The brand new Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 – the successor to the outgoing Ford Fiesta WRC – was teased by FoMoCo on numerous occasions before it was officially revealed with M-Sport Ford WRC driver Adrien Fourmaux behind the wheel. Since then, fellow driver Sebastien Loeb also got his chance to drive the new hybrid racer, which is reportedly “quite a lot faster” than the outgoing Fiesta WRC, while M-Sport team leader Craig Breen has also expressed his optimism about the electrified rally car. Now, as the M-Sport team prepares to take on Monte Carlo for the very first race of the season, the M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 livery and full driver list have been revealed.
| Driver | Co-driver |
|---|---|
| Craig Breen | Paul Nagle |
| Adrien Fourmaux | Alex Coria |
| Gus Greensmith | Jonas Andersson |
| Sébastien Loeb | Isabelle Galmiche |
Fourmaux, Breen, and Loeb will be joined by Gus Greensmith when the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season kicks off at Monte Carlo on January 20th-23rd. Loeb is a nine-time FIA World Rally Champion who has racked up seven victories at Monte Carlo, while Breen has accumulated 22 victories in his career. This year marks the 25th anniversary of M-Sport and Ford’s partnership, which has resulted in seven championships, more than 1,500 stage wins, and a record-breaking 268 consecutive manufacturer points scored over that time period.
This experienced team will spend the year trying to continue that success behind the wheel of the new Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1, which is Ford’s first electrified competition car. The hybrid racer utilizes a 3.9 kWh battery to provide boosts of up to three seconds from a 100 kW electric motor to supplement the Puma Rally1’s 1.6L EcoBoost gas engine. The battery pack can be recharged using an external power source at dedicated service points between stages, with a recharge taking approximately 25 minutes.
That powerplant is rated to produce 380 horsepower and 420 Nm (310 pound-feet) of torque, or as much as 500 horsepower and 500 Nm (369 pound-feet) when combined with the electric motor. That power flows to all four wheels via a five-speed sequential transmission, front and rear mechanical limited-slip differentials, and a 50/50 torque split. With a curb weight of just 1,260 kilograms (2,777 pounds), the Puma Rally1 can accelerate from 0-100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in just 3.2 seconds.
We’ll have more on the Puma Rally1 prototype and WRC racing soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Puma news and non-stop Ford news coverage.
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