M-Sport announces Jon Armstrong and Josh McErlean for WRC 2026

M-Sport has completed part of its lineup for the 2026 World Rally Championship with the confirmation of Jon Armstrong and Josh McErlean as drivers in the Rally1 category. Armstrong, who finished second in the 2025 European Rally Championship, will make the jump to the premier category of world rallying. McErlean will continue with the team for his second consecutive season in Rally1.

Armstrong Makes the Leap from ERC to the Top Category

Armstrong will compete with co-driver Shane Byrne in a Ford Puma Rally1, replacing Grégoire Munster in the seat he occupied in 2025. Armstrong secured two victories in the 2025 ERC, including wins in Wales Rally and Croatia, before finishing as runner-up in the European championship. This promotion caps a career that began in 2013 in the British Rally Championship and includes two runner-up finishes in Junior WRC (2021 and 2022).

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to drive a Rally1 car. It's something I've worked towards since I was very young, to be able to compete at the highest level of rally is definitely a dream come true," stated Armstrong.

McErlean Achieved Three Seventh-Place Finishes on His Rally1 Debut

The renewal of McErlean and his co-driver Eoin Treacy comes after a 2025 season where they finished 11th in the drivers' championship with 28 points. McErlean achieved three seventh-place finishes as his best results (Monte Carlo, Finland, and Central Europe), demonstrating competitive speed against Munster, who finished 10th with 40 points but with no results better than a fifth place.

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"We made real progress throughout 2025, and I'm excited to build on everything we learned and put it into action next year," commented McErlean. "Having another season at this level means a lot. I'm in a completely different place mentally compared to this time last year, stronger, clearer, and ready to enjoy the challenge ahead."

Munster Departs Without a Podium in 2025

The addition of Armstrong implies the departure of Grégoire Munster, who held a full-time seat in 2025. Munster finished the 2025 season in tenth place with 40 points, just 12 points ahead of his teammate McErlean, who in his debut season finished 11th with 28 points. Munster failed to reach the podium in any of the 12 rounds he completed in 2025, with a fifth place as his best result. His average finishing position (14.3) shows the difficulty he had maintaining competitive consistency against the factory teams of Toyota and Hyundai.

In comparison, McErlean achieved three seventh-place finishes in his debut season, matching or improving his more experienced teammate's stage times on several occasions.

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M-Sport Winless Since 2023

Betting on Armstrong, who fought for the ERC title until the final round, changes the strategy for a team that hasn't won a WRC rally since February 2023, when Ott Tänak triumphed at Rally Sweden. Since then, M-Sport has completed two full seasons without victories, accumulating 26 consecutive rallies without stepping onto the top step of the podium.

Munster's numbers show the urgent need to close the gap with the competition. Toyota dominated the 2025 championship with Sébastien Ogier (293 points, 6 wins), Elfyn Evans (289 points, 2 wins), and Kalle Rovanperä (256 points, 3 wins) occupying the top three spots. Hyundai placed Ott Tänak fourth (216 points, 1 win) and Thierry Neuville fifth (194 points, 1 win). M-Sport has not managed a podium since Tänak's departure at the end of 2023.

Munster failed to get close to those positions in any of the 12 rounds he completed in 2025. His average finishing position (14.3) illustrates the team's difficulty competing against manufacturers with larger budgets. Armstrong and McErlean will face the challenge of returning M-Sport to competitive positions in a championship where the team has been winless for nearly three years, in a scenario where Toyota accumulated 11 wins in 14 rallies during 2025.

Sesks Contested Seven Rallies on Part-Time Program in 2025

The big question mark in M-Sport's 2026 lineup is Martins Sesks. Sesks contested a partial program of seven rounds in 2025 with promising results that position him as a candidate for a full-time seat. Sesks accumulated 16 points in seven rounds: Rally Sweden (sixth place), Portugal, Italy, Greece, Estonia, Finland, and Saudi Arabia. His most notable performance came at the season finale in Saudi Arabia, where he competed for the win on several stages and demonstrated speed comparable to the factory team drivers.

Sesks's performance in Latvia during 2024, where he finished fifth without a hybrid unit, had already caught the team's attention. His ability to quickly adapt to the Ford Puma Rally1 surpasses Munster's difficulties in achieving consistent results throughout 2025.

M-Sport indicated that "announcements regarding the remaining lineup will be made soon," leaving open the possibility that Sesks receives an expanded program or even a full-season seat. Maintaining two drivers backed by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy could indicate they are looking for a third driver with a different profile or distinct commercial backing.

The lack of confirmation about Sesks also opens the door for him to seek opportunities with other teams. With Toyota and Hyundai having practically complete lineups, his options in Rally1 are limited to M-Sport or a potential independent program.

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Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Continues Backing Irish Drivers

Armstrong and McErlean are backed by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, an institution that has supported their careers from the junior categories. Richard Millener, M-Sport team principal, acknowledged the academy's role in developing both drivers.

"I'm very pleased to announce that we will welcome Josh and Eoin back to the team for the 2026 season. They had a brilliant debut season and their progression with such limited Rally1 experience was very clear to see, so it's great to be able to give them the opportunity to continue this upward trajectory," explained Millener.

Regarding Armstrong, Millener added: "Jon has been working towards this opportunity for a long time, and his strong ERC performances at the end of last season made him impossible to ignore. I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing how they progress throughout 2026."

Toyota and Hyundai Have Stronger Lineups

The 2026 season will be the last under the current Rally1 technical regulations, before new rules come into effect for 2027. M-Sport will face teams with stronger lineups: Toyota has Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta, Sebastien Ogier (10 rallies), Sami Pajari, and Oliver Solberg. Hyundai will line up Thierry Neuville, Adrien Fourmaux, and partial programs for Dani Sordo, Esapekka Lappi, and Hayden Paddon.

The Rallye Monte-Carlo, scheduled for January 2026, will mark Armstrong's Rally1 debut and McErlean's second season in the premier category of world rallying.