After studying several avenues, the leaders set themselves the major objective of increasing participation and competition at the highest level. For this, the regulation which will begin in 2027 and which will be spread over 10 years should offer more flexibility. This will be reflected in the construction of the Rally1 by allowing a wide variety of shapes for production cars and designs for racing. The safety cell concept currently used in passenger compartments will be refined into a common design that will reduce complexity and costs. This should allow the installation of this cell in almost all production vehicle bodies. This means that hatchback versions will be able to compete with sedans and SUVs and it is even possible that bespoke car concepts could take off from 2027.
These new regulations also provide for various powertrain solutions, an approach that reflects the evolving automotive landscape and ensures that environmental sustainability remains at the heart of the future of the sport. The initial goal is for competitors to use sustainably powered internal combustion engines in 2027, with diversification including hybrid systems or fully electric technologies, which could be introduced at a later stage.
The other major aspect of these regulations concerned costs and Andrew Wheatley, the former head of rallying at the FIA, had warned that the announcements would be surprising. By hoping that the Rally1s do not exceed 350,000 euros, the FIA has established an ambitious limit since it is 50% less than the current one. These savings will be achieved through component price specifications. Cuts will also be made to the technical design of certain components, making them more durable during a rally. In addition to reducing the cost of the cars themselves, the teams’ operating costs are expected to be reduced by reducing staff, compressing logistics transport costs and increasing the use of local facilities and increasing data connectivity for facilitate off-site engineering.
Belgium
