WRC
Lancia’s lofty expectations for WRC comeback
Lancia intends to be winning rallies and fighting for the WRC2 title in the first year of its comeback to the FIA World Rally Championship next season.
The famous Italian manufacturer is set make its return to the WRC with a factory programme for the first time since the early 1990s with its newly-developed Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2 car.
Lancia has confirmed it will field two factory-backed entries prepared by PH Sport, and will contest a minimum of eight WRC rounds next year beginning with the January season-opener in Monte Carlo.
The identity of the drivers is yet to be revealed but Lancia’s management says it is plans to field drivers it regards as “championship contenders” during a press conference at Stellantis Motorsport’s Satory headquarters in Paris this week.
Lancia has already set itself lofty goals for 2026 and expects to hit the ground running with its entirely new Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2 car that has been developed around a brand-new chassis. The car features an upgraded version of engine and gearbox utilised by the Citroën C3 Rally2 car.
A successful testing programme has left Lancia bosses confident that the new Ypsilon should be quick out of the box when it hits the stages for the first time in Monte Carlo in January.
“Our ambitions are quite clear. We are competitors. We are just here to win the rallies,” said head of Stellantis Motorsport’s customer racing division, François Wales.
“The clear ambition is to have one of our top drivers clinch the WRC2 title next season. The plan is to compete in a minimum of eight rallies in the WRC, and of course we will start in Monte Carlo. The rest of the agenda is partly decided but as you know the strategy may evolve during the season, but stay tuned.
“It is the same story for the driver line-up. As you know the 2025 season is not yet at an end so we are not in a position for contractual reasons to reveal the identity of our drivers, but stay tuned and I hope within a few weeks we will be able to reveal the line-up, before Christmas absolutely.”
Lancia’s return to the WRC will be overseen by the brand’s new CEO Roberta Zerbi, who will take over the position previously held by Luca Napolitano.
The arrival of its Rally2 car joins an ever-expanding rallying division at Lancia, that now consists of Rally4 and Rally6 versions of the Ypsilon designed to bring a new generation of drivers into rallying.
“What I like most about this project is having focused on the creation of the Rally6, Rally4, and Rally2,” said Zerbi. “That is, the opportunity to reach out to young people. And right now, young people, especially abroad, aren't necessarily familiar with Lancia. This will allow us to reach out to them too. We want to reach out to the new generations.”
