A promising event took a turn for the worse on Sunday’s final day, when the former Formula 1 driver went off the road on the morning’s opening stage. Kovalainen’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 ended up on top of Ott Tänak’s Hyundai, which had already gone off at the same spot.
Earlier this year, Kovalainen underwent open-heart surgery to address an aortic aneurysm but has since made a full recovery. His passion for racing remains strong, and one option for next season is to continue competing in Japan’s rally championship.
“It’s not decided, but is possibilty I will continue here in Japan with the same car and team,” Kovalainen said after Rally Japan.
“I’d also like to do something in Europe. Im not sure in Finland, because Finland is just a gravel championship.”
Last season, Kovalainen tried his hand in the Finnish Rally Championship, finishing sixth overall. However, the former circuit racer’s strongest performances are on tarmac rallies. While the European Rally Championship (ERC) offers a calendar with many asphalt events, Kovalainen is also considering another path.
“It would be fun to drive in the ERC, but I also went in the Rally Legend in Italy and I really enjoyed the roads there. Italian Tarmac Championship is very tough and very nice,” Kovalainen explained.
“We’ve had a sort little chat with my sponsor Secto (the title sponsor of Rally Finland) about next year, and they sort of have some interest to go to Italy, so that could be a possibility,”
In October, Kovalainen paired with Janne Ferm, former co-driver of Esapekka Lappi, to enjoy the Rally Legend event in a Citroën C3 WRC car. However, the Italian tarmac championship would require competing in a Rally2 car.
“The Citroen WRC car was a rocket. Very nice car. It would be a Rally2 in Italy. But, nothing is decided yet. Everything’s still open,” Kovalainen concluded.
The 43-year-old Finnish driver has already won Japan’s Rally Championship twice, in 2022 and 2023, making Europe’s stages a potentially more appealing challenge for him next season.
