F1 ESports details on '25 season; M-Sport signs McErlean in WRC

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team is excited to announce that Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy will join its ranks for the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship behind the wheel of a Ford Puma Rally1. The Irish pairing will make their debut together in the sport's top-flight after successful seasons across the WRC2 and ERC championships. Supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, McErlean and Treacy will compete in the full season, tackling 14 rallies across four continents and three different surfaces.

McErlean, whose career began by claiming the Junior 1000 Rally Challenge title in 2015, has been building strong and steady foundations for his Rally1 debut over the last decade. After gaining early experience in Ford machinery with a Fiesta R2T in the British Rally Championship in 2017 and 2018, McErlean went on to claim the Great Britain Junior title in 2019, along with the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award as young Irish rally driver of the year. He also made his WRC debut on Wales Rally GB later that year.

Gaining more seat time in an R5 car in the WRC and European Rally Championships throughout 2020 and 2021, McErlean secured an impressive third in the WRC3 category on Rally Catalunya in late 2021. Moving up into WRC2 in 2022, McErlean achieved three top-five finishes in the WRC2 Junior category and banked valuable experience at key European events in Portugal, Sardinia, Estonia, and Finland.

A busy season would follow in 2023 as McErlean took on five ERC events alongside a demanding WRC2 campaign. His achievements would include an impressive fourth overall on ERC's Rally Latvia and several other top-ten finishes in both highly competitive championships throughout the year. Thanks to the continued support from the MI Rally Academy, with the backing of John Coyne, the now 25-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise throughout an impressive season in 2024 alongside James Fulton, claiming a stunning WRC2 second-place finish on his category debut in Portugal early in the season.

The Academy's support has been vital to McErlean's progression over the last five years and formed a crucial part of this new partnership with M-Sport. McErlean will now partner up with co-driver Eoin Treacy, who has worked with the M-Sport team alongside Jon Armstrong in the ERC throughout 2024. Treacy has taken part in an Academy co-driver development programme over the last three years to prepare him for this next chapter with McErlean.

With solid experience in the British Rally Championship and select WRC events, Treacy makes the perfect fit to partner McErlean as both make their top-level WRC debuts in 2025. The Irish duo join M-Sport's full-time line-up for the 2025 season alongside Grégoire Munster and Louis Louka. M-Sport is eager to welcome McErlean, Treacy, and the MI Rally Academy team to its Rally1 ranks as they embark on this new chapter together in 2025.

Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal, said: "M-Sport is renowned for giving opportunities to up and coming talents in the sport. With the backing of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, that is exactly what we will be doing for Josh and Eoin. 2025 will be a huge challenge for them both, but a once in a lifetime chance to show the world that they have what it takes to forge a career at the pinnacle of the sport.

“We need to continue to invest in new and emerging talent in the WRC, I am proud to be able to give another two guys the chance to do this. The targets and expectations for the year will be very sensible, but I know that the team and all the Irish fans will be behind the pairing and this opportunity for them. I am really looking forward to working with them, and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, to make this a positive season for us all."

John Coyne, founder and patron of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, said: "The Academy's purpose is to identify and develop young Irish athletes to compete successfully at the highest levels of the World Rally Championship. As key members of our Academy development programme, Josh and Eoin have made tremendous progress in applying their natural talents and developing their skills. I'm looking forward to continuing to guide and support their progress over the coming years at the top level of the sport."

Josh McErlean said: "Joining M-Sport Ford next year to drive the Puma Rally1 in the World Rally Championship is truly a dream come true. I've always aspired to compete at the highest level of motorsport, and now that opportunity is becoming a reality. I'm incredibly excited to be working with such a professional and dedicated team, and Eoin and I are ready to give it everything.

“This is a massive step in my career, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved— Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, John Coyne, supporters, family, and the team—for making this possible. I can't wait to get behind the wheel."

Eoin Treacy said: "I'm really looking forward to 2025 with Josh, M-Sport, and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy. It's a dream come true to start a season at the top level of the sport. Working with M-Sport in 2024 ERC alongside Jon Armstrong was a huge learning experience for me and I look forward to continuing to develop through 2025. I'd like to thank John Coyne, Josh, M-Sport, the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for their support."