Kalle Rovanperä speaks to DirtFish about his decision to switch to single-seater racing
Photography by Red Bull & Toyota
Words by Luke Barry & David Evans
Kalle Rovanperä is aiming to be the first World Rally Champion to compete in Formula 1 as he makes the switch to single-seater racing next year.
Rovanperä will quit the WRC at the end of 2025 in order to pursue a new career direction in circuit racing, beginning with Japanese Super Formula in 2026.
Although he’s been careful not to explicitly say his target is Formula 1, he told DirtFish his goals are set on the highest level.
The 25-year-old said: “Time is definitely ticking out all the time but it’s still on my side and that’s the reason why the decision had to be made now. Obviously really big thanks goes to Toyota who wanted to be on my side on this, because obviously this kind of plan and project wouldn’t even be possible without manufacturer backing.
“Like you know, also in circuit racing, all the young drivers have all these manufacturers backing them. And yeah, having Toyota trust me and trusting this project is definitely the biggest and let’s say coolest part of it all. So yeah, we are definitely aiming really high.
“It all depends on how everything goes and we definitely set our goals on the highest level and we will work towards it and see what we get out from it. Because, like you know, in life and especially motorsport, you never know what’s coming. You need to be in the right place at the right time and many things need to go your way.
“But yeah, we definitely have time on my side still. I’m only 25 and when we start to work on it now, which is the plan, we definitely aim to go all the way.”
Rovanperä’s current plan is to compete in Super Formula and then step up to F1’s feeder series, Formula 2.
Asked if his ultimate target was Formula 1 or the World Endurance Championship – which Toyota currently competes in – the Finn replied: “Well, obviously at this point, I just know my next few years’ plans. I know we will go Super Formula, and after this, we will work towards the next category step, which would be Formula 2, and we will see how everything goes.
Rovanperä will race in Super Formula next year - but the ambition is higher
“I cannot tell you now which will be my ultimate goal. I have told you it’s the highest level. Formula 1 is the highest level, but obviously there are so many cool series and events in circuit racing.
“If you ask me, do I want to do Le Mans one day? For sure. If I have the chance, I want to do Le Mans and I want to do all these big races. So yeah there are so many possibilities.”
As part of his time away from a full-time WRC program, Rovanperä completed 50 laps of the Red Bull Ring in a Red Bull RB8 last November. Talking about his time in the 2012 car, he said: “F1 was something I had been looking forward to for a long time, so it was really cool to finally get to drive it. The day went well, and I was left with very good feelings.”
To listen to the full interview with Rovanperä, where he discusses the timing of his decision, why he ultimately chose to make it and whether the WRC’s current health was a factor, become a member of Club DirtFish today.
Words:Luke Barry
Tags: F1, Kalle Rovanperä, WRC
Publish Date October 9, 2025 DirtFish 
https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2025/10/RaZ8QAqM-SI202411060164-780x520.jpg October 9, 2025
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