Kalle Rovanperä surprised everyone with his announcement that he will no longer be competing in the World Rally Championship in 2026, but will instead be driving in Super Formula – what awaits him and where he wants to go
On Thursday this week, Kalle Rovanperä surprised the motorsport world with the announcement of his bold plan to leave rallying after the current 2025 World Rally Championship (WRC) season and switch to formula racing on a full-time basis.
With the support of Toyota, Rovanperä will compete in Super Formula in Japan next year. His goal is to move up to Formula 2 as early as 2027. In 2026, the two-time World Rally Champion, who is also the youngest World Rally Champion in history, will compete in his first races in formula racing. In 2024, the now 25-year-old Finn made his debut in circuit racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux, where he scored three victories.
Rovanperä tried out a formula car for the first time last year when he tested both a Formula 4 and a Formula 3.5 car at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. He then completed a test in a Formula 1 car, a Red Bull RB8 from the 2012 season.
Looking ahead to 2026, Rovanperä admits that he will have to overcome both mental and physical challenges in Super Formula. It has not yet been announced which team he will be racing for in Japan’s top formula racing series. What is clear is that it will be one of the Toyota teams in the field.
“I think jumping straight into Super Formula is a leap into the deep end,” says Rovanperä, explaining: “The cars are not far behind Formula 1 cars. They are much faster than Formula 2. So there are a few things I need to get used to. One of them is racing. I have to learn how to control the car and the tires and how to drive close behind each other.“
”Of course, there’s also the physical side, which is completely different from the demands of rallying. I only have this winter to prepare my body and everything else and get used to these cars. The G-forces and cornering speeds are so different from anything I’ve driven before,“ says the 25-year-old, who knows: ”There’s definitely still a lot of work to be done in many of these areas.”
Rovanperä notes that he is not setting any specific time frames or goals for his plan to move up in formula racing. However, he hints that his ultimate goal is Formula 1. “The plan for the coming years is to first gain a foothold in formula racing. I’m basically starting from scratch,” he says. “In the beginning, it will take a long time for me to get up to speed and build up my racing instincts and everything else. Of course, there are many opportunities in circuit racing, and naturally, the plan is constantly evolving.“
”The plan is to achieve good results and work extremely hard to achieve those results. I don’t have a schedule for where I should be and when. I should just focus on each season individually, work hard, and improve. And if I deliver the results, then anything is possible,”
says Rovanperä. “The plan for the coming years is to first gain a foothold in formula racing. I’m practically starting from scratch,” he says. “In the beginning, it will take a long time to get up to speed and build up my racing instincts and everything else. Of course, there are many possibilities in circuit racing, and of course, the plan is constantly evolving.”
“The plan is to achieve good results and work extremely hard to achieve those results. I don’t have a schedule for when I should be where. I should just focus on each season individually, work hard, and improve. And if I deliver the results, then anything is possible,” said Rovanperä.
