Chronicles of an announced outcome. The hybrid component of Rally1 in the World Rally Championship (WRC) will be removed in 2025. The new sporting and technical regulations are still being defined, with expectations of being published by the end of June.
Since the introduction of hybrid Rally1 in 2022, the expensive technology has never been truly successful. It has failed to attract new manufacturers, with Hyundai and Toyota remaining as the only directly involved constructors. Ford, represented through the M-Sport project, is increasingly distant from its competitors in terms of competitiveness and finance.
This Wednesday, the FIA World Council met, and the roadmap for the future of the WRC was presented by the WRC Working Group. The document, requested in December by the president of the federation, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, was approved. Robert Reid, David Richards, Garry Connelly, Ronan Morgan, Andrew Mallalieu, Andrew Wheatley, and Xavier Mestelan Pinon participated in its elaboration.
The report proposed objectives and a timeline for the changes in the WRC. It was established that Rally1 will continue to be used in 2025 and 2026, but the hybrid unit will be removed, and the performance will be compensated by a reduction in overall weight, air restrictor, and aerodynamics. Rally2 will continue to evolve and will have the possibility of using a WRC kit with larger restrictor and exhaust, as well as gear shift paddles and a rear wing – in order to mitigate the performance difference between Rally1 and Rally2.
In 2026, revised regulations will be imposed for Rally1, based on the current concept. The power should be 330hp, with the engine performance controlled by a reference torque curve for all cars. There will be a cost limit for the engine and transmission, and the technology will be limited to the equivalence in Rally2. Aerodynamic efficiency will also be limited, in addition to the introduction of a top speed restriction in favor of reducing development and costs.
In terms of costs, each car can only cost up to 400,000 euros, and manufacturers will have to make them available for sale immediately after the end of the closed park of a championship round.
