Tänak dropped a major bombshell after last weekend’s Rally Japan, announcing that he will step away from the World Rally Championship, at least for the time being, to spend more time with his family.
Before Sunday’s news, Tänak had been linked with a possible move to Toyota. Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala has now revealed that the rumours were not entirely unfounded.
“I believe that every driver starts to look around and ask other teams about opportunities when their contract is coming to an end. Ott contacted us and asked about the situation, but by then we had already made our decision on the driver line-up,” Latvala told Estonia’s Delfi outlet.
Toyota announced its 2026 World Rally Championship driver line-up in Japan on Monday. Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier, Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari will all continue with the team, while Oliver Solberg joins to replace Kalle Rovanperä.
According to Latvala, Toyota had finalised its line-up well in advance.
“We had already decided that Oliver would take the seat left by Kalle Rovanperä. As soon as it became clear that Kalle was leaving, we immediately thought of Oliver,” Latvala said.
Rovanperä announced a month ago that he would leave the World Rally Championship to pursue his next dream in single-seater racing. However, the Finnish star had already informed Toyota of his decision during the summer.
Solberg was given a chance to prove himself in Toyota’s Rally1 car at Rally Estonia in July, delivering a hugely impressive performance. He took a sensational victory – a result that likely sealed his Rally1 seat with Toyota for next season.
