WRC’S FUTURE STILL OPEN FOR A NEW PATH
FIA head says a new strategy could be devised
FIA rally director Yves Matton has told Motorsport News he will not shy away from finding a new path for the future of the World Rally Championship if the manufacturers do not commit to hybrid rules by the end of April.
The new regulations will be revealed at next week’s World Motor Sport Council meeting, with the teams then given the first quarter of 2020 to confirm their participation.
Matton said the three manufacturers – Hyundai, Toyota and M-sport Ford – were offering ‘good feedback’ on hybrid, but he said the timetable would offer potential for revised regulations.
“The teams have to commit by April,” he said. “This gives us an opportunity, if they do not commit in April, then we can work on a new strategy and it would give us more than 18 months to be sure to achieve what I want.”
Precisely what such a strategy would look like remains to be seen, but there’s an increasing number of voices in rallying calling for costs to be cut. As Matton outlined at the front of this week’s MN, an R5-based car is an option, but not one the current manufacturers favour.
Next week’s World Motor Sport Council will deliver regulations regarding the incorporation of a stock hybrid system – including the suppliers of batteries and motors – into a current World Rally Car. There are not expected to be any significant changes in specification to the transmission, suspension, aerodynamics or internal combustion element of the engine post-2022.
One concern the teams have is a need to increase the number of test days available to refine the use of hybrid ahead of round one in ’22. The allocation of test days was reduced from 55 to 42 days this season, but some have questioned the practicality of trying to introduce such a major change with such limited testing time – particularly with the competition taking place in such diverse locations, climates, elevations and surfaces.
MN understands the potential for an increased testing allocation is under discussion between the stakeholders.