Ford Racing will restore full factory backing to its World Rally Championship programme with M-Sport from 2028, with a newly developed car scheduled to start competing in 2029. The announcement gives the British team's long-running Ford partnership a new works programme after the manufacturer's previous factory involvement ended in 2012.
WRC's report, published on 1 October, confirms that the commitment was announced at Rally Italia Sardegna. It separates Ford's direct involvement from 2028 from the competitive debut of the new car a year later.
A Fiesta programme before the new car
M-Sport says development work begins immediately. For 2027 it plans to compete with a Ford Fiesta Rally2 adapted through a WRC kit to meet the championship's incoming WRC27 rules. Ford Racing and M-Sport then intend to campaign that Fiesta together in 2028 while the replacement is developed.
The team identifies an updated aerodynamic package, changes to the engine restrictor and revised electrical components among the Fiesta's modifications. Its announcement does not name a driver line-up for the future factory programme.
Another commitment to WRC27
The FIA confirms that Ford is the fourth constructor to commit to developing a car for the new regulations, following Toyota, Project Rally One and WRT Rally1 Spain. Both manufacturers and independent constructor projects can develop and homologate cars under the framework, which takes effect in 2027.
The governing body puts the maximum price of a ready-to-compete WRC27 car in asphalt specification at €345,000. That cap is part of the rules' effort to lower the cost of entering the championship's top level.
WRC traces the Ford and M-Sport partnership back to 1997, encompassing the Focus, Fiesta and Puma. This latest agreement concerns a change in the scale of manufacturer support and a future car programme; M-Sport's Ford competition programme is already active.