His season started shakily and hit a low point with a retirement at the Safari Rally in Kenya back in March. A dominant win followed on the tarmac roads of the Canary Islands, with third-place finishes in both Portugal and Sardinia afterwards.
In Greece, however, familiar problems resurfaced for the Finnish star. Rovanperä has struggled to find harmony with the WRC’s new tyre supplier Hankook on gravel surfaces. Toyota has been tweaking the car throughout the first half of the season, but the pain persists.
Rovanperä admitted that his own performance in Greece also fell short.
“Nothing worked this weekend. We weren’t on the pace we should be. I know I can improve too. I just can’t drive like I normally do,” Rovanperä reflected.
The two-time world champion has repeatedly said that Hankook’s tyres don’t suit his natural driving style. The Korean company has focused on durability, but the overall performance has not yet matched the level required for the WRC. Rovanperä isn’t alone in his struggles, but he has adapted to the situation surprisingly slowly.
If Rovanperä still hopes to fight for his third world title this year, July will be absolutely crucial for his campaign. Fast gravel rallies in Estonia and Finland lie ahead, along with vital pre-event testing. Somewhere, he needs to rediscover his confidence.
“We’ve never had problems this big, but this weekend was what it was. Now it’s time to rest up properly and then head fresh into Estonia. Of course, the goal is to get back into the fight for victory,” Rovanperä concluded.
“There’s definitely a lot to improve. We only came away from here with Power Stage points. That was a pretty good performance from that starting position.”
Rovanperä has traditionally excelled on fast gravel rallies – his three wins in Estonia are testament to that. However, his current struggles and the ongoing tyre issues raise plenty of question marks moving forward.
