Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera and 2019 champion Ott Tanak are set to return to the World Rally Championship in 2027 as part of Toyota’s six-car line-up. Both sat out the 2026 campaign, but their reasons for coming back differ markedly.
Rovanpera’s return follows a planned move away from rallying. After the 2025 season, the Finn intended to switch to single-seater racing and signed up for Super Formula. He later abandoned that plan after developing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which kept him from competitive driving. He said cancelling the season was the right decision in light of his health and subsequent recovery.
Now cleared to drive, Rovanpera has agreed to a partial WRC campaign in Toyota’s new GR Yaris. He said he was pleased to remain with the team and return to driving after a year away from competition. While single-seater racing is no longer a focus for the coming years, he hopes to add circuit racing to his 2027 schedule, possibly in GT cars. No additional programme has been confirmed.
Tanak, meanwhile, stepped away after a difficult 2025 season with Hyundai, but did not rule out a return. He will rejoin the WRC full-time with Toyota, the team that helped him win the title in 2019.
His return was preceded by a development-driver role at Toyota, where he contributed to work on the GR Yaris and GR Celica. Tanak said the role allowed him to keep driving rally cars and enjoy the work, while time away from competition eventually made him miss racing. He also pointed to Toyota’s professional environment and the team’s growth since his previous spell as reasons to work with them again.
Sources: Autosport.