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2h ago

Two-Time WRC Champion Kalle Rovanperä to Leave Rallying for 2026 Super Formula Switch With Toyota

The 25-year-old says the move begins a manufacturer-backed push toward the highest levels of circuit racing.

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Kalle Rovanpera, WRC, Toyota, 2025
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Rally's youngest ever champion Kalle Rovanpera is retiring to pursue 'his next dreams'

Overview

  • He will end his full-time WRC career after the 2025 season and race in Japan’s Super Formula in 2026 with Toyota Gazoo Racing support.
  • Rovanperä outlined a pathway of Super Formula followed by Formula 2, with RaceFans reporting he is targeting an F2 move in 2027 and describing Formula 1 as a long-term possibility.
  • He remains in the hunt for a third WRC title with three rallies to go and plans extensive testing and simulator work to adapt to single-seaters.
  • His circuit background includes Porsche Carrera Cup outings and tests in Formula 4 and Formula Renault 3.5 plus laps in an older-generation Red Bull F1 car.
  • Toyota has not named a 2026 WRC replacement, with team principal Jari‑Matti Latvala praising Rovanperä and expressing confidence in a strong future driver line-up.