The teams of have expressed their thoughts on the possibility of a last-minute change removing hybrid power from Rally1 cars for next season. There appears to be a strong chance that the FIA will decide to abandon hybrid systems in the top flight, in a move which prompted the controls supplier to change the hybrid unit mid-season. Compact dynamics.
The international federation’s working group, formed to “evaluate and recommend the future direction of rallying”, proposed removing the hybrid powertrain as part of a series of changes by 2025 last February. However, As WRC teams opposed the changes, the current Rally1 regulations were maintained for 2025 and 2026.in what was considered a 180 degree turn by the rectilinear body.
As previously noted, the new Compact Dynamics safety guidelines state that If the 130 kW hybrid unit experiences three crash errors greater than 15G, or one error greater than 25G, it must be disassembled and returned to the supplier for a complete repair which can take months.. Teams believe the change introduced at the Acropolis Rally in Greece will increase repair costs for the hybrid unit, with one group arguing it would no longer be economically viable.
An FIA electronic vote has since taken place, during which teams have expressed their opinions on whether or not to continue with the hybrid powertrain next year, but no decision has yet been made.
The director of M-Sport, Richard Millerhe declared to that the “extreme costs” of using hybrid units meant it would no longer be viable for them: “I think I would still like [un sistema híbrido] in terms of what it is about and what we are trying to promote in terms of the championship with hybrid technology is still important, but unfortunately with the rules that we have in terms of the safety of the units and how they must be repaired after an accident, with extremely high costs to repair them, which is not feasible for us.
“It’s not a request to remove them for what they are, it’s a request to remove them because we can’t really fix them and compete with M-Sport at an affordable price. We’re talking about some millions more to do it, and that’s not something we can manage,” he said. “This image is not good [de los constantes cambios de reglamento] from the outside, and I’ve said this before, we need strong leadership and a strong image of where we’re going, and we’re suffering from it, we need to improve it. “People will think about why, and I’m sure they will blame the teams, and some the FIA, but the supplier is not able to provide us with the product in the way we need to ‘It works for us.’
is convinced that a solution can be found, but questions whether hybrid energy is still necessary in the future, as reported Jari-Matti Latvala has Motorsport.com: “It’s not an ideal situation. We don’t want expenses to increase, and we want things to be simple, and if it gets too complicated, the question is: do we really need it?” [las unidades híbridas]”.
“I think the performance of the cars is quite good even without it, but it shouldn’t be too difficult for the teams, and if there is a risk that the manufacturers can’t be in the WRC because they are racing without units, then it shouldn’t be like that,” he continued. “The operation of these units is difficult, and if they have an impact, you have to repair them, it takes time, so you have to find a reasonable solution. In the end, if it’s too complicated, it’s easier to do without them.”
For his part, declared himself in favor of hybrid energy, but even his team director, Cyril Abitebéouladmitted he would accept a change if it helped secure the future of his WRC competitors: “My view is that electrification is the direction the world is going. We know it’s an ongoing trend and it’s This is why we continue to support the electrification of motorsport in the WRC.
“We will never actively or proactively ask for the WRC hybrid system to be abandoned. That said, we must also be pragmatic and recognize the fact that the WRC community is a small community and, like any small community, we must be careful. towards each other,” he said. “So if measures need to be taken to ensure the presence of participants and competitors at the events, we will accept them.”
“We don’t want to be selfish. I don’t think anyone can afford to be selfish in the current situation in the WRC,” he said. “One thing we have to make is a very quick decision. We are in the process of ordering parts, not the hybrid system itself, because that has been done for a while, what if we were to remove the hybrid , I think that’s something we’ll want to know.” as soon as possible to avoid charges [innecesario]”.
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