WTCR would be 'totally stupid' not to extend rules deal beyond 2019

Eurosport Events and the FIA agreed a deal with WSC Group at the end of last year to allow the World Touring Car Championship to adopt TCR regulations from 2018 in the wake of growing concerns over the stability of the series' TC1 rules.

The series became the WTCR World Touring Car Cup - a strict ban on manufacturers meant the series lost its FIA 'championship' status - and its inaugural season in that guise featured 25 full-season entries, while all seven competing brands won races.

As last year's arrangement was struck to cover the remaining years of the TC1 rules cycle, the deal is currently only in place for a further season.

Asked by Autosport whether the 2018 season had made Eurosport more inclined to extend the TCR deal, group head Francois Ribeiro said: "I think everybody understands it's a success, you can imagine that we are doing everything we can to prolong that relationship.

"And we would be totally stupid to think otherwise - to think we have done something good for two years [then say] 'OK, so long'.

"This would be complete nonsense. Now, whether we will succeed or not, it's too early to say. 90% of my mind is on 2019. That's it."

WTCR's Balance of Performance system was a contentious issues at the start of the 2018 season, although there were fewer significant performance swings from one circuit to another for particular brands as the season went on.

Ribeiro hit out at BoP - which WSC, which came up with the TCR concept, is responsible for setting - after the Zandvoort round earlier in the season, but said on reflection the balancing had not been so bad considering it was the first year the parties had worked together.

"Do I hope it will be better next year? Yes I do," said Ribeiro.

"But I think after one year of collaboration between WSC and FIA, one more year of data collection throughout the season [will make next year better].

"WTCR is nowhere near the level of sporting competition of any TCR category before.

"I think that car has never been exploited, never been driven at that level we are racing today.

"So maybe BoP was not perfect for this year, but now [with] the slightest imperfection of BoP if you lose half a tenth you lose 12 spots on the grid, and that's a drama."