Yohan Rossel and Nikolay Gryazin will spearhead Lancia’s WRC return after more than 30 years. Meanwhile, the brand says ‘more than 40’ Ypsilon Rally2 cars have been ordered already.
Lancia, a manufacturer synonymous with rallying thanks to its eleven manufacturers’ titles and eleven victories at Rallye Monte-Carlo, left the WRC in the early 1990s. Next month, it returns to the world stage, initially in WRC2, currently the sport’s top support category.
The team will compete under the official name Team Lancia Corse HF, with Rossel and Gryazin confirmed as its factory drivers. Together they bring extensive Rally2 and WRC(2) experience, crucial for Lancia’s modern-era relaunch.
Rossel spent several years driving for Citroën, also part of the Stellantis group, like Lancia, and therefore remains within the same family. Gryazin, who represented Citroën in 2024 and drove for Toksport-Škoda this season, now returns to the Stellantis fold.
Team Lancia Corse HF will be operated by PH Sport, which also ran Citroën’s factory-supported C3 Rally2 programme in WRC2 last season. Didier Clément will serve as team principal.
Rossel and Gryazin will both start the Monte-Carlo Rally with the Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale.
“To mark the return of Lancia, an iconic brand with an incredible rallying heritage, we needed to rely on drivers capable of fighting for victory at every race,” said Clément. (Article continues after photo.)
Lancia: more than 40 Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale cars already been ordered
Despite the car not having started its first competitive rally, interest in the Ypsilon Rally2 has been strong.
The Ypsilon Rally2 uses the engine and gearbox from the Citroën C3 Rally2, but features a reworked software setup. Even so, the Ypsilon is not simply “a C3 with a Lancia badge”.
The chassis is entirely new. Whereas the C3 Rally2 is built on the PSA PF1 platform, the Ypsilon Rally2 is based on Stellantis’s CMP (Common Modular Platform). This results in, among other things, a different roll cage design compared with the C3 Rally2.
Lancia confirmed today that more than 40 Ypsilon Rally2 cars have already been ordered since the model’s official unveiling and sales launch in late November.
CLICK image below to WATCH video: Test 2026 Lancia Ypsilon HF Integrale Rally2 WRC2 Rallye Monte Carlo (Yohan Rossel)
Photos: Lancia
