WRC has identified three car manufacturer options for the future

The WRC has previously indicated that four manufacturer teams at the top level would be its ideal prospect for the championship moving forward.

Since Citroen's exit at the end of 2019, the championship has operated with three teams comprising Toyota, Hyundai and the semi-works M-Sport Ford, which are committed until at least the end of 2024.

The introduction of the new Rally1 hybrid regulations last year was aimed to entice a new brand but so far the current ruleset, expected to run until 2024, is yet to succeed in this objective.

The FIA and WRC have engaged with automotive manufacturers from all over the world in recent months as the next set of regulations for 2025 is finalised, along with the pathway from 2027 onwards.

As reported last year, Skoda, Alpine and the Stellantis Group, which owns Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall brands, have declared their interest in joining the WRC, if regulations are changed in the future.

The WRC's senior sporting director Peter Thul has confirmed that three potential unnamed targets have been identified, with discussions ongoing while future regulations are being devised.

"We are working on it. I was with Andrew [Wheatley, FIA rally director] talking to anyone who is even close to competition," Thul told Autosport.

"We now have three [manufacturer] options to continue to talk with. We will not talk about it until we have a feasibility, as it is a very fragile system. But having four manufacturers would be perfect.

"First of all everybody [all marques] is welcome to come [to the WRC] but we have a strategy as to who we are approaching and how we are approaching. We are doing this together with the FIA. We can make some suggestions [regarding the regulations] but the decision is done by them."

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

In order for these discussions to prove successful, a clear set of regulations and a long-term future pathway for the WRC is required.

"We need to know [the regulations] very fast but the FIA cannot invent something without consulting the manufacturers properly and this is an ongoing process," added Thul.

"As you may know the car industry itself is changing direction and all-electric is not an option for rallying if we want to keep this current format and technology.

"The good thing with the current [Rally1] regulation is that 75% of the car can stay and so there is only the question of which combination of drivetrain.

"We believe sustainable fuel and even e-fuel is a good option for the future and very important for existing cars and also for markets that cannot do pure electrification."

Wheatley says finalising the WRC's medium and long-term future is a top priority and the process is moving towards a conclusion.

It has long been known that the WRC's 2025 regulations are expected to be an evolution of the current ruleset. The cars will largely remain the same although the use of the hybrid system is likely to be tweaked.

"The process goes on. The discussion is absolutely at the top of everyone's agenda," said Wheatley.

"All of automotive has this question of 'what is the future?'. The path that we tread has to be careful and considered.

"I don't think pushing it [the announcement] forward or backwards by a couple of weeks will make a difference when we come to 2028. I think we have to have a clear view as to how to go forward. We are not there yet but I think we are pretty close.

"I think the challenges with manufacturers are complex. It is not easy but four is absolutely what we are working towards.

"I think 2025 and 2026 is a much simpler discussion because fundamentally we are in a homologation cycle so if we want to change it we would have to make significant changes and the reality is nobody wants to make significant changes.

"Fundamentally the cars will look the same and sound the same but there might be some changes in the balance between hybrid and ICE. It is just finalising, but 2027 and 2028 is more challenging."