Ford Is Back in the WRC. Can It Tip Hyundai Into Staying?
Ford is returning to the World Rally Championship as a full factory team in 2028, with an all-new car in 2029. Drew and Chris hadn't planned an episode, then the news broke at Rally Sardinia and they couldn't leave it alone.
It's a short one, under nine minutes. If you only have a minute, the quick version is below.
The quick version
2027: Ford starts backing M-Sport again, who will run a Fiesta under the new rules.
2028: Ford becomes a full factory entry with engineering, powertrain, aero and testing support.
2029: An all-new Rally1 car arrives, built to the WRC27 regulations.
It's Ford's first factory entry since 2012.
M-Sport, Ford's partner since 1997, keeps running the operation.
Ford is the fourth constructor signed up for WRC27, joining Toyota, Project Rally One and RMC Motorsport.
Hyundai still hasn't confirmed its long-term plans.
What Ford actually announced
The news came at a press conference in Sardinia on Thursday 1 October. Ford Europe president Jim Baumbick and Ford Racing global director Mark Rushbrook were joined by WRC people on stage. The plan has three steps. Next year, Ford starts supporting M-Sport again while they race a Ford Fiesta under the new rules. In 2028 it steps up to full factory backing. In 2029 the new car arrives, and Ford says it will come from one of five multi-energy "rally-bred" road cars due in 2028 and 2029.
Baumbick was keen to stress this isn't a styling exercise. In his words, "rally-bred" isn't just marketing words for Ford. The FIA pointed out that Ford will be in four FIA world championships by 2028: Formula 1, the WRC, the World Endurance Championship from 2027 and rally-raid. WRC Promoter CEO Éric Boullier called the return fantastic news for the sport.
Why this one matters to fans
Ford has been part of rallying for longer than most of us have been watching it, so it is strange how much of a surprise this felt. M-Sport are not a team known for getting out in front of an announcement, and yet here they are, first with the big news on the last weekend of the season. Éric Boullier and the new promoters deserve credit for landing a manufacturer this quickly, and for handing everyone an off-season with something good to talk about.
For the people at M-Sport it feels like a reward that has been a long time coming. The last couple of years have been hard, with a real struggle just to find the cash to run the cars. The link with Ford never snapped, helped by the Dakar programme M-Sport run for them, and now the team goes from that to running a full factory entry.
The history is part of why it lands. Malcolm Wilson's relationship with Ford goes back to the seventies, when he started driving a Mk2 Escort, and runs through the Escort years to the Focus that Colin McRae made famous. A lot of people had started to assume that story was ending. There was talk of a Chinese manufacturer getting involved, BYD among the names, and a link to Lynk & Co came up as well. Those stayed rumours, and the real outcome is better.
It also says something about rallying. A manufacturer choosing to come in is a vote of confidence at a time when the sport needed one, and it strengthens the case for the new rules. The hope now is for a better balance between manufacturers and privateers, which this regulation cycle has lacked. Ford will start with the Fiesta and a homologation kit, and the Rally2 cars are expected to run close to the WRC27 cars, so for a year or two the grid could be a mix of both. That is fine if it builds towards something that lasts.
The open question is what the new car will run on. Ford had looked like a company heading towards an electric future, and the rules allow for that. The hope here is for a petrol RS. All Ford has said so far is that the car will come from one of five rally-bred road cars arriving over 2028 and 2029, so there is plenty still to learn.
The biggest question sits with Hyundai, who have not confirmed their plans either way. Ford's plan looks well beyond 2027, and it gives Hyundai a roadmap to copy. They already have the factory and the R&D facilities, so in some ways it would be easier for them to follow. Whether it is enough to tip the decision is something only Hyundai know. Further out, a healthier grid might tempt other names back, and Subaru's interest in ARA in America keeps that daydream alive. With so little detail released, a bit of dreaming seems fair.
For one of us it is personal. He has been a Ford fan for as long as he has been a rally fan, since the age of six, watching Mk2 Escorts go through Dalby Forest. He had written that chapter off, and he is very happy to be wrong.
The WRC27 rules in 60 seconds
The new regulations are why Ford's timing works.
A cost cap of €345,000 per car, more than 50% below current Rally1
Around 300hp
A spaceframe chassis and Rally2 components
A 10-year cycle, so manufacturers know the rules won't change under them
Independent "tuner" constructors can build cars, which is how Project Rally One and RMC Motorsport got involved
Rally2 cars can run in the top class alongside WRC27 cars, which is how M-Sport's Fiesta can compete in 2027
The WRC also has a new promoter. Cosmobilis and Park Square Capital took over the commercial rights this summer, with Éric Boullier as CEO.
What we still don't know
Whether Ford's new car will be petrol, electric or something in between. Drew's vote is petrol.
Which of the five road cars it will be based on.
What Hyundai will decide.
How a mixed grid of Rally2 and WRC27 cars plays out in 2027.
We'll keep you updated as Ford and the WRC release more.
Quick questions
When is Ford coming back? Full factory entry in 2028, with a new car in 2029. Ford starts supporting M-Sport in 2027.
Is M-Sport still involved? Yes. M-Sport will keep running the operation, as they have since 1997.
When was Ford last a factory team? 2012.
What is WRC27? The new rules from 2027: a €345,000 cost cap, around 300hp, a spaceframe chassis and a 10-year cycle.
Is Hyundai staying? Not confirmed. Drew and Chris hope Ford's return helps.
A small correction
Drew says Ford's five new road cars arrive "in 2029". Ford's own plan, is that they roll out across 2028 and 2029, with the rally car coming from one of them. Chris also mentions the "CEO of Ford of Europe", but Jim Baumbick's title is president of Ford Europe. Neither changes the point of the episode.
Your turn
Will Ford's return be enough to keep Hyundai in the sport? Tell us in the comments on YouTube or on our socials, @tmfpod23.
Want more? Catch up on the title fight in our WRC Chile review or hear how the Finland round played out in the Rally Finland review.
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