Toyota will enter the next rally season with a highly anticipated team. It was also confirmed that two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä will return as a full-season driver.
This year, Rovanperä competed in about half of the rallies, but next year he will aim for his third world title alongside Jonne Halttunen.
Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta will also continue as full-time drivers, participating in all events of the upcoming season. Evans finished as the best Toyota driver this year, securing second place in the championship, while Katsuta ranked sixth.
There was, however, a surprise in Toyota’s announcement: Sami Pajari will contest the full season in a Toyota Rally1 car in the top class of the World Rally Championship. Just last weekend, Pajari clinched the WRC2 title driving Toyota’s Rally2 car.
This year, Pajari got his first taste of Toyota’s Rally1 machinery, competing in Finland, Chile, and Central European rallies in the main class. His best result was fourth place at his home rally in Finland.
With Pajari’s contract, Toyota will field as many as four Rally1 cars in every WRC event next season.
Meanwhile, Sebastien Ogier will continue as a part-time driver next year. This season, Ogier was initially expected to compete in about half of the rallies, but he ended up with ten starts, assisting Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship fight and challenging Hyundai drivers for the drivers’ title.
This year, Toyota missed out on the drivers’ world championship for the first time since the 2018 season. However, the team claimed the manufacturers’ championship by a narrow three-point margin over Hyundai.
The 2025 WRC season kicks off in late January with the iconic Monte Carlo Rally.
