Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen ended an eight-year home win drought for Finnish rally fans with a masterclass performance at Rally Finland, claiming victory in record-breaking fashion.
The pair dominated the fastest rally in FIA World Rally Championship history, maintaining an average speed of 129.95kph across four days of flat-out action to win by 39.2sec.
Their triumph capped an extraordinary weekend that saw Toyota Gazoo Racing achieve only the second 1-2-3-4-5 sweep in WRC history, matching Lancia’s feat on Rally de Portugal in 1990. Juha Kankkunen played a role in both – as a driver in 1990 and today as the deputy team principal for the Jyväskylä-based squad.
Rovanperä seized the lead on Friday morning’s opening stage and never relinquished control, methodically building his advantage throughout the weekend. Drama on Saturday saw Hyundai rivals Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux eliminated from contention by identical tyre deflations and handed the 24-year-old crucial breathing space heading into Sunday’s finale.
Rovanperä takes maximum 35 points, now 3 points behind new leader Evans
Clean runs through both passes of the legendary Ouninpohja stage ensured Rovanperä’s maiden home victory was never in doubt, while simultaneously catapulting him back into championship contention. He now sits second in the standings, just three points behind leader Elfyn Evans after round nine of 14.
“It’s quite an amazing feeling,” Rovanperä smiled. “Obviously we have been close a few times here and I just felt we really needed to do it this year. Big thanks to everyone at the workshop for doing a great job with the car. We really worked hard for this one, I was driving really on the limit this weekend and really pushing a lot. We really needed the points, and it was good at the end.”
Behind the winner, an intense battle raged for the remaining podium positions with just 8.9sec blanketing Takamoto Katsuta, Sébastien Ogier and Evans at the finish. (Article continues after the photo.)
Ogier holds off Evans for podium, Toyota claim 1-2-3-4-5 finish
Katsuta held his nerve to secure second place by 5.9sec over Ogier, celebrating his best result since February’s Rally Sweden. Ogier, meanwhile, held the final podium spot by just 3.0sec after an intense final-day showdown with Evans.
Sami Pajari completed Toyota’s historic lockout in fifth ahead of Hyundai’s Neuville, while Fourmaux retired his i20 N Rally1 car less than a kilometre from the finish. Their team-mate Ott Tänak fell from first to fourth in the championship, finishing 10th overall after accident damage and a five-minute time penalty ended his chance to fight for a podium on Friday
M-Sport Ford crews filled the remaining top-10 positions, with Josh McErlean leading team-mates Mārtinš Sesks and Grégoire Munster home in seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.
The WRC now heads to South America for the inaugural ueno Rally del Paraguay, with the gravel event based in Encarnación from 28 – 31 August.
Keep up-to-date with the latest news, videos and photos from the WRC via our social media channels:
– Facebook
– X / Twitter
– Instagram
WRC Rally Finland 2025 – Final results
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rovanperä / Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 2:21:51.4 |
| 2. | Katsuta / Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +39.2 |
| 3. | Ogier / Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +45.1 |
| 4. | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +48.1 |
| 5. | Pajari / Salminen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:18.8 |
| 6. | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2:01.5 |
| 7. | McErlean / Treacy | Ford Puma Rally1 | +4:07.4 |
| 8. | Sesks / Francis | Ford Puma Rally1 | +5:17.2 |
| 9. | Munster / Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 | +5:24.9 |
| 10. | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +7:38.4 |
WRC 2025 Drivers’ Championship – Standings after Round 9/14 [Top 10]
| # | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Elfyn Evans | 176 |
| 2. | Kalle Rovanperä | 173 (-3) |
| 3. | Sébastien Ogier | 163 (-13) |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | 163 (-13) |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | 125 (-51) |
| 6. | Takamoto Katsuta | 87 (-89) |
| 7. | Adrien Fourmaux | 71 (-105) |
| 8. | Oliver Solberg | 52 (-124) |
| 9. | Sami Pajari | 48 (-128) |
| 10. | Grégoire Munster | 21 (-155) |
WRC 2025 Manufacturers’ Championship – Standings after Round 9/14
| # | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT | 458 |
| 2. | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 371 (-87) |
| 3. | M-Sport Ford WRT | 129 (-329) |
| 4. | Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT 2 | 85 (-373) |
Photos, content: Red Bull Content Pool
