For more than 18 months, the FIA has been working on developing the future direction of the WRC’s Rally1 and Rally2 categories in order to preserve the commitment of current brands and attract new ones to the discipline. The championship’s future technical rules for 2027 are on track to be submitted to the World Motor Sport Council in December, where it is hoped the path forward will be ratified and communicated.
WRC teams have, however, expressed concerns over the timing of the publication of these rules, urging that a decision be made sooner, given that 18 months is considered the minimum time for a brand to commit to a programs and develops a new car.
There are also fears that Hyundai could leave the WRC as an official team at the end of 2025, following the Korean manufacturer’s recent announcement that it plans to join the world endurance championship under its Genesis brand. . If Hyundai were to leave the WRC, the championship could face a future where Toyota is the only fully official Rally1 team and Ford is a semi-official team through M-Sport.
Addressing Motorsport.comFIA technical director Xavier Mestelan-Pinon reaffirmed that the regulations were ready for delivery in December and that world motorsport’s governing body had been involved in meticulous discussions to ensure the best decision for the WRC. The Frenchman admitted that the process of ratifying the 2027 regulations is not ahead of schedule, but neither is it “too late” to attract new brands.
“Time is passing, but even today we are not ahead, but we are not behind either. For me, there is a lot of pressure to provide a good settlement and something that will be meaningful for the future of the World Rally Championship”, Mestelan-Pinon said.
The Paraguay Rally will join the WRC calendar in 2025.
Photo from: WRC.com
“If you put something out in a hurry, it might not be good in the end. We’ve already been discussing this topic for a year and a half, I would say, but now we have to take a good look. [décision].”
“We are not too far behind and the most important thing for me is to attract newcomers. If the newcomer will make the decision for 2028 instead of 2027, I don’t care. What is important is “is about giving the right direction and the right vision.”
Asked if it was essential that the FIA made the right decision going forward, given the rumors surrounding Hyundai’s uncertain future in the WRC, he added: “I agree that not losing a manufacturer is a key point and that we want to attract newcomers, of course.”
“But for me the most important thing is to be brave and make a good decision about the direction that rallying should take in the future. If we are very clear in what we are doing and the direction we we want to take with the developer, and if we work together, this is the best way to keep our current builders and attract new ones.”
“If we only work to serve current builders or a potential future builder, I’m not sure that’s the best way to deal with the current situation. What I think we need is to a clear vision of the direction we want to take, and we must of course take into consideration the position of our current manufacturers and potential manufacturers. But again, it is our duty as an FIA to take the right one. decision for the development of the World Rally Championship.”
“Of course we are talking with the three current manufacturers and the new ones, but it is more or less impossible to get a consensus. We have to make a decision and maybe some of them will not be very happy. But it’s about how the World Rally Championship grows and develops, that’s what’s most important to me.”
What we know about the 2027 regulation
Will Hyundai maintain an official WRC team after 2025?
Photo de: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport
While final decisions on the 2027 regulations have yet to be made, it appears that the proposal published by the FIA working group in February offers a relatively clear framework of what the future of the Rally1 and Rally2 categories could look like.
Since its launch in 2022, the Rally1 space frame chassis, which has improved safety levels and adapted to different car body shapes, is expected to continue to be subject to adaptation. Plans to extend chassis construction to tuning companies, and no longer just manufacturers, are currently being discussed. The FIA is working to reduce costs, with the figure of 400,000 euros for a Rally1 car being one of the topics of ongoing discussion.
The Rally1s should be based on road vehicles and undergo a reduction in performance and aerodynamics in order to make the category more accessible to young drivers. Internal combustion engines, hybrid powertrains and electric vehicles remain on the discussion table, as does the possibility of some form of technological equivalence if the rules evolve to open up to different technologies.
The objective of Rally2 is to continue its growth as a category and maintain the current performance deficit compared to Rally1 cars.
