M-Sport Ford has not yet decided which path to take for the 2027 WRC regulations – “We are really looking at all options at the moment – everything.”
In December, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) approved the final details of the new technical regulations for the World Rally Championship (WRC), which will come into force in the 2027 season. The current Rally1 cars will no longer exist in the future.
The new vehicles will be built to a cost cap of €345,000, deliver around 300 hp, and use a spaceframe chassis and components from the Rally2 category. The new cars are expected to be usable for a period of ten years.
To ensure that the top class of the 2027 World Rally Championship is well represented, the new WRC27 cars will compete alongside the Rally2 cars in the top class, giving manufacturers and teams more flexibility.
Toyota is currently the only known manufacturer working on a WRC27 car. Hyundai, on the other hand, stated that “the train has left the station for a completely new car.” It is unclear whether Hyundai will continue to compete in the World Rally Championship with a factory team. It also remains to be seen in what form M-Sport Ford will be involved in the WRC in the future. “We’re really looking at all options at the moment – everything,” “Whether we build a new car, how we do it.”
“We’ve just completed an update for our current Rally2, which we know will have to last for a while, so we’re continuing to push development there, which is good. I think we’ve made a good step forward.”
Matthew Wilson, son of M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson, is increasingly involved in the Dakar program, but remains deeply rooted in the World Rally Championship. That’s why he says about the future of the WRC: “We are definitely looking closely at the new regulations.”
“We are doing everything we can at the moment to get a clearer picture, but we haven’t made a final decision on which direction to take. There is a lot going on in the WRC at the moment, and I think things will become clearer in the next two or three months.”
“As difficult as the sport has been recently, there now seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel.” M-Sport’s core business is the development of rally cars, which are then sold or leased to customers.
Wilson believes: New rules can help tuners
When new regulations were introduced in the World Rally Championship in 2017, this business model became much more difficult for M-Sport. Only a few private drivers could afford to compete in the top class in isolated rallies.
The regulations that will come into force in 2027 could once again open up more opportunities for a company like M-Sport. “Absolutely,” agrees Matthew Wilson. “I think the most important point of the new regulations is that the car can be sold to customers and used worldwide.”
“I believe this will also benefit the sport as a whole. In the past, we sometimes saw national champions from certain countries suddenly able to compete at the front when they entered the WRC.”
“I think that will be crucial in the next regulations. Not only will it be easier and more cost-effective, also because of the price caps, but it will also mean that the events themselves will benefit because these drivers are constantly moving their cars.”
“They can then simply compete in the WRC. I think that will really change the sport.” Until the late 1990s, it was still possible for guest starters to challenge the top stars in their own rally cars at home rallies.
M-Sport now handles Ford’s factory entry in the Dakar Rally. Eight cars were in action in Saudi Arabia, some of them with customers. Martin Prokop, for example, finished on the podium in three stages.
For the future, Matthew Wilson hopes that even more customer cars will be used in the Dakar: “That’s basically the vision. When you see how many cars Toyota has used in the past and how much that has helped them win the Dakar – strength lies in numbers. The more cars we can put on the field, the better.”
