World RX teams convinced this year's Battle of Technology will be a huge step forward

It was a fantastic return to racing action welcomed by fans watching both trackside and on the live stream that was free to access on the championship YouTube channel. Over 10,000 fans lined the circuit on race day, and with a viewership of over half a million on the live streamed races and 2.5 million views across social media over the weekend, World RX is undeniably back.

Championship title partner Volvo Construction Equipment could certainly feel the buzz in the Lousada paddock, with Arvid Rinaldo, Brand Communications and Sponsorships at Volvo CE noting: “The opening event of the season was a fantastic start to the championship, and Volvo Construction Equipment is extremely pleased with the work the FIA has done. Lousada proved to be an outstanding track and a top-tier venue for rallycross. We welcomed nearly 20,000 visitors over the weekend, with many more tuning in to the free livestream on YouTube—an incredible turnout that truly shows the growing excitement around the series. Overall, we consider the first event a resounding success.”

“We’re incredibly excited for the next round in Höljes. With the strong foundation laid in Lousada, we’re confident we can elevate the experience even further, and we can’t wait to see what excitement the next race brings.”

The dust from a thrilling first event of the 2025 FIA World Rallycross Championship has settled, and the teams, drivers and FIA technical and sporting teams have been analysing the data and giving their views on what we can expect in the Battle of Technologies as it plays out over the course of the season.

Significant progress has been made since the innovative concept was introduced for the 2024 campaign, with optimisation of the sustainable fuel producing more power for the ICE cars and refinements to the EV package reducing the weight, the baseline differences in performance have been brought much closer together for 2025.

With this stronger starting point, the FIA then organised the Equivalence of Technology test that took place the week before the first round, as FIA Technical Engineering Director Thomas Chevaucher explains:

“At the beginning of testing we did some comparison runs between the two technologies using an FIA driver, allowing us to compare the performance of the car using also a reference car that allowed us to take into account the track evolution that is a big factor in rallycross."

“All that allowed us to understand the differences between the two technologies both for the race starts, which are crucial for this category, as well as in terms of overall lap time. During that test we understood that we had to adapt a little bit the initial balance, so we determined a better balance between the power/weight ratios.

“There are always going to be differences between the two technologies, and when you try to balance them there will end up being advantages and disadvantages for both. We think now that we will have a fair balance overall between them across the season.

“Some tracks will be more suited to the EVs, and some will be more suited to the ICE, but the differences will be small and the sporting competition, meaning the way the races unfold, will be a much bigger factor. 

“It was understood by everyone that Lousada would be one that leaned most towards the EVs, thanks to the very long straight that was fully tarmac, so we are expecting to see different balance across the season starting with Höljes where the straight is shorter, and half of it is on gravel.

“Even in Lousada we had a 50/50 split in the semi-finals between EV and ICE, and ended up with an ICE car on the podium and a super-close race to the finish. From that we can say that it has been a good demonstration of the balance we expected at this first event. These variations are normal across all forms of motor sport – even in Formula 1 you have tracks that suit better the cars of certain teams – so in that respect we think it has been a success that we can show the Battle of Technologies works should produce a very close championship.”

While the technical balance played its part, the sporting elements also proved decisive in Lousada. The draw for grid positions had a noticeable impact on the outcome of several races. With overtaking at a premium, especially on the narrow Lousada layout, those who landed on the cleaner side of the grid often held a key advantage going into Turn 1.

One of the biggest casualties of that draw was Johan Kristoffersson. Despite showing strong pace throughout the weekend, the seven-time world champion found himself repeatedly starting on the outside of Turn 1, a position that offered little grip and few opportunities to cut through. It was a frustrating scenario that played a major role in his uncharacteristically subdued weekend.

Despite the setbacks, Kristoffersson reminded everyone of his class in Q4, putting in a storming performance to go fastest of all. It was a timely show of outright speed that underlined just why he remains the benchmark in World RX. Even when the odds are stacked, the KMS driver proved he still has the pace to fight at the front.

CE Dealer Team Principal, Jussi Pinomäki pointed to the importance of starting position in Lousada stating, “I think the FIA and the technical department have done good work. If we look at the race, six or seven drivers were within two-tenths of a second – sometimes even closer. If Johan and Niclas had been sitting the other way around at the start of the final, so if Johan was on pole and Niclas was in second, I think Johan would have won the race.

So, it was all about putting yourself in the ideal start position in the final – then you could capitalise on that. So, from my perspective the grid is really, really tight… It’s a long season ahead, but if we keep [the EOT] as it was in Lousada, we shouldn’t be far off – that’s what we have seen already.” 

PGRX Team Principal Charles Guillerme believes that pre-season testing - which his team missed - was crucial not just for the EOT, but also in terms of the differences we saw between the cars that tested and those who didn’t coming into the weekend. “The extent of testing done by some teams may well be one of the reasons why it’s not entirely clear whether the EOT has actually handed a performance edge to the electric cars, or if it’s simply down to the lack of track time for those who weren’t present the previous weekend. We’ve seen a similar situation in Euro RX1 and Euro RX3, where drivers who missed testing found themselves on the back foot. So, it’s difficult to evaluate things precisely at this stage.”

“Lousada is a very particular circuit with many variables to take into account, so at this stage, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where everyone stands in terms of the EOT, especially between those who were able to test beforehand and those who weren’t. There’s clearly a difference when it comes to launches, but right now, it’s hard to draw any firm conclusions.”

The teams have been an essential part of the process throughout, and it’s thanks to their collaboration that the EOT work has made this big step forward possible.

“We have been very happy to see the whole World RX ecosystem taking part in the process and supporting the EOT test,” concluded the FIA’s Chevaucher. “It was a good atmosphere working all together to find the best balance and produce the best show for the fans, which is in the end what all of us want."