It might seem strange to be worrying about 2025 in 2022, but that’s precisely the task that new FIA rally director Andrew Wheatley has been presented with.
Wheatley’s appointment, in place of Yves Matton who vacated the role late last year, has been met with positivity throughout the rallying world. As both an M-Sport mastermind and an FIA employee since 2019, Wheatley has all the capabilities of being a success.
But his tenure will ultimately be defined by one of his first moves: the future direction of the World Rally Championship.
Hybrid works for now, but in 2025 the automotive industry is almost guaranteed to have moved on. In fact, it arguably has already. Finding a power solution that keeps the WRC exciting but also resonates with the global automobile market to cater for manufacturers is Wheatley’s goal. And he doesn’t have long to do it.
Join Colin Clark, George Donaldson and podcast debutant Alasdair Lindsay as the trio dissect the challenge Wheatley faces on this week’s SPIN, The Rally Pod.
Stick around for some discussion on last weekend’s European Rally Championship season opener too and the team’s thoughts on whether the WRC+ All Live platform has done anything to revolutionize the championship.
