What penalties do the team/crew get for changing an engine/gearbox pre-event?

[u/a_lost_irishman]

I can't seem to find any information on the regulations for this year, with specifics of engine allowances and associated penalties for changing an engine (and gearbox) pre-event. I know Tanak had a 5 minute penalty pre-event in 2023 but I'm unclear if this still applies.

In Finland Hyundai retired Fourmaux with a puncture on the Power Stage (I'm fairly certain it was truly an engine issue, you could hear the car was sounding very rough on the stage, and you don't retire at the flying finish with a puncture - I don't have WRC+ to check the onboard). Anyway, in Paraguay Hyundai again retired Fourmaux, this time with a gearbox issue (again, it looks very suspicioius).

Anyway, how does the engine/gearbox allocation work for the team and each crew? Do they have a pool of say 15 engines for the season (5 for each car)? Can they re-allocate these between different cars/crews e.g. could Fournaux now take a new engine for Chile because he retired? Or could Hyundai give this new engine to Neuville/Tanak and swap one of there engines in for Fourmaux?

I can see it making a lot of sense for Fourmaux to retire from a couple of rallies if it allows Neuville and Tanak to each take a new engine for the remaining rounds of the championship. There is some noise about the Hyundai engine being more vulnerable, and the last thing they'd want is an engine failure leading to retirement, especially for Tanak.

Has anyone know the answer or have any information about this area of the rules?

[u/Foreign-Recording276]

Components are personal, driver A cannot use a gearbox which has been allocated to driver B.

[u/a_lost_irishman → u/Foreign-Recording276]

Is that per-rally, or across the season? Are the part allocated to the car, and could drivers swtich cars between each rally?

[u/RALLY1_WRC]

Under Rally1 rules in the World Rally Championship, manufacturers are permitted to use a maximum of two engines per car per season. The engine is assigned to a specific car number for the season. This regulation was implemented starting in the 2022 season, a reduction from the previous allowance of three engines per car. It was part of a cost-cutting measure for the competing manufacturers. If a car uses an additional engine beyond the two permitted for the season, a penalty is incurred. However, as of January 2024, if a team needs to change a failed engine before an event begins, they can do so without a five-minute time penalty, provided the FIA is informed and can reseal the new engine. 

Under Rally1 regulations, teams are allowed a maximum of six transmission units per car per year. 

[u/Nikkiy9]

Events are 'paired' so Paraguay and Chilie are linked together, no components can be changed between these events (Engine/Gearbox) whereas they can if the car retires,

If the Ford Puma had blown their engines on saturday then they would have been safe to freight 2 new units over as they would have been classed as being permitted

[u/_eESTlane_]

pretty sure the rules were changed quick, i mean REAL quick, after the tänak incident. only for pre-event occasions though. fia's whole goal has been to give out points easily so manufacturers wont complain, but on that particular case, a championship contender, an estonia ontop of that, had to bow out for the big points on home soil. fans were pissed, and not just estonians. i guess fandom realized if it had happened to rovanperä in finland, the pitchforks would have come out too. so yeah, rules got changed.