The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council decided last December that, from 2027 onwards, the WRC will aim for a significant reduction in costs. This has been a long-standing goal, as competing in the top category has been considered excessively expensive.
According to the new regulations, from 2027 onwards, the cost of manufacturing a top-category rally car will be capped at €345,000—a drastic reduction compared to the current situation, where Rally1 cars are estimated to cost around €1 million.
M-Sport Ford’s team principal Richard Millener is unsure about the direction these new regulations will take the sport, but he believes the intention is correct.
“I don’t know about the cars. I think 2027 is quite close,” Millener said.
“So it’s good that we have the vision and the regulations mostly in place, but the next three or four months, I think, will be vital for people because creating a car by 2027 is pretty tough, and I’m sure others will say the same. So even though we have the regulations, it doesn’t mean we have a lot of teams. So let’s see. But we’ve made some progress in the right direction, at least,” Millener reflected.
Building a top-class rally car for under €345,000 is a significant challenge. The biggest question is whether such low-cost cars will still be exciting enough and if they will have a clear performance gap over Rally2 cars.
“I think it’s a very ambitious target,” Millener admitted.
“But although we have the framework in place, there are still quite a few things that need to be finalised, altered, and changed. I think there’s still a bit of a discussion—is what’s proposed good enough as a top-category car? And are we sure we want to compete directly against Rally2, or do we want something very different? So maybe there is still some discussion to be had there,” Millener continued.
The aim of the new regulations is to attract more manufacturers to the WRC. For years, the championship has only had two full factory teams, Toyota and Hyundai. The hope is that this will now change.
Lowering costs will make life easier for private teams like M-Sport, but will it be enough to attract new manufacturers?
“And I guess it depends on the number of teams that commit to 2027. If there isn’t the possibility to commit to 2027, then maybe this gives more time to tweak the regulations for 2028,” Millener said.
“There are also discussions about the promoter possibly being sold, and if that were to happen, it could have a different impact as well. If someone comes in with a different direction or funding to promote the championship, it might also affect the technical regulations.”
“So although everything is kind of moving in the right direction, there are still a lot of uncertainties at the moment, and since nobody has signed up for sure, we have to wait and see what happens,” he concluded.
