The youngest-ever world rally champion and back-to-back 2022, 2023 title winner is heading back to the stages. Kalle Rovanperä will tackle a partial programme next year with Toyota, piloting one of three all-new GR Yaris Rally1 machines under the GAZOO Racing Toyota banner.
That said, the 26-year-old’s journey back to rallying follows a wild detour. The Finn originally stepped away from the championship to pursue a career in single seater racing, lining up a campaign in Japan’s Super Formula this year. Unfortunately, that plan fell apart due to a medical issue. Sidelined from driving for the majority of this year, Rovanperä is now healthy and ready to rejoin the WRC where he shot to global stardom.
I hope we don't need too much [advice from Ott]. I have never been in a situation in my career in rallying where I ask anything from anybody, that’s not my style,
“Life happens and sometimes there are things you cannot control so I'm just really happy that we could make a good plan with Toyota for the upcoming years and still stay with the Toyota team and also come back to driving a rally car after a year of not driving anything. I'm just happy to be in any competition and get back to driving,” Rovanperä said. “Of course, It's exciting to be back, I’m happy to be back.” Reflecting on the health hurdles, he added, “Health is the most important thing you need to have, and then seeing what led to it, and then how well the recovery and everything has been. It was the right call [to abandon the Super Formula season].”
Now, his comeback aligns with the championship ushering in a brand new Rally1 era built to the FIA’s 2027 technical regulations. It is a massive reset for everyone. Under the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team banner fielding two teams in 2027, Rovanperä will share the garage with his close friend Takamoto Katsuta and 2019 world champion Ott Tänak in a brand new GR Yaris Rally1.
Getting up to speed won't be entirely straightforward, however. Rovanperä only tested Toyota’s all-new 2027 car for the first time in September before jumping back behind the wheel in recent weeks, meaning a late arrival to the testing program. “Of course it is a big difference and new rules for everybody. Everybody starts from zero. Obviously, us coming into the testing quite late this year, we will not have many tests in the car,” he noted, while acknowledging that teammate Ott Tänak has been testing the whole year and should be really strong.
With everyone staring down a blank page under the new regulations, nobody quite knows how the machines will sort the field out. As Rovanperä pointed out, some driving styles will suit the new beasts and others simply won't. But don't expect him to lean heavily on his teammates for setup secrets. “I hope we don't need too much [advice from Ott]. I have never been in a situation in my career in rallying where I ask anything from anybody, that’s not my style,” he stated, emphasizing that the strength of the Toyota squad lies in working together as a collective unit.
Stepping back into the machine after a year away required wiping the slate clean. Rovanperä noted that the feeling in the new car has been quite ok, approaching the tests with a fresh mind and refusing to waste energy comparing it to previous machinery. “I don't need to compare it to this year's car or anything. I haven't been driving it anymore, so I have been just trying to start from zero,” he added.
