M-Sport Ford announces McErlean and Armstrong for WRC 2026
16th December 2025M-Sport Ford has announced that they will retain Joshua McErlean and Eoin Treacy for next season and will take on new recruits Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne in 2026.
Feature image credit: M-Sport Ford
On Tuesday, M-Sport announced part of their driver line-up as the World Rally Championship gears up to reignite the championship fight next year. The team also confirmed they will be working with Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for another season.
In the announcement, M-Sport confirmed they have retained McErlean and Treacy for next season after they gained ‘invaluable experience’ over this year’s 14-round season, spanning from Monte-Carlo to Saudi Arabia.
McErlean and Treacy had put in an impressive performance this year, with a strong seventh-place finish in Rally Monte-Carlo. They followed this up with an eighth-place finish in Rally de Portugal and then seventh overall in Rally Finland and the Central European Rally.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be confirmed with M-Sport for the 2026 WRC season, and I’m incredibly grateful for the continued support from both the team and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy,” McErlean said. “We made real progress throughout 2025, and I’m excited to build on everything we learned and put it into action next year.
“To have 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. My focus now is on myself, performing to the best of my ability, and making the most of this fantastic opportunity with Eoin alongside me.”
To have 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. My focus now is on myself, performing to the best of my ability, and making the most of this fantastic opportunity with Eoin alongside me.”
Armstrong and Byrne will join the line-up alongside the Irishmen, having competed previously in Ford machinery.
The Irishman finished a consecutive runner-up in the Junior World Rally Championship in both 2021 and 2022, in a Ford Fiesta Rally3, with M-Sport Poland. In the following year, Armstrong claimed five wins in the Fiesta Rally3 and worked his way to the ERC3 title.
More recently, Armstrong fought for the ERC title up to the final day of the championship, and finished behind eventual title winner Miko Marczyk by six points.
“I’m obviously very grateful for the opportunity to drive a Rally1 car,” commented Armstrong. “It’s something I’ve worked towards from a very young age, so to actually be able to compete in the top tier of rallying is definitely a dream come true.
“Of course, there have been years where things didn’t go our way and we weren’t sure if it would ever happen, but we’ve had a very strong season in ERC, showed our potential, and naturally you then want to see what you can do in the World Rally Championship.”
M-Sport has confirmed their new Puma Rally1 crew will make their WRC debut with the team in the season-opening Rally Monte-Carlo in January.
The team also confirmed that there are still announcements to be made, with M-Sport confirming further announcements on the team’s ‘remaining line-up will be made soon.’
Read more WRC here:
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- 3 Winners and Losers of WRC Rally Saudi Arabia
- Sebastien Ogier has clinched ninth title as Thierry Neuville takes Saudi Arabia win
- Sebastien Ogier on the cusp of ninth world title at Rally Saudi Arabia
- Sesks inherits lead after Saudi Arabia day 3 as title goes to the wire
- Evans puncture drops him down order after morning loop at Rally Saudi Arabia
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
