WRC to Drop Hybrid Rally Cars After Just Three Seasons

When the World Rally Championship debuted its new-for-2022 Rally1 regulations, the big draw of the new class was the addition of hybrid power. The electrification modernized rally cars for manufacturers and provided a new frontier for engineers to innovate in the field of making a tiny hatchback fly out of a hairpin corner on loose gravel, but costs ballooned with the systems. Just three years later, WRC is already planning to drop hybrids from its top class.

In a new plan revealed by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council today, WRC would continue to race with its new Rally1 format in 2025 after making a series of changes. Dropping the hybrids is the most notable choice, one that should make both developing and racing a modern WRC car a far more affordable option for manufacturers and teams. The removal of hybrids will also come with limits on aerodynamics and new power restrictions to make the cars slower and more affordable.

After further changes in 2026, power would be capped at just 330 hp, down from 380 hp on existing cars. Costs will be capped at $433,000 per car. The goal is to make competing in the top class of WRC more viable, something that could potentially introduce new manufacturers, teams, and drivers to the series in the near future.

Additionally, the group wants to implement an electric class in the near future. That category would be built to performance parity with Rally1, meaning manufacturers who choose to develop an EV for WRC could still compete for overall race wins with those who choose to develop a car to the traditional rule set.

Via Dirtfish

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