Rovanperä Eyes 2027 Motorsport Return After Health Recovery, Toyota Talks Loom

Kalle RovanperäPlayer·Kalle Rovanperä, the accomplished two-time World Rally Champion, has indicated his openness to a return to competitive motorsport in 2027. This development follows his full recovery from a health issue that had previously compelled him to withdraw from his planned Super FormulaCompetition·Super Formula campaign in 2026.

Rovanperä's journey took a significant turn in October 2025 when he announced his departure from the World Rally ChampionshipCompetition·World Rally Championship at the close of that season. His ambition was to transition to single-seater racing, specifically targeting the Japanese Super FormulaCompetition·Super Formula series in 2026 with the backing of ToyotaTeam·Toyota Gazoo Racing. The long-term vision included a move to Formula 2Competition·Formula 2 by 2027, with the ultimate goal of reaching Formula 1Competition·Formula 1. At the time, Rovanperä articulated his decision, stating, “This decision was not easy, but I know that it is the right one so that I can pursue my other dreams in motorsport.” He further elaborated, “Having already achieved so much in rallying at this age, I started to think about what other opportunities I could have and what other challenges I would like to take on.”

During his final WRC season in 2025, Rovanperä secured third place in the drivers' championship, clinching victories at Rally SpainCompetition·Rally Spain and Rally FinlandCompetition·Rally Finland. ToyotaTeam·Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT successfully defended its manufacturers' title that year.

However, his aspirations for Super FormulaCompetition·Super Formula were interrupted in 2026 when he was diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, leading to his withdrawal before the season commenced. After a period focused on recovery and personal time, Rovanperä has now received medical clearance to resume his motorsport career.

His recent appearance at Rally FinlandCompetition·Rally Finland offered a glimpse of his renewed engagement with the sport. Last weekend, Rovanperä took the wheel of a ToyotaTeam·Toyota Corolla GT AE86 rally car for demonstration laps on the HarjuVenue·Harju superspecial stage, joined by his navigator and World Champion Jonne HalttunenPlayer·Jonne Halttunen. This marked his first time driving a rally machine since his departure from the WRC at the end of the 2025 season.

“It was so much fun,” the 25-year-old driver shared with motorsport.com. “It was nice to see the service park and all the old friends and teammates. It’s nice to be a bit of a spectator.” Reflecting on his time away, he added, “I’m starting to feel good and I’ve been healthy for a while now, so that’s the most important thing, obviously the first priority. And after that, it was really nice now just to enjoy a lot and have some more time for myself, so it was good.”

Throughout his recovery, Rovanperä maintained contact with his close friend and former ToyotaTeam·Toyota WRC teammate, Takamoto KatsutaPlayer·Takamoto Katsuta, offering advice to the Japanese driver who has experienced a breakthrough campaign this year. “It was so cool . The only thing that was a bit sad is that I was not present, that’s the only thing, especially for his first win at Rally SafariCompetition·Rally Safari in KenyaVenue·Kenya. I really should have been there,” Rovanperä recounted.

With his health restored, Rovanperä is now preparing to engage in discussions with ToyotaTeam·Toyota regarding his competitive return next year. All options appear to be under consideration. “For now, there’s not much to say, honestly. I was really trying to keep my mind away from it as long as possible. But obviously now we will start to talk with ToyotaTeam·Toyota a bit more and see what are their and my plans,” he stated. “I don’t think we have anything strictly set that we are aiming for. I’m open and I think we will see what are their and my ideas and what will happen next.” When questioned about the potential for track racing versus a return to rallying, he noted, “Obviously in the past I enjoyed them a lot, so I think they are still a very serious part of my plans, but what exactly it will be, I don’t know. Now, after the long break, obviously rallying also feels much different. That’s the idea.”

Rovanperä also expressed interest in the future trajectory of the WRC, particularly following the announcement of a new commercial rights holder. “It will be really interesting to see. Obviously, there is a big hope that they will make changes, take action and, of course, it’s not easy, but I hope they will do a good job,” he concluded.