His was the voice which still hadn’t been heard. For the last two days the World Rally Championship has talked of one thing: hybrid’s gone. But what about Oliver Blamberger, the managing director of Compact Dynamics? What did he think?
The FIA’s decision to ditch hybrid power in the Rally1 class comes despite a renewed contract, signed in September, to maintain the German firm’s supply of units to the WRC until the end of 2026.
With that plan now looking to be off the table, WRC Working Group leader David Richards said negotiations were underway to bring the Compact Dynamics contract to a conclusion at the end of this season.
Asked to offer detail on those discussions, Richards said: “Let’s just say that it an issue to be resolved at the moment and we’ll get this sorted out between the various parties in the next few weeks.”
There’s no denying Compact Dynamics has taken its fair share of heat since it arrived into the WRC at the top of 2022 – but it’s also worth remembering it helped power one of the most spectacular generations of rally cars in the history of the sport.
For Blamberger, there is frustration. He told DirtFish: “As you can imagine my team and I are very disappointed about the decision. Our understanding, based on the negotiations we had in September 2023, was that the hybrid program would be extended until the end of 2026.”
Blamberger said he was baffled by a move which he felt closed off an avenue to potentially speeding a shift towards electrification – something the WRC Working Group admitted is now on the cards, with the FIA’s technical departments working to make it happen.
Blamberger added: “In terms of a clear path to electrification and to show the willingness of a CO2 reduction, this decision is not understandable. It is like it is.
“We will, of course, do everything we can to finish our engagement in the best and most professional manner.”
The WRC does run 100% sustainable fuel and has done so since the start of 2022.
