The 2025 edition of Rally Finland follows a similar structure to last year, but Sunday has been made completely unique. The rally’s longest stage, Ouninpohja, will be run twice on Sunday. No other stages will take place that day—Sunday is all about Ouninpohja.
Ouninpohja is perhaps the most iconic stage in the WRC. With the podium ceremony also set to take place in the Kakaristo area, rally fans can enjoy the atmosphere throughout the entire day.
“It sounds really great. We’ve never seen a situation like this before, where one of the world’s finest and toughest stages is featured this way – and as the Power Stage, no less,” Toyota’s Finnish star Kalle Rovanperä praised in Helsinki.
Ouninpohja had been absent from Rally Finland for years. Rovanperä only got his first chance to drive the legendary stage in a Rally1 car last summer. He described entering that elusive flow state that drivers often talk about when tackling Ouninpohja.
“The stage went really well for us both times, and we set the fastest time on both runs. But it’s a really difficult stage. Even if you get into that flow state – which you have to, in order to be fast—you still have to concentrate incredibly hard. It’s a stage where you don’t even really have time to enjoy it, because it’s so challenging,” Rovanperä explained.
Ouninpohja is often advertised as the best rally stage in the world. Rovanperä agrees, at least to some extent.
“It’s certainly one of the toughest stages. Even though it’s a classic Finnish rally road, it’s also very technical, which makes it tricky. I’m not sure if it’s my all-time favourite, but it’s definitely one of the finest and most challenging stages of the entire season,” Rovanperä stated.
Read more: Rally Finland route revealed – exceptional finale: “Ouniday”
Sami Pajari, embarking on his first full season in a Rally1 car with Toyota, is also pleased with this year’s Rally Finland route.
“There are some really great stages. Not much has changed, really. Last year, there were more new stages,” Pajari told RallyJournal.com.
For Pajari, Sunday immediately stood out when looking at the newly released route.
“It’s pretty special that Ouninpohja will be run twice on Sunday. It’s going to be a real challenge with a lot of driving. It’s an incredible stage. I wouldn’t call it easy, but it certainly has an amazing atmosphere,” Pajari reflected.
Rally Finland will take place in its traditional slot at the turn of July and August this year.
