WRC main class in 2025

[wyler]

You couldn't be more wrong. Especially when we are talking about Rally1 cars which are tubular space frame prototypes while Rally2 (and WRC) are built from a production chassis. The engines are quite different, and so are the transmissions and suspensions. Rally1 and 2017 WRC has much improved safety and the transmission is designed to withstand higher power from the engine.

Performance wise a Rally2 car is probably nowadays close to a 2011 WRC car. But it's still more costly to run a 2011 WRC car in a rally.

come on mate, don't be so literal.
I didn't mean car are equal. I mean that building a r5+ is not simply add some power, but it's more like designing a new tier car, that will be closer to the top category, with similar expenses to the top category.

you said it yourself: "the transmission is designed to withstand higher power from the engine". if you make a much more powerfull engine to an r5, then you have to adapt all the car accordingly, and that r5+ will be very different from an r5 (and similar to a "top tier" car - if you dislike "wrc-rally1")