Hybrid power will no longer be the face of the World Rally Championship from 2026 onwards. Since 2019 only 3 Manufacturers have competed in the WRC those being Hyundai, Ford and Toyota. In 2022 the FIA introduced a new set of regulations to make the cars run under hybrid power with them being all electric in the service park and still utilising the combustion engine while out on stages, however these cars came at a cost of 1 million euro which is ludicrous compared to the previous iteration of World Rally cars from 2017-2021.

Now for the new 2026 cars they will have a cost cap set at €430,000. They will utilise the transmission from Rally-2 cars but will have advanced aerodynamics. The cars will maintain the survival cell from the Rally-1 machines while current Rally-2 cars will be equipped with an aerodynamic wrc “kit” and will have performance equalised with the next generation of cars. This opens many opportunities for teams like Subaru and Audi who have been itching to get back to the World Rally Championship for ages with their Impreza and A1 respectively. Škoda will more than likely take advantage of these rule changes aswell, as the Fabia Rally-2 is an ideal candidate for the premier category of Rallying.

Written by: Tony Griffin