M-Sport Ford World Rally Team will continue and expand its collaboration with the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy in 2026, fielding an all-Irish line-up as part of its ‘full season line-up’ for the WRC, with Josh McErlean and Rally1 debutant Jon Armstrong.
Josh McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy return for their second full Rally1 season following their debut campaign in 2025. The pair scored their best results of the year with seventh-place finishes in Monte-Carlo, Finland and Central Europe during their first season at the sport’s top level.
“We made real progress throughout 2025, and I’m excited to build on everything we learned and put it into action next year,” McErlean said. (Article continues after photo.)
Jon Armstrong steps up to Rally1
Joining McErlean and Treacy at Rally1 level for the first time are Jon Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne, who step up after a highly competitive campaign in the European Rally Championship. Armstrong is a long-standing Ford driver and a clear product of the rally development ladder, having progressed through national events, the Junior WRC and ERC machinery. He was twice runner-up in the Junior World Rally Championship and claimed the ERC3 title in 2023.
In 2025, driving a Ford Fiesta Rally2, Armstrong emerged as serious ERC title contenders, securing podium finishes in Poland and the Czech Republic before claiming a commanding maiden overall victory at Wales Rally Ceredigion. The crew led the event from the early stages and eventually finished the season as championship runners-up, just six points shy of the title. (Article continues after photo.)
Armstrong: “To be able to compete in the top tier of rallying is definitely a dream come true.”
“I’m obviously very grateful for the opportunity to drive a Rally1 car. It’s something I’ve worked towards from a very young age, so to actually be able to compete in the top tier of rallying is definitely a dream come true. Of course, there have been years where things didn’t go our way and we weren’t sure if it would ever happen, but we’ve had a very strong season in ERC, showed our potential, and naturally you then want to see what you can do in the World Rally Championship.
“I’m very happy and extremely grateful to M-Sport, who I’ve been driving with for most of my rally career, and also to the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy – without them we definitely wouldn’t be here. We’re really looking forward to the year ahead. There are going to be a lot of good times and definitely some challenges, but I think we’ve shown that we can rise to those challenges, so we just need to stay strong, enjoy it, and keep pushing forward,” Armstrong said.
Munster loses M-Sport Rally1 drive but could start in Monte-Carlo
Armstrong’s promotion effectively confirms that Grégoire Munster has lost his drive at M-Sport after two full Rally1 seasons with the team. Munster’s programme for 2026 is yet to be confirmed, but Belgian publication AutoTrends reports that he is expected to contest the Monte-Carlo Rally driving Jourdan Serderidis’ privately entered Ford Puma Rally1 at the season opener.
What has been confirmed is that Munster will be Serderidis’ co-driver at the upcoming Dakar Rally. Serderidis, a key backer of Munster, will pilot an M-Sport Ford Raptor T1+ at next month’s ‘toughest rally in the world’. It is set to be a busy period for Munster, with the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia concluding on Saturday 17 January, while recce for the Monte-Carlo Rally begins on Sunday 18 January at noon.
M-Sport indicates that more driver line-up news is coming
M-Sport has also indicated that further driver line-up news is still to come, stating in its press release: ‘Further announcements on M-Sport’s remaining line-up will be made soon.’
While no additional details were provided, this could refer to Mārtiņš Sesks, who secured a six-round WRC programme in 2025 that later expanded to seven events with the addition of the season finale at Rally Saudi Arabia. (Article continues after photo.)
Sesks impressed at Rally Saudi Arabia last month, stunning the rallying world with an immaculate drive in the desert and fighting for a career-first WRC victory until the final day, before a double puncture and car problems resulted in retirement. The Latvian is understood to be a contender for a similar part-time programme in 2026.
Photos: M-Sport, Red Bull Content Pool
