Stakeholders in the World Rally Championship have reported progress following WRC Commission meetings in Switzerland.
Anybody expecting a ‘Geneva Treaty’ moment for the WRC were always going to be disappointed. The last two days were not about that. They were about fleshing out plans and proposals from the FIA’s WRC Working Group.
The teams remain tight-lipped on the letter they sent to the FIA ahead of the meeting, but DirtFish understands the governing body and the manufacturers are still struggling to find common ground on the specification of cars for next year’s series.
The teams and the promoter declined to comment on the meetings, but and FIA spokesperson said: “The WRC Commission discussed a number of key topics in relation to the future pathway for the sport and the direction set by the WRC Working Group that was approved by the World Motor Sport Council on 28 February.
“Positive steps have been taken and further work is ongoing at apace on the Sporting and Promotional aspects, with further meetings due to take place in the coming weeks, and there is broad agreement regarding the technical direction of the championship from 2027 onwards.
“We are engaged in specific discussions with the stakeholders regarding the shorter term technical developments for 2025 and 2026, around which concerns have been raised by the manufacturer teams that are currently under consideration. The only target remains the safeguarding and strengthening of the world’s premier rally category, and we are confident that we will find collaborative solutions to the issues that have been raised.”
One DirtFish source close to the meeting added: “There were positives and progress was made. The thing that’s concerning is the timeframe we’re working to. The 2027 aspect is OK – that’s years away. But 2025 is coming. It’s tomorrow. We need to fast-track some of this stuff. Understandably, the teams are concerned that they might have to make changes to the cars for January [2025] from rules coming in June.”
June’s meeting of the WMSC is when 2025 technical regulations are expected to be confirmed.
