Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä will leave the World Rally Championship after this season to pursue his Formula One dream.
This means that Sami Pajari is, in all likelihood, the only Finnish driver in the premier category. Of course, Toyota has yet to announce its driver line-up for next season.
Esapekka Lappi himself stepped away from the WRC after the 2024 season and competed this year in the Finnish Championship, where he won the title. Naturally, Lappi still hopes that the blue and white colours will continue to be represented in the WRC in the best possible way.
Pajari has been contesting his first full season in the top class this year, but so far, he has only occasionally impressed with his speed.
“Nothing else to do but keep the pedal to the metal and hope he starts getting some better results. There probably aren’t many other options,” Lappi said, sending his regards to Pajari.
“He just has to try to develop himself step by step,” Lappi added.
Pajari, 23, has had a fairly modest season so far. His best result came in March at the Safari Rally Kenya, where he finished fourth overall.
Pajari himself has emphasised that this year is still a learning experience for him in mastering the tricks of the top category, but it’s also clear that he will gradually need to start showing signs of top-level pace. The driver from Lahti has only managed to display flashes of that potential occasionally.
As for Lappi, there’s little point in expecting him to return to the WRC. He has repeatedly said that he’s enjoying rallying more than ever in the Finnish Championship, and next year his role with RTE Motorsport will expand even further as he begins mentoring rally talent Lauri Halonen — the next great Finnish rally prospect.
