Rovanperä shock: two-time World Champion leaves WRC in 2026

A piece of news as unexpected as it is sensational shook the rally world this morning. Kalle Rovanperä, the young Finnish phenomenon and two-time WRC World Champion, has announced that he will retire at the end of the current season. He will step in the Japanese Super Formula.

Since his debut at the 2017 Rally of Great Britain, driving a Ford Fiesta R5 for the M-Sport team, Rovanperä’s journey in rallying has been nothing short of remarkable. After two years as an official Škoda driver, between 2018 and 2019, he tied his name to Toyota Gazoo Racing, the team with which he conquered two consecutive world titles in 2022 and 2023.

In total, he has competed in 86 rallies, winning 18 of them, numbers that firmly place him among the most talented and successful young drivers in modern WRC history.

Today’s announcement

The turning point in Kalle Rovanperä’s career came in recent weeks, when the 25-year-old realized that something needed to change. The rally world, it seems, no longer gave him the same emotions and motivation as before.

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That’s when he made his decision, officially announced this morning through an open letter published on social media, addressed to his fans and to his team. A bold and radical choice: 2025 will be his final season in the WRC.

Rovanperä has already stated that his goal is to help Toyota secure the Constructors’ Championship — and, if possible, to end his WRC career by claiming another Drivers’ title.
But one question now hangs in the air: what does the future hold for Kalle Rovanperä?

From WRC to open-wheel chapter in Japan

Rovanperä’s future will bring a dramatic shift. The Finnish driver is set to compete in the Japanese Super Formula Championship, remaining under the Toyota banner. It’s one of the most competitive single-seater series in the world, enjoying a level of popularity in Japan comparable to that of Formula 1.

The championship uses cars powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with direct injection, jointly developed by Toyota and Honda. The unit is equipped with a fuel flow restrictor, which limits the maximum instantaneous fuel rate: 95 kg/hour at Suzuka and Fuji, and 90 kg/hour at the other rounds.

This is a next-generation racing engine designed to deliver maximum performance with optimal fuel efficiency, aiming for peak thermal performance. The power output currently exceeds 550 horsepower, making Super Formula a technical and sporting challenge of the highest level.

Following some F1 driver footsteps

It will therefore be an open-wheel challenge that marks Kalle Rovanperä’s next career step. The young Finn is set to follow in the footsteps of several Formula 1 drivers who have also raced in Super Formula.

Among the most notable names are Roland Ratzenberger, Pierre Gasly, who competed with Team Mugen in 2017, and Kazuki Nakajima, a key figure in both Super Formula and endurance racing, and the son of former F1 driver Satoru Nakajima.
Other well-known drivers such as Kamui Kobayashi and Naoki Yamamoto have also helped strengthen the long-standing connection between Japan’s premier open-wheel championship and the world of Formula 1.

Kalle Rovampera, Goodbye Letter to the Fans and Toyota Gazoo WRC

Dear rally community,

I’m writing to let you know that I’ve decided to retire from the World Rally Championship. This decision wasn’t easy, but I know it’s the right one for me to pursue my other dreams in motorsports.

I fell in love with rally as a kid and was fortunate to grow up surrounded by legends and idols, with the chance to start driving at a very young age. My dream back then was to become a WRC driver, win a rally, and one day become a World Champion. I’m very proud to have achieved those goals. This sport has shaped me and my skills in countless ways, and I step away from it with deep gratitude.

I want to give a special thank you to my trusted co-driver, Jonne, whose relentless work and friendship have been a vital part of our success.

To my family, my personal team and partners, thank you for standing by me. Over the past decade, we have worked hard together to reach the top; this would not have been possible without your commitment and support. And to my first co-driver, Risto, who guided and taught me when I was just a kid, trusting me to drive flat out through the forests. I will always be grateful!

Thanks to anyone of the Gazoo Racing Team

I want to thank every team that has given us the opportunity and everyone who has worked with us along the way. Especially everyone at TGR-WRT, for your tireless hard work, for believing even when things didn’t go as planned, and for sharing the joy when they did. We have achieved great things together, and there is still much to fight for in 2025. I will give my all for the rest of this season to help secure the manufacturers’ championship and to fight for the drivers’ title.

And most importantly, to you, my fans — thank you for your constant support and huge emotions. Seeing and feeling your passion and love has been simply unforgettable. I hope to see as many of you at the last rallies and support us until the very end.

More news soon!

Kalle Rovanperä