Public discussions have been rife about how these changes will affect the future of the sport and whether new car manufacturers will be enticed to join. However, the impact of these changes on drivers has received less attention.
Adrien Fourmaux, who has returned to drive M-Sport Ford’s top-tier car, anticipates difficulties. The car’s weight will drop by over 80 kilograms, but with power reductions, handling challenges may arise.
“For sure, the cars with the hybrid are really nice to drive, the push we have when we have the engine and the hybrid is really impressive, it’s 550 horsepower,” Fourmaux told Motorsport.com’s Gravel Notes Podcast.
“But you also have to understand that when we remove the hybrid, the car was designed with the hybrid so the weight distribution will change.”
According to the French driver, teams face a significant task to make Rally1 cars handle well next season.
“We moved the radiator to the back of the car and there is the big block of the hybrid and a lot of pipes, so many things will change, it is not a case of just removing the power and go,” Fourmaux points out.
“I think the cars will change a bit with the driveability so, in the end, it will be a challenge. I think we are just going to have to find a way to get the balance back as we will remove a lot of weight from the back of the car.”
Fourmaux suspects that the final rules for the championship, to be announced in June, may still undergo changes.
“I don’t know how it will be so I think we will need a bit more explanation of the regulation and how it will work. But it the end, it is the same for everybody, so we will have to fight with that.”
Next year, the horsepower will be dropped to 330, and the car’s price cap is aimed to be around 400,000 euros. This is a significant difference from the current Rally1 cars, which are estimated to cost over a million euros.
However, Fourmaux admits that ultimately, technical rules are not that important. What’s crucial is marketing the dwindling World Rally Championship.
“But what I personally feel is we need to be more focussed on the promotion of the sport. The cars are spectacular, and we have one of the most spectacular championships in motorsport, so for me it is more about the promotion and how we can improve,” Fourmaux concludes.
“I think for me I would be more focussed on that than changing the regulation, but at the end of the day I’m not a manufacturer, so it is more difficult for me to answer.”
