Ford has officially announced its return to the World Rally Championship starting from the 2028 season. Currently serving as a sponsor to longtime partner team M-Sport, the cooperation will transition into a full works team operation with direct involvement from the American brand.
The announcement also shared that from the 2029 season, Ford Racing will compete with a brand-new Rally1 car based on an upcoming European-market model. The upcoming car will succeed the Ford Puma-based car that M-Sport currently races with.
The announcement was made at Rally Italia Sardegna, the final round of the 2026 WRC season. Ford Racing global director Mark Rushbrook shared: “As we celebrate 125 years of Ford Racing, our 50-year legacy in the WRC stands out as one of our proudest because of its direct connection to the fun and exciting cars that came from that. We can’t wait to compete again in rally racing in 2028 and beyond.”
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Ford’s long history in rallying includes several recognizable nameplates such as the Escort, Sierra, Focus, and Fiesta. In relation to this, Ford Europe president Jim Baumbick shares that rally is a valuable proving ground for the automaker, and reiterates the brand’s commitment to use what it learns to develop more exciting ‘rally-bred’ cars in the future.
Ford’s upcoming WRC comeback is another part of the American automaker’s motorsport portfolio expansion, having returned to Formula 1 for the 2026 season in partnership with Red Bull Racing as an engine supplier. Currently, Ford also competes in the World Rally-Raid Championship, and is on track to rejoin the LMGT3 class of the World Endurance Championship in 2027.
