The world motorsport governing body stated a desire in January to map out the regulations that will form the WRC’s future pathway from 2025 onwards by the end of this year.
This season the WRC introduced new Rally1 hybrid regulations representing a significant shift from the previous ruleset and a first step towards a more sustainable future. The regulation cycle is set to run until the end of 2024.
Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport-Ford committed to building all new cars based around a stronger and safer space frame chassis, which is powered by a 1.6 litre internal combustion engine married to a 100kW control hybrid unit - producing 500 horsepower in short bursts.
The vehicles use 100% sustainable fuel and also feature a reduction in aerodynamics and suspension travel, while trick centre differentials have been removed.
The regulations were originally devised to attract new manufacturers to the discipline, but the ruleset is yet to bring a new marque into the fray.
FIA deputy president Robert Reid stressed in Monte Carlo in January that it was important for the WRC to set out its future direction, which has resulted in the FIA consulting with manufacturers currently involved in rallying and those that are not, this year, in order set out its new rule cycle.
Rally director Wheatley has been heavily involved in the consultations and says the FIA is still on target to deliver its roadmap for the future by the end of the year.
“I would say percentage-wise 70%,” Wheatley told Autosport when asked for an update as to how close the FIA is with its plan for the future.
“We have done a lot of canvassing of manufacturers that are involved in WRC, we have spoken to some manufacturers that are involved in rally generally.
"We have also had some discussions with manufacturers that are not involved with WRC to try and understand the direction the automotive world is going in when we talk about vehicles that are relevant to WRC.
“There is a lot of feedback and opportunities, it is clear that nobody has a very fixed view or one view of what the future is going to look like.
“So what we are looking at, at the moment is to make a proposal to the World Motor Sport Council of a vision of what WRC is going to look like in the future to make sure we have a clear view.
“Absolutely, everybody [we have spoken to] is enthusiastic about the future because there are so many opportunities and possibilities.”
It appears the most pressing issue and possibly the biggest alteration to the current rules will surround the method of propulsion, with the FIA currently happy with the performance of the new Rally1 car in general.
This year the WRC has witnessed prototypes of future rally car concepts through demonstrations of an all-electric Hyundai Kona, developed by former factory Hyundai WRC driver Hayden Paddon, at Rally New Zealand, and the hydrogen powered Toyota Yaris at Ypres Rally Belgium.
“What we do know is that the core of a Rally1 car, which is the safety cell, the aerodynamics the suspension, the brakes, 75% of that car is not going to do anything different,” Wheatley added.
“We know those parts work really well. The bit that could change is either the fuel that goes into the engine or whether it’s an electric engine or a thermic engine.
“The flexibility that we have with the current format whether it’s from scaling to get the car competitive in an environment or whether its from the flexibility that the safety cell gives us, I think we have quite a few bases covered at the moment.
“Now it is a question of working out what the top hat looks like.
"If you look at the fossil free fuelled hybrid car we have now, the electric Hyundai, and the hydrogen car from Toyota, the future is somewhere in that scope. The question is where?”
