WRC teams Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport-Ford collectively penned a letter to the world motorsport governing body last week expressing a desire for the current Rally1 technical regulations to remain in place until the end of 2026.
The move came in response to the release of the FIA’s vision for the future of top-level rallying, issued in February. While WRC Rally1 teams have shown their unanimous support for proposed changes to the sporting side of the championship, the FIA’s plans to change the technical regulations for next year have been strongly opposed by drivers and teams.
Under the FIA’s plan, it intends to remove hybrid power from Rally1 cars and further cap performance through a reduction in aerodynamics and air restrictor. The aim is to bring Rally1 cars more into line with their Rally2 cousins, which will be offered more aero through an upgrade kit to boost the number of competitors vying for overall victory.
Chief among the teams' concerns is the tight timeframe to enact these changes, with the proposed ratification of the regulations offering a six-month window to design, test and validate their revised cars.
The WRC Commission held a two-day meeting in Geneva, beginning on Monday, to discuss the future of the championship. The FIA has confirmed that several key topics were discussed, including Rally 1 teams' concerns regarding the technical rule changes for next year.
"The WRC Commission discussed a number of key topics in relation to the future pathway for the sport and the direction set by the WRC Working Group that was approved by the World Motor Sport Council on 28 February,” an FIA spokesperson said in a statement issued to Autosport.
“Positive steps have been taken and further work is ongoing at apace on the Sporting and Promotional aspects, with further meetings due to take place in the coming weeks, and there is broad agreement regarding the technical direction of the championship from 2027 onwards.
"We are engaged in specific discussions with the stakeholders regarding the shorter-term technical developments for 2025 and 2026, around which concerns have been raised by the manufacturer teams that are currently under consideration.
“The only target remains the safeguarding and strengthening of the world's premier rally category, and we are confident that we will find collaborative solutions to the issues that have been raised."
It remains unclear exactly what the collaborative solutions entail. A full ratification of regulations is expected to be confirmed following June’s World Motor Sport Council meeting.
