Hybrid penalties get softened

The FIA has amended the World Rally Championship sporting regulations to limit the damage of hybrid-unit failures for Rally1 competitors.

Hyundai and Toyota led calls for changes to the new hybrid regulations after Ott Tanak and Elfyn Evans were forced to retire from last month’s Rally Sweden due to faults with the control Compact Dynamics-designed 100kw hybrid unit. Tanak (below) was fighting for the victory when his hybrid unit displayed a red warning light that forced his Hyundai team to retire the car under safety grounds.

At last weekend’s World Motor Sport Council, the FIA moved to reduce the penalty issued to crews forced to restart after retiring due to a hybrid problem. From next month’s Rally Croatia, the penalty for crews that miss a stage start as a result of hybrid issues has been reduced from 10 minutes to two. The rule change should allow afflicted crews to be in a position to fight for championship points should a team be forced to retire a car.

“The penalty for re-start after retirement as a result of a safety issue to the Rally1 hybrid unit operating within the defined tolerances permitted has been set to two minutes for every stage missed, instead of the normal 10-minute penalty,” read a statement from the FIA.

The FIA confirmed that in the event of a hybrid issue, the Hybrid Electric Vehicle refuge points on special stages, where assistance is available, will now be designated by a bespoke HEV sign.

WRC teams competing in the Rally1 class will also be awarded an additional day of testing to help develop the new cars.