The FIA WMSC has approved stability in WRC regs for two more seasons before change in 2027, while it is also pushing for road relevant GT3 cars in future.
WRC –
Technical stability has been agreed between all stakeholders for the 2025 and 2026 FIA World Rally Championship seasons. The World Council has confirmed that, following extensive feedback and discussions, the WRC Technical Regulations for Rally1/2 cars will remain unchanged for the coming two years.
All stakeholders are working positively together on the direction of the regulations for 2027 and beyond, and there is a good consensus between the World Council members and the manufacturers on the key targets that are aimed primarily at increasing participation at the highest level as previously set out by the FIA.
It is a strong expectation of the World Council that the current manufacturers will commit to the long-term future of the sport well in advance. These regulations will be presented for approval at the December meeting of the World Council, allowing more than two year’s lead time for manufacturers to adapt.
Following a clear pledge to invest from the WRC Promoter, the FIA will strengthen its team across the Commercial and Communications Departments to extend their support for the Promoter and the key stakeholders around the Promotional Working Group.
There will be a strong focus on managing the sporting regulations following the creation of the WRC Sporting Working Group, with a key emphasis on increasing the opportunities for media activation and reducing the costs for its competitors. The final versions of these Sporting Regulations are to be proposed in the October session of the WMSC.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem commented on these conclusions, saying: “The WRC is hugely important to the FIA, it is the pinnacle of the rally discipline and I have had a lot of conversations with the manufacturers over the past weeks about its future direction. It is clear now that we all need to have technical stability for the next two years, but at the same time it is important for the FIA that, in providing this stability, we receive the same positive commitment from the manufacturers.”
Speaking in reaction to this confirmation by the World Council, other WRC stakeholders have also added their thoughts. WRC Promoter Managing Director Jona Siebel said: “As the WRC Promoter this is a hugely important moment for us, as we can move forward with unity and consistency over the next two years from a technical perspective while we are investing heavily in new and exciting ways to grow the fanbase of the sport and deliver for our fans.”
Jari-Matti Latvala, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team Principal said: “We have a very solid commitment to the World Rally Championship, and we are really supportive of a continued collaborative approach to ensure the strongest competition for all of us.”
Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “We have worked very closely together with the FIA over the past months and while we all believe that stability of the technical regulations for 2025 and 2026 is the right thing, the very substantial steps made on the governance will provide for a more unified and positive approach towards the short term improvements and long term breakthroughs that we all agree the sport needs.”
Malcolm Wilson, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team added: “This is a really positive step for us in the coming years. We have seen some good proposals on the promotion side, on the marketing side and the plans for event operations and now the work to make those things happen needs to start, and with a consistent proposition on the technical side, I think the scope is there to achieve our ambitious targets for the WRC.”
Anna Nordkvist, General Manager of Rally Sweden, said: “From the side of the organisers, there are a lot of positive initiatives starting now that are going to bring a big benefit to the sport and the fans. All of the rallies are different, but with more flexibility and more focus on the fan experience, everyone will benefit. The work being done on the Sporting Regulations is really important for us.”
Thierry Neuville, Driver for Hyundai Motorsport, said: “It is good to hear today that we have the stability the teams have requested and from the meetings we had in Sardinia, it looks like there are some interesting proposals on the table for the future development of the sport. In addition to this, the FIA’s increased promotional efforts promise to elevate our sport’s profile and deliver greater value to all stakeholders. As a driver, I am excited to see the changes that will not only maintain but enhance our connection with fans worldwide, ensuring that the sport continues to grow and thrive.”
Additionally, the World Council approved that, for promotion purposes, two designated team personnel for each registered manufacturer will now be allowed to be present within one kilometre of their competing cars on road sections for filming and social media content creation. Additional positions in the car were also accommodated for the fitting of onboard camera lens. To provide continuity and stability in the Junior WRC Championship, the extension of the exclusive car supply contract (M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3 EVO) for the 2025 season was approved.
GT3 –
Motor sport inspired road cars
The FIA’s GT3 regulations have proven to be hugely successful in international, regional and national championships around the world, and as such the FIA has been in discussion with the broad range of automotive manufacturers to explore ways to transfer this incredible success on the race track into unique and exciting products for the road.
In order to homologate a Grand Touring Car (GT) for competition in the GT3 category, manufacturers must produce at least 300 road-going units of the model, and following these discussions with the manufacturers, the first step towards creating an official, direct link between GT3 race cars and their road car homologations has been taken.
The World Council has approved an update for GT3 cars from 2025 that will, upon the manufacturer’s request and with the FIA’s agreement, allow for up to 300 road cars to utilise FIA branding either on the bodywork or within the cabin. Additionally, each car bearing an FIA logo will be assigned a distinctive serial number for identification purposes.
This will give manufacturers an opportunity, should they choose, to create an even more exclusive limited run of road cars, linked to FIA competition and uniquely recognised by the Federation.
[Note: The story is as per press release]
