Rovanpera to return to WRC in 2027 but will contest only part of the season
Finnish driver Kalle Rovanpera, a two-time World Rally champion, will return to the WRC in 2027 for a partial season. Health problems derailed his plans to move into formula racing.
Kalle Rovanpera, a Finnish driver and two-time world rally champion, will return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2027 and will compete in part of the calendar. He left the championship in 2025 with plans to switch to formula racing, but health problems upset that idea. Rovanpera, who is 26, won the world title in 2022 and 2023.
Unlike Toyota's Ott Tanak, who is also returning and will contest all 15 rounds of the championship, Rovanpera will run a partial season. His other projects are still to be finalised.
Health problems
In an interview with DirtFish, the driver said he suffered dizziness in high-load corners more often than had been made public. He stressed that he cannot influence it and has accepted the situation. According to him, now that he is returning to rallying, there is no room for formula racing in his plans.
Goals and the new car
For Rovanpera, 2026 was a relatively calm year in motorsport, which he described as a great restart. Given the planned schedule, fighting for the 2027 WRC title will most likely be difficult. Still, Sebastien Ogier showed in 2025 that a driver can skip several rounds and yet finish the season near the top of the standings.
Rovanpera noted that the championship title is not his only goal, since he already has two. He would enjoy a season with half the rallies, drifting and other interesting projects.
He has also had a chance to test Toyota's new car for 2027. He called it a good car, but admitted that moving from a faster car to a slower one is not pleasant for any driver. In his words, the car will keep getting faster, so driving it should still be enjoyable.
