No all-electric drive, no hydrogen: FIA Rally Director Andrew Wheatley on the status of the technical regulations for the World Rally Championship from 2027
In the World Rally Championship (WRC), the Rally1 era is nearing the end of its second year. New technical regulations have been announced for the 2027 season. However, according to the FIA, 80 percent of the hybrid technology that has been in use since 2022 will be adopted for this
When the Rally1 cars were introduced at the start of the 2022 WRC season, it was a significant step compared to the previous generation of vehicles. The 1.6-liter turbo engines came with hybrid technology for the first time, in the form of a 100-kilowatt electric motor.
In addition, the WRC cars have been running on 100% sustainable fuel since 2022. And last but not least, great attention has been paid to safety in the Rally1 cars. Thanks to the so-called space frame chassis. The next version of the technical regulations for the World Rally Championship has been announced for 2027. However, the new features will not be as extensive as rumored in the meantime.
The WRC cars will still be running with hybrid engines in 2027. In the medium term, there will be no switch to fully electric drive systems in the WRC – as was the case in the World Rallycross Championship, for example – nor will there be a switch to hydrogen combustion engines. An important aspect in connection with the new rules is cost reduction. The FIA openly admits that the current Rally1 cars are too expensive.
“There is a rough agreement with the interest groups on what the future of the technical regulations should look like. But as always, the devil is in the detail,” says FIA Rally Director Andrew Wheatley in an interview for the English-language edition of Motorsport.com and reveals: “80 percent of the current Rally1 cars will remain.”
“I think we all know that the speed of the cars is a challenge. They are quite fast and they are also expensive. They are more expensive than we expected. Those are two key factors that we want to try and improve on with the second generation of Rally1 cars,” said Wheatley.
Will Subaru join as fourth manufacturer?
“The challenge is how we can achieve these two goals. Obviously nobody wants to change anything, but actually we all know that we should do it and that we have to change some details,” says the FIA Rally Director and confirms: “It will still be hybrid cars.”
“But that’s where the details are being discussed, because there are many ways to make a hybrid car. The development cycle will start in 2025 and 2026 in order to be ready for use in 2027. The manufacturers need two full years, but we are talking about changes that are relatively small. We don’t want to release the proposal until we have a broad consensus. We are close to that,” said Wheatley.
The FIA has decided on a field of four manufacturers as the ideal scenario for the future of the World Rally Championship. Assuming that the current brands Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport (Ford) all remain, which fourth manufacturer will be added? There are rumors about Subaru. According to reports, the Japanese manufacturer is considering an engine cooperation with Toyota for a possible WRC comeback.