The World Rally Championship has announced that it’s going to phase out hybrid units from Rally1 cars in 2025.
As Motorsport.com previously reported, the 130kW plug-in hybrid system, which was first introduced in 2022 with the present generation Rally1 cars, has been discontinued attributable to rising costs.
The decision was ratified by the FIA ​​World Motor Sport Council on Friday after an electronic vote and can end in Rally1 cars being powered exclusively by combustion engines next 12 months.
Operating costs for hybrid units have increased since control systems supplier Compact Dynamics introduced recent safety guidelines for the Acropolis Rally in Greece in September.
The company stipulated that each one hybrid units would must be disassembled and sent back to the factory for full repair if three shock errors above 15 G or one above 25 G were experienced. Previously, these units could possibly be reset on site throughout the rally.
M-Sport, the one part-factory team in the highest class, subsequently raised concerns in regards to the feasibility of running a Rally1 program after the change.
Technical changes 2025 WRC Rally1
Photo: FIA
The matter was discussed between all parties involved and a call was made ahead of next week's final in Japan.
In a press release revealing the change, FIA technical and safety director Xavier Mestelan-Pinon said the present units supplied by Compact Dynamics “are no longer in the best interests of the WRC”.
He said: “Following extensive dialogue with key stakeholders, it has develop into clear that the continued use of plug-in hybrid units supplied under the prevailing supplier contract isn’t any longer in the most effective interests of the FIA ​​World Rally Championship.
“We can now move forward with full confidence that the WRC will develop into even higher and stronger, with changes in step with the 2027 technical regulation draft outlook.
“We have once more emphasized the championship's ability to adapt without disrupting the sporting spectacle, while responsibly addressing the challenges of our times.
“We are also pleased that the use of 100% sustainably sourced fuel remains a cornerstone of the Championship’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact.”
To maintain the identical power-to-weight ratio as in 2024, the minimum weight of the Rally1 cars can be reduced from 1,260 kg to 1,180 kg and the dimensions of the air restrictor reduced from 36 mm to 35 mm.
The FIA ​​also highlighted the instance of Martins Sesek, who began in Poland in a non-hybrid Ford Puma, as proof of concept of the present Rally1 cars running without additional electric power.
