Ford Racing will enter the FIA World Rally Championship as a full works manufacturer from the 2028 season according to a statement issued by the company on October 1. The manufacturer will collaborate immediately with its long-term partner M-Sport Ltd which has supported Ford’s rally efforts for 30 years before taking direct control of the factory programme. An all-new car built to the FIA’s incoming WRC27 regulations is scheduled to make its debut in the 2029 campaign.
This step will represent Ford’s first official factory presence in the series since the end of the 2012 season the company noted in its announcement. Ford vehicles have recorded 94 WRC rally wins and secured three manufacturers’ titles across its history according to manufacturer records. The programme forms part of a wider motorsport portfolio that already includes engine supply for Red Bull in Formula One participation in the World Rally-Raid Championship and a planned return to the World Endurance Championship Hypercar category in 2027.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem welcomed the commitment in an official statement. “Today’s announcement represents another significant moment for the FIA World Rally Championship. With a new promoter in place, three constructors already committed to the new technical regulations, and now Ford confirming its return as a full works manufacturer, there is real momentum behind the championship’s next era,” he said. Ben Sulayem added that Ford would now hold a presence across four FIA world championships highlighting the manufacturer’s view of motorsport as a platform for brand technology and development.
The WRC27 regulations due to begin in 2027 emphasise reduced costs with a cap of 345000 euros for a ready-to-compete asphalt specification car the FIA has stated. Toyota has already started testing its contender under the new framework while independent constructors Project Rally One and RMC Motorsport have also committed according to the governing body. The regulatory package arrives alongside new commercial ownership of the series by Cosmobilis and Park Square Capital as well as efforts to grow the championship’s footprint in the United Kingdom and United States.
M-Sport will continue to operate the current Ford Puma Rally1 in 2027 and 2028 before transitioning to full factory status the announcement detailed. The Cumbria-based team secured the manufacturers’ championship in 2017 and supported Sebastien Ogier’s consecutive drivers’ titles that same year and in 2018 according to series records. M-Sport principal Malcolm Wilson described the renewed factory arrangement as Ford returning to where it belongs in the sport.
Ford intends to apply knowledge gained from the rally campaign to shape its upcoming range of European passenger vehicles the company said in the statement. The manufacturer has previously outlined plans to launch seven new multi-energy models in the region by 2029 amid competitive pressures from other global brands. This approach positions the WRC effort as a development laboratory for road-relevant technologies focused on agility and performance.
