On Wednesday, guidelines were announced for where the World Rally Championship will be developed in the coming years. The list included rule changes that will come into effect already next season.
The reforms are supposed to be confirmed next summer. They contain rule changes for, among other things, the organization of rallies and cars.
Urheilu’s rally expert Henri Haapamäki go through point by point what the most essential changes in the World Rally Championship really mean and how good or bad they seem.
Haapamäki first explains what the change means and then tells what he thinks about the reform.
One of the changes could be decisive when you think about how many drivers you are up against Kalle Rovanperä in the future, you will drive for the world championships – and in which team?
Rather than reading, would you rather listen to how Haapamäki and Urheilu’s rally editor Micke Suopuro go through the reforms? You can listen to the conversation on the player below or on Areena by following this link.
Reforms concerning the organization of World Cup rallies
1. The rallies must end with the Power Stage special stage run on Sunday. Otherwise, in the future, the organizers of the WC rally will be able to decide when the rally starts and how long it is.
Haapamäki’s explanation: In the future, the lengths of the rallies will vary, because according to the reform, the total number of kilometers throughout the season will remain the same. So in the future, shorter rallies of a couple of days can be run, but also longer races lasting several days.
Haapamäki verdict: The change is very welcome. Short sprint races can be seen in the future, but for example the Kenyan Safari Rally can be run as a longer endurance race.
2. The number of staff sent by the teams to the rallies is limited. The service park will be reduced. The stables must utilize the on-site buildings for the maintenance area. The number of relay kilometers in the rally will be reduced, and mobile maintenance will be allowed.
Haapamäki’s explanation: Money is saved when logistics are reduced and the number of team personnel at rallies is reduced. Teams don’t have to hire giant maintenance complexes for the games, maintenance can also be done in the tent. Reducing the transition kilometers, on the other hand, shortens the rally days.
Haapamäki verdict: The change is really good. The savings will hardly affect the ability of the stables to operate. The drivers have also wished for shorter driving days.
Thanks to the maintenance changes, for example, the World Cup Rally in Jyväskylä can be taken to new roads, when it is not always necessary to return to Jyväskylä for maintenance. Even if the brake discs are not changed right on the side of the road like in past decades, the return of mobile maintenance brings something new to the spectators.
The reforms concerning the cars of the 2025 season
1. Rally1 cars will remain until the end of the 2026 season. However, the hybrid unit will be removed from them. Performance is also reduced by restricting the throttle and aerodynamics.
Haapamäki’s explanation: The power of the cars decreases, but the weight of the car also decreases, so the cars are still really fast. Other technical changes temporarily bring more costs to the teams when they have to test the engine for the upcoming season, for example due to a throttle change. Rally1 cars are wanted to be closer to rally2 cars in terms of speed.
Haapamäki verdict: Not all the effects of technical changes can be assessed yet, because they have not been locked in for good. Jari-Matti Latvala is right that all changes require a lot of testing and technical development from the teams.
No one can say yet how much closer to the rally2 car’s performance these changes will bring. However, decisions must be long-term in scope, and that road will be smoothed with these changes already made for the coming season.
2. From the 2025 season, it is possible to add the so-called WRC package to Rally2 cars, which improves the performance of the cars. The package includes, among other things, a bigger rear wing and throttle as well as paddle shifters, which are not allowed in rally1 cars.
Haapamäki’s explanation: In the future, Rally1 and Rally2 cars will be closer to each other in speed than before.
Haapamäki verdict: The innovations have not talked about the car’s chassis, i.e. the car’s suspension and wheel angles. If the cars have the same power and weight, then the chassis makes the biggest impact. It is on a completely different planet in rally1 cars than in rally2 cars. Power compensation alone is therefore not enough to even out the differences.
The world is full of Rally2 cars. If they get an improvement package with a somewhat reasonable budget, it will allow more private drivers the opportunity to try to manage at the top level. If the rally2 car with the additional package is lighter than the rally1 car, you can see some good battles in certain rallies.
The reforms concerning the cars of the 2027 season
1. For the 2027 season, there will be a cost ceiling of 400,000 euros for new top class cars. Cars will have one safety frame around which car manufacturers or private operators can build their own car. The technical limitations are strict, as they are today in rally2 cars. The cars can be driven already in the 2026 season.
Haapamäki’s explanation: The reform lowers the threshold for participation in the World Series, i.e. new teams are sought. The car factory doesn’t have to be in the background anymore, it’s easier to join the game. There are no longer similar restrictions on car models as there are today.
Haapamäki verdict: A smile rises to the ears. The same safety cage does not limit the teams, and does not affect the speed of the cars. You can still make your own engine and chassis for example.
Thanks to the reform, for example, energy drink giants can enter the series with their own car with a lower threshold. More teams can come this way and that is only a positive thing. Kalle Rovanperä could in principle participate in the series with his own KR69 team.
The initial blank is thus defined from above, but you can still make your own adjustments on top of it. The competition for the world championship may really expand.
2. WRC teams must be ready to sell their cars directly after the rally.
Haapamäki’s explanation: In practice, anyone can participate in the series with top equipment at a lower price. Anyone who wants to buy a car does not need to manufacture it separately.
Haapamäki verdict: This reform seems quite utopian. If Toyota always participates in the rally with three cars, that could mean selling around 40 cars during the season. Can this even be true?
The price ceiling may not hold. Although the car is always sold for 400,000 euros, its price with all the development work can reach millions. The good thing is that anyone can buy a finished car and start racing.
The current stables will certainly be listened to and a compromise may be sought. However, these big changes are needed. The changes have to be big in order for the rally to arouse the interest of external operators.
Other policies
1. The aim is to develop an electric car class for the World Rally Championship as soon as possible. These cars should utilize the unified safety framework of the 2027 cars and should be competitive with these cars.
Haapamäki’s explanation: This might make it possible for new big car giants to join the series. Green values are really important these days.
Haapamäki verdict: I consider this very positive, especially when we are talking about a class of its own, i.e. the whole series will not be transformed into an electric car series. Nothing is taken away from anyone, but an opportunity is offered for the development of an electric rally car.
An electric car is not as bad as many rally people think. I myself have driven a fully electric rallycross car. The driving feeling in the cabin is still the same, of course the sound is just missing.
Electric cars are developing all the time, and they certainly won’t lose speed then. In the future, sprint-style races will be won with electricity.