Munster is competing in his second full season at the top level with the Ford Puma Rally1 car, but he has yet to make a real breakthrough, having struggled to challenge the front-runners so far.
He showed a flash of pace at the start of the season by claiming his first ever stage win at Rallye Monte-Carlo, but his results since then have remained modest.
At last weekend’s Rally Japan, Munster equalled his best career result by finishing fifth.
“This was a very difficult rally, but we stayed on the road and took a top-five result. It’s a good achievement and makes the team happy in what’s been a tough season. There have been more lows than highs compared to last year,” Munster told Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
“Now we finished fifth – that helps, because in the end we can’t really compare ourselves with the others. But I don’t know if this will help me stay in the team for 2026,” he added.
M-Sport is known for making its driver decisions rather late in the year. This season, the British outfit has relied entirely on so-called pay drivers, as both Munster and Irishman Josh McErlean have competed with financial backing from their sponsors.
Munster is currently in talks regarding his future and even hinted at a more unexpected option for next year.
“It’s a matter of budget. I’ve been talking a bit with everyone. With the regulation changes coming, even moving back to Rally2 wouldn’t be a bad thing, since we’re heading towards Rally2 in 2027,” Munster said.
The 2026 season will be the final one for Rally1 cars before the new technical regulations arrive in 2027, when the top category will be based on Rally2 machinery.
