The breeze blowing in off the Atlantic and through the Rally Islas Canarias service park had nothing to do with westerlies or monsoons last week.
It was the wind of change.
The island itself represented the first change of the season, with its elevation from the European to the world stage for the first time in a near half-century existence. Did it warrant WRC status? Absolutely.
The roads were as challenging as they were stunning and the spectators were as well-behaved as they were enthusiastic. The only thing missing was a string of sudden, sustained downpours to force the crews to think beyond Hankook’s hard tire and tease them onto the soft, while deliberating the wet.
While thousands of tourists enjoyed the sun-drenched last knockings of the Easter holidays, what we needed was a change in the weather. We needed the micro-climate to turn macro and drench the place. Predictable conditions and fascinating, ultra-competitive asphalt rallies are not, it’s fair to say, great bedfellows.
There were fears about spectator behavior and control - but none of them were realized
But from an organizational aspect, the event was an absolute winner. I wouldn’t have been the only one predicting delayed starts and cancelled stages. Standing in shakedown as nine o’clock came and went on Thursday morning, I nodded sagely to my colleagues. This was the shape of things to come. How little I knew: the delay was due to a medical condition for a spectator and once the ambulance had dealt with the incident, the event ran like clockwork thereafter.
The fear was groundless, the organizers, the police and the Nicolas Klinger-led FIA safety department was well and truly on top of this one.
But it wasn’t just the backdrop for the unfolding drama that is the World Rally Championship which had changed. Some of the players had pivoted too.
Last week was the first WRC round since Robert Reid’s decision to resign his post as the FIA’s deputy president of sport. The loss of the 2001 world champion from our sport’s governance is, doubtless, of the utmost significance – not least because of the Scot’s reasoning.
“It became clear,” said Reid of his time at the FIA, “that raising legitimate concerns was not always welcomed and I experienced, firsthand, how challenging the status quo can lead to exclusion rather than dialogue. I don’t regret speaking up. But I do believe I was treated unfairly for doing so.
“Leadership matters. Governance matters. And trust, once lost, is hard to rebuild. If motorsport is to remain credible and thrive into the future, it must be governed not by control, but by collaboration. Not by silence, but by accountability.”
Powerful words from the man who won 10 of the 103 WRC rounds he started.
Then came Wednesday morning and the FIA’s announcement of a nomination of Malcolm Wilson as Reid’s successor.
Not much stops the service park in its tracks these days. That did.
It wasn’t long before the phone started ringing. The support for Wilson was universal, but there were those who posed the conflict of interest and statute-related nomination questions.
We can’t overlook such considerations, in the same way that Reid’s comments can’t be swept under the carpet.
At the same time, we must find a way to move forward. And that’s where FIA road sport director Emilia Abel and chief technical officer Xavier Mestelan Pinon have fixed their combined focus. Talking to both, there was real reassurance that the future beyond 2027 is looking bright.
FIA is hopeful more manufacturers will be around from 2027
What about Wilson? The conflict of interest thing is understandable; his M-Sport firm has programs across motorsport, with a near 30-year commitment to Ford’s WRC effort still the most prominent.
Question is: does the risk of potential conflict outweigh the benefit of Wilson’s lifetime of interest in the sport? We’re all very well aware MW’s seen motorsport from every aspect; as a privateer, a factory driver, a team owner and manufacturer representative.
And now he’s jumping ship to stand on the other side of the fence. There will always be those questioning his motives; all I can say to that is that I’ve known him my entire career and, while we’ve had our ups and downs, I would never question his commitment to making motorsport better.
Does he need to be deputy president of sport? Not a bit of it. Will it change his life? Not a chance. Does he need the additional workload, even if it is just for the next six months? No. Are we naïve enough to think he’s going to steam into the president’s office and propose change after change to improve the potential for selling rally cars or a tweak of the rules to enhance the performance of the M-Sport-developed Ford Raptor T1+ in the World Rally Raid Championship? Let’s hope not.
For me, one of the key points is Wilson’s relationship with Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The two have known each other for decades. They competed against each other and they’ve worked together with the now president driving cars from the Cumbrian’s stable.
I remember being struck a few years ago by how easy they were together – MW remains the only person I’ve heard call MBS “Mo.” Does that matter? Absolutely it does. While remaining entirely respectful of the president’s position in the sport, Wilson has the relationship to challenge Ben Sulayem when he needs to be challenged.
The coming weeks are going to be fascinating in the WRC’s political landscape – not least with all the talk of the imminent sale of WRC Promoter. At least two interested parties were present in Las Palmas last weekend, with plenty predicting a change of ownership announcement as early as this week.
As the Scorpions once sang: The future’s in the air. I can feel it everywhere. Blowing with the wind of change.
Interesting times.
