The Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid racer debuted in late 2021 as the brand’s latest rally racer, which it campaigns in conjunction with the M-Sport World Rally Championship (WRC) team. The racing version of the crossover replaced the Ford Fiesta in that series and became the first electrified competition car from FoMoCo, as it 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. Ford was so adamant that hybrids should be part of the WRC’s future that it threatened to leave the series if that change didn’t happen, in fact, but now, newly proposed rules changes mean that the Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid won’t be able to participate in the series after the current season, according to DirtFish.
Fresh off receiving a round of updates for the 2024 season, the Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid is seemingly now on its way to becoming obsolete in the WRC’s premium category after that entity has proposed a handful of technical regulation changes. Those include reducing power in Rally1 racers via a revised turbo restricter and limiting aerodynamics, changes that are designed to somewhat level the playing field with the new Rally2+ cars, which are getting more aero, a free-flowing restrictor, a paddle shifter, and a less restrictive exhaust.
These changes are slated to take place in 2025, though the proposed rules stemming from the World Motor Sport Council must still be ratified, however. If approved, even more changes would be in store for 2026, when manufacturers would be allowed to use a common safety cell and more of their own bodywork, with an output capped at 330 horsepower.
The concept behind these changes is aimed at creating an all-electric category as soon as possible, all while cutting costs for teams participating in WRC. However, it also means that hybrid-powered Rally1 cars like the Puma are slated to go away following just their third season in competition, too.
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