MOTORSPORT – THE Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has announced that a tender process will be run for a new commercial rights holder of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), which reaches its conclusion this season in Saudi Arabia.
This follows an extensive period of discussions by the FIA, the global governing body for motorsport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, with Red Bull and KW25, the current commercial rights holders of the WRC, who have taken the decision to commence the process.
The WRC has surged in popularity in recent years, with a 1.3 billion cumulative television audience and more than four million on-site visitors in 2024.
With almost half of those in-person fans between the ages of 18 to 34, the WRC has huge further growth potential in the years to come. The next round of the championship is on Thursday at the Rally del Paraguay, which is making its debut as a host country this year.
The WRC Rally Saudi Arabia, another debut event, rounds off the championship in Jeddah from November 26 to 29.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “The FIA World Rally Championship is at an exciting moment in its history. Millions of fans around the world are following the action, and new, younger audiences are driving its global growth.
“This championship has enormous potential, and it is our responsibility as governing body to ensure it continues to grow and reaches new heights.”
The FIA’s priority is to ensure that the WRC is best placed to maximise on this potential and deliver value to all its stakeholders, including drivers, teams, manufacturers, organisers and fans, while also preserving its strong heritage.
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