FIA Rally can Witness Some Ground Changes in WRC Rally1 2025

The advent of Rally1, which is designed on all-new hybrid vehicles fueled by sustainable fossil-free fuel, has brought in possibly the most seismic upheaval in regulations in rallying’s top tier this year. Toyota, Hyundai, and M-Sport Ford have agreed to these new rules for the next three years, but the FIA is already planning the WRC’s future course beyond 2025.

The FIA is having weekly meetings to determine the best course for the sport’s future, but it looks that the WRC’s near future will be regulated by a modified version of the present Rally1 regulations. Wheatley believes that 80 per cent of the current Rally1 regulations will be carried over to the next cycle, which begins in 2025, even though the future is difficult to foresee.

Wheatley in an interview with Motorsports.com said, “The next generation of Rally1 won’t be the same number of changes that we had for this generation of Rally1.I would say 80% of what we currently have in Rally1 will continue for the next cycle or two cycles. I think what we will find is a change in the mix and then there will be at some point a big step in how we will divert the technology, whether that is a range extender or hydrogen, full battery electric, honestly at that point I don’t know.”

According to Wheatley, the car manufacturers are about to witness some serious roadblocks in re-designing their vehicles as COVID lockdowns had disrupted the supply chain for parts for vehicles.

Wheatley hopes that the fact that Rally1 regulations are projected to remain mostly constant in the future would encourage new manufacturers to commit since there will be enough time to design future programmes. While generally stable regulations may encourage new marques to join the WRC, Wheatley recognises that the automobile sector is now confronted with several issues that make committing to racing difficult.