WRC Will Keep Hybrids After All

Earlier this year, the FIA announced rather surprising plans to overhaul the Rally1 regulations governing the top class of the World Rally Championship as early as next year. The biggest change was set to be the dropping of hybrid powertrains, something that had only been introduced for the 2022 season.

The plans were being floated in an effort to cut costs and therefore tempt more manufacturers to the WRC, but there was quick backlash from the three manufacturers already in the sport – Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport Ford. It seems the FIA’s listened to them because it’s now made a hairpin left on the plans and locked in the current rules for 2025 and 2026.

The announcement came at the World Motor Sport Council’s meeting in Uzbekistan this week, alongside word that work is underway on developing the next big regulation change for the 2027 season.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said of the U-turn: “It is clear now that we all need to have technical stability for the next two years, but at the same time it is important for the FIA that, in providing this stability, we receive the same positive commitment from the manufacturers.” The principals of the three teams also expressed relief at the decision, and Toyota boss Jari-Matti Latvala said the brand has “a very solid commitment to the [WRC].”

The pushback against the proposed rule changes hinged around the short timeframes that would have been required to develop cars to an entirely new ruleset in time for the traditional January start for the 2025 season, as well as concerns around wasting already sunk investment into developing existing cars.

They also didn’t appear, publicly at least, to have come close to tempting any new manufacturers – while legends of the sport Subaru and Lancia, which have 13 manufacturers’ titles between them, have both mooted returns in recent months, these appear to be unrelated to the proposed overhaul.