Next year, Rovanperä will switch disciplines and start competing in Japan’s Super Formula series. His ultimate goal, of course, is to one day make it to Formula One – the pinnacle of motorsport.
Rovanperä is an extremely talented driver, but naturally there are no guarantees that his F1 dream will come true.
On the other hand, Rovanperä has nothing to lose in that sense, as he is already a two-time world rally champion and could certainly return to rallying whenever he wishes.
Rallyjournal.com asked Rovanperä’s friend and long-time co-driver Jonne Halttunen whether he believes that Rovanperä will one day be seen competing again in the World Rally Championship.
“We’ve already agreed that if he ever drives again, we’ll do it together. But at this stage it’s hard to say whether he’ll ever come back. If it takes, say, three to five years, then who knows what my own situation will be like then. What kind of job I’ll have, and whether I’ll have children,” Halttunen replied.
However, there is one thing Halttunen is completely certain about.
“I’m absolutely sure that we’ll do something together again one day, but what it will be and when it will happen – well, you’d almost need a crystal ball to know that,” Halttunen said.
The pair still have time on their side, though.
“In terms of age, there’s really no rush. I’ll turn 40 this year, and Marko Salminen is, I think, 47, and he’s only just come into the WRC with Sami (Pajari),” Halttunen pointed out.
Halttunen is unlikely to be seen in the World Rally Championship again if Rovanperä does not make a return.
“I don’t have any great or pressing need to be a WRC co-driver anymore. I’ve already got what I went there for. Of course, if Kalle were to continue – or had continued – I definitely could have stayed on. But I feel that you should be there to succeed and to fight for wins. Anything else would just feel rather pointless,” Halttunen stated.
