Sébastien Ogier’s victory at Rallye Monte Carlo in a Ford Fiesta has sparked renewed interest in the WRC from the Blue Oval.
The global head of Ford Performance, Dave Pericak, was at the season opener and watched Ogier steer a Ford to victory on a WRC rally for the first time since November 2012.
After Ford’s withdrawal from the WRC at the end of 2012, its ongoing presence in the championship has been down to its former rally partner, British-based preparation firm M-Sport, with Ford providing vehicle and engineering support.
But Pericak told WRC LIVE he was excited by what he had seen at Rallye Monte-Carlo, and would make the WRC part of his future plans.
"This is my first time to attend a WRC rally and it has been amazing," Pericak said.
"We have been involved in a number of different motorsports; in GRC in America and now in WRX with Ken Block and our team there, but now I’m over here and we’re going to make this part of our plan going forward.
"With an all-new car and the new rule package, what a great season this is going to be. Having Sébastien in the car is a dream come true, so this is a big deal for us, we’re excited," he added.
Asked if this meant Ford might make a manufacturer-level return to the WRC, Pericak didn’t rule out the possibility.
He said: "We are here having a look at it. We work with [M-Sport boss] Malcolm Wilson - he’s done a magnificent job, and we’re going to figure out how we continue to work with him in the future."