The important WRC discussion triggered by Neuville's outburst

No matter what the business, if you stand still and fail to innovate as markets change there is a risk of being left behind and the prospect of not achieving the potential. This is the crux of Thierry Neuville’s comments made in the lead up to Rally Portugal. The Hyundai driver claimed that the WRC is facing a critical point and needs to “react” and “change” to improve its appeal to current and prospective manufacturers, the media and fans.

His words have since triggered plenty of debate between stakeholders, but the situation regarding the future direction of the WRC is a complex one with many layers. There is enough evidence to justify that the WRC as a whole doesn’t need to completely reinvent the wheel, but there is plenty of room for improvement in several areas.

However, this isn’t a unique situation felt only by the WRC, but one almost all motorsport categories are currently facing. This pressure to evolve can be traced to some degree to the unprecedented boom in popularity Formula 1 is experiencing under Liberty Media’s stewardship, which has left other categories wishing for a slice of that pie.

In Portugal Neuville stated: “Before COVID I would say it [WRC] was reasonably OK, after COVID for me WRC went on the downhill slope. And I have the feeling like, nobody really realises it, how drastic it is.

“But as a driver you can feel it in terms of media attendance, I can feel it in Belgium, nobody really cares about WRC anymore. I feel that the manufacturers' involvement is not the same as it has been in the past. So there is a lot of things which gives it a feeling that yeah, we need to react.

"But not only this, we also see that Formula 1 is capable of changing the format, during the season, with the new format for the race in Baku with the qualifying on Friday.

"MotoGP is adding sprint races, and rally - there is no change. And we live in a time where nobody wants to follow anymore just cars driving through the forest. Yes it's spectacular when you go and watch, but when you are on the TV it's not the same.”

While Neuville made his views clear, he isn’t the only member of the service park frustrated by the current situation.

Neuville feels the WRC has been struggling since the COVID pandemic hit

Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport

What triggered Neuville’s comments?

Neuville’s outburst actually stemmed from a positive news story published by Autosport, which reported that the WRC and FIA have identified three brands it wishes to continue discussions with, regarding the possibility of future engagement in the WRC.

Autosport subsequently published a social media post asking fans, ‘Which marque they would like to see join?’ This resulted in the Belgian responding with, “Can the WRC Promoter and the FIA keep the current 2.5 manufacturers committed to the WRC?” This was the prelude to Neuville’s comments when asked to expand on what he meant by the tweet.

At the heart of this is his concern over manufacturer involvement in the WRC. Retaining the current players, attracting new brands and ensuring a car maker receives a decent return on investment from competing in the WRC is a hot topic right now. Ideally, the WRC and the FIA believe four marques fielding three to four cars each is its optimum target for rallying’s premier class. However, following Citroen’s exit at the end of 2019, Toyota and Hyundai are the only full factory teams competing, while Ford is represented in a semi works capacity through M-Sport.

Increasing the pool of manufacturers was among the reasons behind the introduction of new Rally1 hybrid regulations last year. But this ruleset, set to continue until 2024 at least, has yet to achieve this goal although it has managed to retain Toyota and Hyundai. Rally1’s hybrid element, thanks to a control Compact Dynamics designed 100kW unit fitted to the cars, has proved a key factor for Ford to step up its support of M-Sport. But it has been suggested that the FIA mistimed its move to hybrid and is now playing catch up.

Last year the Rally1 entry list peaked at 12 cars for last year’s Acropolis Rally, which was relatively healthy for a first year. But a glance at entry lists this season shows that tally struggling to reach double figures consistently, with only eight cars entered in Portugal earlier this month. Clearly something needs to happen in the future to increase numbers, which in itself can help prove to manufacturers current and new that the WRC is indeed worth investing in.

Many have suggested that Rally2 should be adopted as rallying’s top tier. It is a valid argument and it could solve entry number problems but, while Rally2 cars are competitive and exciting to watch, they don't provide the Rally1 'X Factor'

One of the factors behind the low entry numbers is the cars are extremely expensive, costing close to a million euros each, a sizeable increase on a Rally2 car capped at around 200,000 euros. It therefore means only the wealthy businessman can afford to run private entries, excluding aspiring young talents hoping to make the next step from WRC2. For example, M-Sport ran as many as five Ford Puma Rally1s at events last year, but has now focused its significantly thinner pool of resources compared to Toyota and Hyundai to just two full-time entries.

Rally1 car costs aside, the FIA and WRC should however be commended on creating a fast and exciting product from the outside, and a car that has reached new heights in terms of safety, thanks to a tougher spaceframe chassis. The 500 horsepower hybrid monsters blasting through stages create an incredible sight for the spectator, are a challenge for the driver and the competition is incredibly close among the brands. The versatile chassis can accommodate a variety of shells from a hot hatch to a SUV, as represented by the GR Yaris, i20 N and the Puma, thus opening up the category to a manufacturer’s specific needs. These are all attractive features but, for some reason, it hasn’t lured any new players to the WRC.