He World Rally Championship is ready to remove hybrid power from its Rally1 cars from next season. The future of this energy in the premier category of the championship has been debated at length this year, and the debate has even been reignited after a mid-season change in the guide to using the hybrid unit, provided by control supplier Compact Dynamics.
Ahead of last month's Central European Rally, The future of hybrid power in the senior category has been put to an electronic vote by the FIA. This Tuesday, November 5, the subject was raised during a meeting of the WRC Commission. Motorsport.com understands that it has been agreed to eliminate the hybrid powertrain of Rally1 from 2025. However, this decision still needs to be officially ratified by the Federation, which will likely take place at the next meeting of the World Automobile Council.
This is the second shift towards the use of hybrid power, introduced alongside new Rally1 regulations in 2022. In February, the FIA working group formed to “evaluate and recommend the future direction of the rally” proposed scrapping it as part of a series of changes for the next campaign.
However, WRC teams oppose proposalsthe current regulations have therefore been maintained for 2025 and 2026, modifying the plans of the body that governs motorsport around the world. But the future of hybrid energy was back in the spotlight after the introduction of Compact Dynamics safety instructions at the Acropolis Rally in Greecelast September.
The new rules state that If the 130 kW hybrid unit experiences three failures due to impact greater than 15G, or one failure greater than 25G, it must be dismantled and returned to the supplier for a complete repair, which can take months.. Previously, these units could be repaired on site, during a rally. The teams estimate that this change will significantly increase costs, and M-Sport-Ford argues that it would no longer be economically viable to maintain the structure.
“This is not a petition to eliminate hybrid engines because they are, it is a petition to eliminate them because We can't actually repair them and keep them running economically for M-Sport. We are talking about a few million additional euros to do itand it's not something we can handle,” said facility director Richard Millener. Motorsport.com at last month's Central European Rally.
During his intervention during the penultimate round of the championship, contested last month, The bosses of Toyota and Hyundai Motorsport admitted that they would support measures to eliminate the hybrid part if it would guarantee the current level of participants for the future.
“We will never actively or proactively demand that the hybrid engine be removed from the WRC. That said, we must also be pragmatic and recognize the fact that The World Cup community is a small community and, like everyone else, we have to look out for each other.“, declared the director of the Korean firm, Cyril Abiteboul. “So, if measures need to be taken to guarantee participants and competitors in the events, we will agree to take them. “
Jari-Matti Latvalaof Toyota, added: “In terms of performance, the cars are quite good even without the hybrid engine. But it shouldn't be too difficult for the teams, and if there is a risk that teams won't be able to participate in the WRC because they lack units, then it shouldn't be like that.“.
