Gravel Notes Podcast: Breaking down the FIA’s radical plan for the WRC

The extensive concept revealed by the world motorsport governing body on Wednesday features a raft of significant changes to the WRC’s technical and sporting regulations alongside a plan to improve the championship’s promotion.

Perhaps its most bold decision is to remove the control hybrid units from Rally1 cars for the 2025 season. Hybrid power formed a significant part of the new Rally1 regulations introduced in 2022 and the changes mean Rally1 cars in their current form won’t see out the original five-year homologation cycle.

The current Rally1 cars will continue to compete next season although without hybrid, while the air restrictor and aerodynamics will be reduced in a bid to cut costs. The original Rally1 car attracted a price tag of close to one million euros.

These changes will be ratified in June alongside a new set of Rally1 regulations that will be introduced from 2026. Based on the Rally1 car concept, the cars will produce around 330 horsepower and be capped at 400,000 euros.

In addition to the technical regulations, the FIA announced plans to form a WRC Promotion Team within the FIA in close collaboration with stakeholders from the WRC Promoter, event organisers and manufacturer teams "to leverage promotional opportunities around each event and maximise the WRC’s full potential".

There are also plans to allow organisers to adopt less rigid event formats, reduce liaison section distances and spread the reach of events, while remote service opportunities will be encouraged with teams permitted to carry limited parts in a small support vehicle.

To dissect this major development, WRC reporter Tom Howard is joined by rally journalist Luke Barry unpack all the key points of the FIA’s plan to improve the WRC.