!
After mulling over things for a week, one can’t help but think that we’re taking a step back. Is this the famed return to the good old days?
Seriously though: simplifying the technology of the premier class cars, remote services, removing massive complexes from the service area and replacing them with tents – all this takes me straight back to the 1000 Lakes Rally events of my childhood. Those moments when I could collect autographs from my idols in the schoolyard of Laukaa.
Oh, those times.
But let’s get back to today. The main message of the WRC working group’s guidelines is that Rally1 cars need to become cheaper, thereby increasing the number of teams. There will undoubtedly be some arm-wrestling over the final rules until summer, but in my view, this is a step in the right direction. And this step couldn’t have been delayed much longer.
Even though the cars’ power and aerodynamic features are being reduced, they will still be impressive machines. An experienced eye might notice a slight difference in speed, but does it matter in the grand scheme of things if, in the future, there are even more teams involved and the competition for victory intensifies? Probably not.
The premier class of the WRC needs new blood. The past few years have shown that with the current rules and limited WRC seats, it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a young talent to ascend to the sport’s highest level without a significant financial backing from their entourage.
So, I can say I’m satisfied that a change in direction has been dared. Time will tell if this is the right path to a better future.
Toni Heinonen
Hats off to the WRC working group
I welcome many of the changes with joy, as it was clear something had to be done.
The World Rally Championship has been languishing for a long time with only two full-fledged factory teams and M-Sport Ford, practically without factory support.
If costs can be reduced, it may well attract new manufacturers to the series.
Hats off to the new WRC working group. It has immediately shown that it can make real changes and shake up the structure of the WRC. Ten points for that, but it remains to be seen how the planned changes will work in practice.
However, it’s now clear that change is coming, and that’s the main thing at this point. The series absolutely needed this.
My concern is how the new Rally1 cars can be made impressive and loud enough. Watching the Rally Sweden stages in person, it was clear that the current Rally1 beasts had a ‘wow’ effect. They were like from another planet compared to Rally2 cars in terms of both spectacle and sound. If new cars can be made nearly as impressive for significantly less money, then the change seems excellent.
One of the best changes relates to shortening the liaisons and moving to a non-fixed service park. Surely, at least the drivers and teams are very happy about this.
A big change is also happening on the Rally2 side. The WRC kit is an interesting change, and hopefully, it will also allow Rally2 cars the chance to compete even for overall victories. It could be exciting to see.
Overall, the changes seem quite good and hit the biggest need – reducing costs. Hopefully, this will increase competition as new manufacturers join. The final verdict, however, will only come later when we see how the changes work in practice. At this stage, though, I cautiously raise a thumb up.
Ville Hirvonen
