While his part-time year turned out to be quite hectic, the Finnish star had the chance to do many things he had only dreamed of before. These included competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux series, testing a Formula 1 car, and ticking off several other items from his bucket list.
A more relaxed approach brought him four WRC victories but also a few unfortunate crashes. On a couple of occasions, bad luck dashed his chances in the fight for victory.
“This year I’ve definitely had the mindset of wanting to try to enjoy it a bit more, but it doesn’t mean I want to do less well. Of course, every time you go, you want to win,” Rovanperä said firmly.
“We want to win for the team. We need to bring the points. We try to be the world champions again. Of course, that has to be the goal.”
Rovanperä plans to maintain a more relaxed approach next season as he aims for his third WRC title. While taking the job seriously, he doesn’t want to approach it with unnecessary pressure.
“But I also want to try to do the whole year with a different mindset. Not in a way that I want to do anything less, but I just want to learn how to enjoy it more. That, I would say, is the right way to put it,” Rovanperä explained.
“Second place will not be enough – that I already know. I would say the goal will be the same: to win as much as possible. But I just want to learn to enjoy the process a bit more.”
Next season includes one additional rally, bringing the calendar to 14 events. It will be a busy year, but Rovanperä knows he needs to balance hard work with finding enjoyment in the sport.
“Probably the process will be the same, with the same amount of work or even more than before. I just want to learn to enjoy the situations and the rallies a bit more,” Rovanperä reflected.
