WRC still hoping for new manufacturers for 2027: “We are not ahead, but not behind either”

The future of WRC is foggy, and the more time passes, the thicker the fog becomes. Uncertainty reigns over the future of the discipline, both on the engine to adopt, on the diffusion and attractiveness of the championship, but also on the presence of the manufacturers. Today, there are three, or rather two and a half: Toyota, Hyundai and Ford, in the form of a private engagement with M-Sport. A very sparsely supplied platform which even risks becoming poorer at the end of 2025 with a possible departure of Hyundai: the Korean firm has already confirmed its commitment in Endurance in 2026 via its Genesis brand, and could skip a double program Endurance – WRC.

If Hyundai decided to abandon the WRC at the end of next season, the championship would find itself in a very delicate situation with only two manufacturers, far from ideal before the next evolution of the technical regulations planned for 2027. A highly anticipated regulation which should be unveiled in the coming weeks, before the end of 2024. The primary objective of this regulation is of course to expand the Rally1 grid with more drivers and obviously, more manufacturers than today, with much less expensive cars (the price of 400 euros is put forward, against 000 million euros currently).

Only two years to develop a car

However, the WRC cannot afford to take its time. The new technical regulations for 2027 must immediately convince potentially interested manufacturers if the discipline wants to see new cars arrive in the first season of application of these regulations. If the latter is indeed unveiled at the end of 2024, manufacturers will have less than two years to develop their car... if they confirm their presence almost immediately after the presentation of the new regulations. For brands with little or no experience in rally, this short deadline could prove prohibitive for an arrival in 2027.

However, according to FIA technical director Xavier Mestelan-Pinon, the WRC is still on track to attract new manufacturers to the discipline. "We are not ahead, but we are not behind either, says the French engineer and manager in an interview given to several media outlets, including AUTOhebdo. There is a lot of pressure to deliver a good regulation that will make sense for the future of the WRC. If you publish something in a hurry, it might not be good in the end. We have already discussed this topic for a year and a half. Now we have to make a good decision. The most important thing is to attract new players, even if they decide to arrive for 2028 instead of 2027. What is important is to give the right direction and the right vision.

Towards a Technology Equivalence in WRC?

To attract the maximum number of people, the WRC does not rule out decisions "bold" concerning its technical regulations. If Xavier Mestelan-Pinon believes that it is "Too difficult and too early to say whether the [engine] orientation will be ICE (internal combustion thermal. Editor's note) and Full EV (electric. Editor's note) or ICE + hybrid and Full EV.", the discipline could… accept several types of engine and apply an Equivalence of Technology (EoT) between thermal, hybrid and electric, as is done in World RX for example. A reflection in progress but which does not worry the French engineer who emphasizes that the EoT is "something that [the FIA] knows how to manage well in other categories." On the other hand, the idea of ​​a Balance of Performance (BoP), similar to what is applied in WEC for example, seems to be completely ruled out.

While Xavier Mestelan-Pinon wants to be optimistic, he does not forget that the current situation of the WRC is critical. However, he does not see the discipline disappearing in the short and medium term. “At this point I wouldn’t say that the WRC is dying because we have a lot of fans, nice cars and good drivers, but we need to attract more manufacturers. We need to be more attractive and have a clear vision, that’s why we need to make bold announcements.” At present, no manufacturer or automotive group, apart from those already involved in the WRC, has officially expressed a desire to join the discipline in 2027. However, it is no secret that the Stellantis group and Subaru are at the discussion table.

ALSO READ > How can Thierry Neuville be crowned world champion in central Europe?