Rovanperä announced that he would be leaving the World Rally Championship after this season and moving next year to compete in Japan’s Super Formula series. His ultimate goal, of course, is the pinnacle of motorsport – Formula One.
Rovanperä’s decision has sparked a wide range of interpretations. On the one hand, the Finn has been praised for his courage, yet at the same time, the implications of his decision for the entire World Rally Championship have been discussed in an alarmingly concerned tone.
It is, after all, beyond dispute that the departure of a young star of only 25 years old does not bode well for the state of the sport.
This view is also shared by Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul. He says outright that there is some connection between Rovanperä’s decision and the current state of the World Rally Championship.
“Yes, probably, because every situation is saying a little something about the bigger story, the bigger picture,” Abiteboul told Rallyjournal.com.
“But having said that, I think we also need to appreciate that Kalle has been doing a lot for a long time, achieving a lot, but he’s still young and probably wants to achieve more — maybe to see if he can do that somewhere else,” Abiteboul continued.
Despite his young age, Rovanperä is already a two-time world rally champion. However, winners always want to keep winning and continue challenging themselves.
“winning and dominating rallying as he has done is something, but if he can do the same in different categories, that would be telling a totally different story. And that’s also another way to be part of motorsport’s history book,” Abiteboul pointed out.
Abiteboul emphasises that Rovanperä wants to leave a significant mark – not only in rallying, but more broadly across motorsport as a whole.
“Those names who have been able to win in any category they’ve raced in. So I can understand what he’s trying to do.”
Rovanperä’s shock decision has also provoked comments suggesting that the entire future of rallying could be in jeopardy. However, Abiteboul does not share this view.
“We need to look at it from a sporting perspective. But having said that, I would not necessarily draw a conclusion for rallying. I don’t think rallying is suddenly a sport that everyone wants to leave — no, I don’t think so,” the Hyundai boss stated firmly.
Abiteboul stresses that the World Rally Championship should now focus on the future rather than mourning the loss of one young star driver.
“One thing we should do more is make sure we have enough emerging drivers, young drivers, to deal with this type of circumstance. We have Sami (Pajari), who’s doing well, but we need more of this — more of these. We need to make rallying as a sport more accessible, not just for manufacturers but also for drivers. That’s absolutely key,” Abiteboul underlined.
