The World Rally Championship (WRC) is likely facing significant changes in the coming years to make the sport more accessible and popular. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) discussed the future of the series in February and decided to abandon hybrid technology in the premier class from the next season.

However, discussions on changing the sport have been on the table for a while, and last year, FIA's Drivers' Commission Vice President Petter Solberg met with crews.

Almost a year later, however, there hasn't been much clarity. Recently at a competition in Kenya, the head of the Hyundai rally team, Cyril Abiteboul, expressed a desire for quicker decisions regarding the technical regulations for the next season. Additionally, Sebastien Ogier, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak have also expressed their dissatisfaction.

DirtFish spoke with the Estonian about the future of the WRC and the FIA's decision to reduce the performance gap between Rally1 and Rally2 cars. "This has made things complicated for all the teams, the manufacturers," said Tänak. "And it's put a lot of people in a very difficult situation, since the new season is coming very close. And it's something that is not even voted [on] yet."

Hyundai has been developing a more powerful Rally1 car according to the current regulations in recent months, but work has currently been paused because the team has no idea how powerful this car may be allowed to be.

"Speaking about all this, I guess the tricky part is that we can see the sport, somehow, is really not under control. Some random decisions are coming from random people from year to year and there is no real vision where we want to go. These kinds of things are really worrying," Tänak stated. "Our sport is not in a good place, and it's being kept afloat by a few teams. These decisions were made, and the teams were not consulted."

From 2026, the power limit for Rally1 cars will be 330 hp, but from next year, Rally2 cars will be allowed to use, among other things, a new gearbox, a larger exhaust system and a larger rear wing. These changes are supposed to help reduce the performance gap between Rally1 and Rally2 machines.

However, Tänak highlights a safety concern. "We are reducing a lot of power in Rally1 cars where the chassis and the roll cage is made for protection. And then we are putting a lot more power in a Rally2 car where you don't have this kind of safety and things," said the Estonian. "I'm really surprised that these guys are happy to take this responsibility for these decisions."

"Yes, rallying has always been risky, but I'm surprised that this is being done now, because safety has been the number one priority for a long time. I'm baffled by how these things are being conducted," continued Tänak, who added that the WRC should also think about how to increase the sport's popularity.

This year's WRC season continues with the Croatia Rally, with the first special stage taking on April 18.

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