Ferm, 44, revealed his decision to retire after the conclusion of Rally Chile on Sunday. Initially, Ferm had planned to share the big news at the finish of the Power Stage, but the plan changed slightly as Lappi and Ferm were forced to retire before the final stage due to a mechanical issue with their Hyundai.
Ferm has been by Lappi’s side since 2010. Together, they climbed to the top of the rally world, competing regularly in the WRC since the 2015 season.
Ferm and Lappi secured two WRC victories together. Their first came in 2017 at Rally Finland, followed by their most recent win earlier this year at Rally Sweden.
In addition to their WRC successes, Lappi and Ferm won the Finnish Rally Championship in 2012, claimed the European Rally Championship title in 2014, and became WRC2 champions two years later.
From 2017 onwards, the duo competed in the WRC category, representing Toyota, Citroen, M-Sport Ford, and Hyundai.
Ferm has one more rally left this year, as he will compete alongside Heikki Kovalainen at the Rallylegend event in October. Lappi and Ferm will not be participating in the final WRC rounds in Central Europe and Japan.
Lappi’s future in the WRC remains unclear. Hyundai is currently deciding whether to appoint a full-time driver for its third car or continue rotating several drivers.
Lappi has stated that he is not interested in competing full-time anymore but would be open to a part-time role, driving in around half of the season’s rallies.
It is not yet known who will replace Ferm as Lappi’s co-driver if the Finn’s WRC career continues.
