Ford returns to the WRC as an official manufacturer

Escort, Sierra, Focus, Fiesta and Puma: over the past 50 years, these are the cars Ford has fielded in the World Rally Championship, establishing the company as one of rallying’s heavyweights.

The brand is now preparing to return to the WRC at a time when the championship itself is also set for change. New regulations will take effect in 2027, promising to transform the discipline while pursuing an ever-difficult objective: keeping costs under control.

It is against this backdrop that Ford has confirmed its return as an official manufacturer, although the process will not happen all at once.

M-Sport arrives first, followed by Ford

Having partnered Ford for 30 years, M-Sport will once again form the cornerstone of the manufacturer’s rallying involvement. With almost immediate effect, the two companies will begin preparing the American brand’s return to the discipline in 2027.

Ford Racing becomes the factory WRC team

In 2028, Ford Racing will become directly involved in the WRC programme, taking on official factory team status at that point. For now, there is no indication of which model will underpin the comeback.

The genuinely new chapter will begin later, in 2029. That is when a new Ford WRC car, based on one of the brand’s forthcoming European passenger-car models, is scheduled to make its debut.

Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Racing, left no room for doubt about the return: “We can’t wait to compete in rallying again in 2028 and in the years that follow”.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), said the announcement demonstrates the “real momentum” surrounding the WRC’s next era. He also noted that “Ford is one of the great names in motorsport”, adding that this long-term commitment “is a testament to the strength of the championship”.

What happens in rallying does not stay in rallying

Ford also intends to use its return to revive an approach that has produced some of its most interesting cars in the past. Knowledge gained in the WRC is expected to help shape the new European line-up of five electric and hybrid models that we previously reported on.

WRC development for Ford’s European range

The aim is to make these vehicles more engaging to drive and better equipped to cope with the nature of European roads. “Rallying is where Ford character faces its toughest test,” says Jim Baumbick, president of Ford Europe.

He adds that the American manufacturer wants its future models to be “responsive, confidence-inspiring and distinctive in the driving experience”. The brand calls Europe’s roads “perfectly imperfect” and regards the WRC as an especially demanding test environment for developing such attributes.

“You cannot fake it on Europe’s roads, which is why a car’s response and behaviour matter,” Baumbick explains. The approach restores, at least in part, the longstanding connection between Ford road cars and its competition machinery.

Ford’s WRC entry will therefore take its presence across FIA World Championships to four. The brand already competes in Formula 1, the WRC, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the World Rally-Raid Championship.