WRC 2017: Teams fail to agree on private Volkswagen campaign
Volkswagen's future in the World Rally Championship remains in the balance after manufacturers failed to reach a conclusion in a meeting on Thursday

Citroen, Hyundai, M-Sport and Toyota met with the FIA in Monte Carlo to discuss the potential for Volkswagen homologating its 2017-specification Polo R WRCs for this season.
Ordinarily, Volkswagen should have completed the homologation process and entered the car in the championship last month, but the German manufacturer's decision to cull its WRC effort meant the process remained incomplete.
There is now the potential for a private partner to finance the running of the car - with Andreas Mikkelsen the most likely driver - this season, but not before more details of a possible Polo programme are outlined.
FIA rally director Jarmo Mahonen told Autosport: "The meeting was positive, the atmosphere was good - people raised their concerns and they have the right to do that.
"I will discuss this with Volkswagen and then we're going to meet again."
Volkswagen required approval from all teams, and other manufacturers' concerns including testing regulations, entry fees and the pairing of components.
"We need more information," Citroen's Yves Matton said.
"It's always a good idea to have more cars in the championship, but maybe this is a short-term perspective.
"We need to be sure this brings something to the championship and not the opposite. Now it's only one line: 'to homologate the car to do some rallies.'
"We need to know who drives, what rallies, what will be their constraints compared with our constraints.
"Maybe we need to review the rules to enter the championship, but we need to do this in a proper way and not in one 30-minute meeting."
Mahonen said he could "understand these concerns", and that the debate was different to Citroen's privately-run programme with PH Sport in 2016.
"Citroen had committed to come back, but Volkswagen hasn't done this," he said.
"The manufacturers have restrictions on them in area like the gearbox through the regulations linking key parts and we have to look to make sure everybody is treated fairly - we can't have them coming all of the time with the new car."

Feeling among the teams was split, as the 2017 season started.
"Our feeling is that the championship is stronger together and if we are more teams we are even stronger," Toyota's Tommi Makinen said.
"The question is how well we can do this thing for the fans all around the world.
"We don't have anything against Volkswagen coming and competing against us. It's a question of bringing more value and more interest."
Hyundai team principal Michel Nandan, though, was not convinced.
"At the moment, as the regulation is written, it's not possible," he said.
"I have nothing against Volkswagen, but for me it's a bit strange that this big decision came and then suddenly they need to homologate the car.
"If we start to give the waiver to everybody then it can be difficult.
"I think everybody should respect the rules: if you want to homologate the car, you have to enter the championship.
"I can understand their problem, but a lot of companies have problems to make them stop motorsport - I have the same experience from before."

WRC manufacturers meet over allowing 2017 VW to compete
Sebastien Ogier already making a difference in Monte Carlo - M-Sport

Latest news
Laser Tools Racing continues in BTCC with Hill
The Laser Tools Racing name that was carried to British Touring Car Championship titles in 2020 and 2021 will continue in the series after all with Jake Hill.
McLaren to share F1 reserve driver Schumacher with Mercedes
Mercedes Formula 1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher will be also made available as a stand-in to McLaren, the Woking team has announced.
NASCAR Next Gen car gets safety upgrades for 2023 season
NASCAR unveiled some changes to the Next Gen car for the 2023 season, with most enhancing its safety aspects.
O’Ward optimistic about Rossi and that McLaren IndyCar DNFs can be reduced
Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward says he’s confident that Alexander Rossi will be a strong addition to the line-up and that the team has gotten on top of its mechanical woes.
Why Monte Carlo success could spark another past master’s WRC revival
Some 39 years on from his Monte Carlo Rally debut, World Rally Championship legend Francois Delecour continues to pick up silverware. Proving that age is purely a number, the 60-year-old's desire to compete against the WRC’s latest young talents could be the start of a new chapter in the Frenchman’s storied career
How fired-up Ogier became the WRC's ultimate Monte master
He may only be contesting a part-time campaign in the World Rally Championship these days, but Sebastien Ogier underlined that he's lost none of his speed in the 2023 season opener. Storming to yet another victory on the Monte Carlo Rally, the eight-time world champion rewrote the history books again as Toyota served notice of its intentions with a crushing 1-2
How Lancia pulled off its famous Monte Carlo giantkilling
Audi should have been invincible in the snowy conditions that typically greeted the World Rally Championship paddock in Monte Carlo. But unexpectedly warm weather for the 1983 season opener, combined with some left-field thinking from the Lancia crew turned the tables. Forty years on, team boss Cesare Fiorio reflects on a smash and grab
Why M-Sport has pinned all its efforts on a WRC reunion
M-Sport had a disastrous 2022 with its Rally1 Ford Pumas following Sebastien Loeb’s first-time-out win on the Monte. But now things are looking up with 2019 world champion Ott Tanak leading its attack, and the Cumbrian operation has optimism that it can challenge for a first title since Sebastien Ogier's departure at the end of 2018
The contenders seeking to take Rovanpera's WRC crown
As Kalle Rovanpera begins his World Rally Championship title defence in Monte Carlo, the Finn knows he has a target on his back. But who is best placed to knock the Toyota ace off his perch?
Why Rovanpera is anticipating a fight to defend his WRC title
Question: what could be harder than becoming the youngest-ever World Rally champion? Answer: becoming the youngest-ever two-time World Rally champion. That's quite the challenge facing Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera in 2022, particularly against rejuvenated opposition in the second year of the WRC's hybrid regulations
From F1 to WRC: Why Hyundai's new boss could be an inspired signing
OPINION: New Hyundai WRC team boss Cyril Abiteboul admits he’s got a lot to learn as he leads the marque's efforts to dethrone Toyota. But could his Formula 1 experience and evident strengths mean he turns out to be an inspired choice?
The ultimate rally car project the WRC is glad COVID killed
Toyota was unstoppable in the 2021 World Rally Championship, with an excellent 75% strike rate from 12 rallies. But in a scary proposition for its rivals, the Japanese marque had built a car for the final year of the previous regulations set which it believes was much faster and could feasibly have crushed the opposition completely. Here the story of its mothballed world-beater
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.