Pajari drove a consistent and strong rally on the challenging asphalt roads of Japan. In the end, the Finn finished third. The podium finish was the first of his career in the top class of the World Rally Championship.
Pajari moved up to third place on Sunday morning after Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux went off into the forest and was forced to retire when his car was wrecked.
This put Pajari in a new situation. For the first time in his career, the Finn was fighting for a podium position – and he showed he could handle the pressure. He brought the car to the finish without any damage.
“This is really, really great,” Pajari said happily.
“The first podium finish! I just met the ‘big boss’, Akio (Toyoda), and he said that last year I took the WRC2 win here, and now came the first podium finish. I told him that I really like this country – there’s such a good atmosphere here,” Pajari laughed.
This season, Pajari has been driving his first full year in the top class of the World Rally Championship. During the season, the Finn has also faced some criticism for not being able to show enough top speed. Now those comments can at least be forgotten for a while.
“I’m really happy. The first two days went really well, the pace was excellent, and that gave us the opportunity to drive today without any unnecessary rush,” Pajari said.
The conditions at the Rally Japan were quite unforgiving. On Sunday, the difficulty level increased significantly due to heavy rain, which at times turned into a proper downpour. The wet asphalt proved to be the downfall of many others – but not Pajari.
“The conditions were really challenging – I can’t remember the last time we saw so many mistakes from other drivers. But we managed to stay clear of any major problems. This feels really, really good,” Pajari summed up.
Pajari’s future in the top class of the World Rally Championship is still – at least officially – undecided. Toyota is holding a press conference in Japan Monday, where it will confirm its drivers for next season. Pajari’s comments strongly suggest that he is likely to be one of them.
“It always feels like the next season is just around the corner. But we move forward one step at a time, and this result was another sign of that,” Pajari said.
The World Rally Championship season will conclude at the end of November with the Rally Saudi Arabia. The 2026 season, however, will already begin in January with Rally Monte Carlo.
