The two-time world champion is running a partial season as a driver for Toyota’s WRC team. So far, Rovanperä has skipped four World Rally Championship rounds, leaving him time to compete in other events, such as races in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux.
This weekend, Rovanperä returns to familiar territory, getting back behind the wheel of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 car as he takes on Rally Chile. However, it remains unclear whether he will appear in any WRC events after the gravel rally in Chile.
“I can’t say anything about that yet. We need to sit down with the team and figure out what the plan for the rest of the season is,” Rovanperä commented in an interview with Unibet.
Rovanperä’s remark could well be a bluff. It is highly likely that Toyota will field its full quartet of drivers for the manufacturer’s home rally in Japan in November. The Japanese tarmac rally will conclude this year’s WRC season.
Last year, Toyota ran four cars in Japan, even though they had already secured all the championship titles. This year, the team is on the back foot in the title battles against Hyundai, but no title has yet been sealed, and it’s possible that none will be decided before the season finale.
In that light, it would be logical for Toyota to field the best possible trio of drivers in its factory cars for the final round in Japan. If Toyota has even a slim chance to challenge Hyundai for the manufacturers’ title in the last event, it would be expected that the team will give it everything they’ve got.
What is certain is that Rovanperä will not compete in the penultimate round of the season, the Central European Rally, whose entry list was released on Tuesday.
Read more: Hyundai’s driver choice revealed for Central European Rally
This weekend, in Rally Chile, Rovanperä will be chasing his fourth win of the season. His primary goal, however, will be to secure crucial points for Toyota.
“We’re behind now, so we need to fight. There’s no other objective in this rally but to score maximum points for the team.”
Rovanperä has the advantage of being sixth in the WRC standings, which gives him a favourable starting position for the gravel rally, behind the top drivers in the championship.
“Starting position is really important in this rally. Especially on Friday, there will be a lot of cleaning to do if the weather stays dry. I’m hoping it does because that would give us an advantage.”
“Last year, we lost a lot of time on Friday when we were the first car on the road,” Rovanperä recalls.
