Ford Returns to WRC as a Full Factory Team: Plans for the Coming Years and an Eye on Production Cars

For the first time since 2012, Ford is officially returning to the World Rally Championship (WRC) as a full factory team. The American automaker is expanding its long-running partnership with the British outfit M-Sport and preparing a large-scale program for the upcoming WRC27 technical regulations. According to Reuters, Ford Racing will receive official factory team status in 2028.

Technically, cars bearing the blue oval never left rally stages. For the past fourteen years, M-Sport has competed successfully with the Fiesta and Puma Rally1, but without direct financial and technical support on the scale of a factory team. Now Ford is once again taking on a significant share of the design and maintenance work.

A Transition Period and a Completely New Car

The technical return will be gradual. In the 2027 season, M-Sport plans to field a modernized version of the Fiesta Rally2 fitted with a special WRC Kit package that will allow the car to compete legally in the top category. The company has not yet revealed which car the team will run in its first official factory year (2028).

A completely new rally car, designed from scratch to the future WRC27 rules, will not hit special stages until 2029, Ford said in a statement. Its design will draw on the look of one of the production models the company is preparing for the European market.

Cheaper Cars and Technology for Everyday Roads

The decision to return is directly tied to the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) push to cut costs in motorsport. The new WRC27 regulations give engineers more freedom in choosing bodies and powertrains, but impose a strict budget cap. In an official FIA press release, the maximum price of a finished car in asphalt specification is set at 345,000 euros. Those terms have made factory participation financially attractive again — Ford is now the fourth manufacturer to confirm it is developing machinery under the new rules.

The racing program will also serve as a testing ground for the brand’s consumer division. Ford plans to apply its extreme rally experience to the creation of five new production hybrids and EVs for Europe. Engineers promise to carry suspension technology and the principles of precise handling from gravel stages to everyday roads.