Earlier this week, the FIA laid out some surprisingly drastic changes aimed at revitalising the World Rally Championship. After the current season, Rally1 cars will no longer use hybrid units, and over the coming years, the cars will technically be brought closer to the Rally2 level.
There might still be changes to the rule proposals, as final decisions are only expected to be made in the summer. As Toyota boss Latvala mentioned in our previous article, not all rules are likely to satisfy the manufacturers, hence discussions will take place over the coming months.
Read also: Farewell to hybrids! Major changes in the World Rally Championship
It’s a good thing that the FIA has decided to make radical decisions to increase competition and attract new manufacturers to the series, Latvala admits.
“There are definitely good things about this. But we can’t go ahead with these guidelines as they are. They need to be fine-tuned to bring in more manufacturers,” Latvala tells RallyJournal.com.
“For example, selling the car could be something that dampens a manufacturer’s enthusiasm. We need to have discussions with teams and manufacturers about this. But there are good aspects, such as allowing SUVs, and cars from the B and C segments to join,” Latvala adds.
The 2026 season is set to introduce revised technical rules based on the current Rally1 concept. The new rules will operate alongside the existing Rally1 rules in 2026.
Cars under the new rules will use a common safety cell to reduce costs and complexity, allowing manufacturers and tuners to develop cars based on their own bodywork from production models including B-class, C-class, compact SUV, or a Concept Car, following strict technical criteria.
In practice, this means that even SUVs could appear in the premier class of the WRC. But not any tank-sized vehicles, as the size of the car could be scaled down.
“The rules would have the same safety cell for everyone, around which the car would be built. It could be a workable solution. I don’t see it as a bad option,” Latvala considers.
“You could even create an SUV, which generally competes very little in any sport. This is a good idea in itself and could attract new manufacturers.”
