Gronholm to make WRC comeback appearance at Rally Finland

Marcus Gronholm will be making his WRC return on this week's Secto Rally Finland. He will be behind the wheel of a Red Devil-sponsored Skoda Fabia RS Rally2.

The two-time World Rally champion will drive the rally's opening Harju Special Stage (SS1) at 7:05pm local time on Thursday, July 31. He will once again drive the 2.5km test when it serves as SS10 at 7:30pm the following day. His runs will not be timed and not part of the overall result.

In place of long-term co-driver Timo Rautiainen, Grönholm will be joined by double Formula 1 Powerboat world champion Sami Selio and Kaisa Makarainen, a triple world cup-winning biathlete and 13-time biathlon champion.

“For me, Rally Finland is the best event on the WRC calendar, and I have a lot of good memories from competing at home during my career – it’s always good to come back to Jyvaskyla," said Gronholm. “I’ll do my best to put on a good show during my Harju runs for all of the fans who have made the effort to come to the heartland of Finnish rallying, not to mention for our GRX sponsors.”

The 57-year-old Gronholm made clear this was not the beginning of a serious WRC comeback, however.

“I am too old and slow now!” he said with a laugh. “There will be nothing crazy like hitting the big jumps of Ouninpohja or Paijala for me this year or at any time in the future.

“Besides I am helping my son Niclas with his motorsport career. He’s currently driving for the CE Dealer Team in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. When he’s not there, he’s competing with our GRX Red Devil Škoda in the Finnish Rally Championship. There are plenty of things keeping me busy these days.”

Despite ruling out any notion of a competitive WRC return, the elder Gronholm predicted a tight battle for the win on the fast, sweeping gravel roads in and around Jyväskylä.

“It’s difficult to say who will win in Finland this year, but Kalle Rovanpera will be hungry for his first home victory,” he said. “Sebastien Ogier will be back for the ‘Gravel Grand Prix’ and he’s fast and consistent on all surfaces. It would be not so clever to discount him when he’s won here twice.

“Ott Tanak has driven very well and drama-free throughout all season long, which is why he’s leading the championship. He has won in Finland three times before and the stages are not dissimilar to those in Estonia. He knows what’s needed to claim the top spot here. I think it’ll be a very interesting fight between those three here in Jyvaskyla.”

• Catch more 2025 WRC action on RACER+ and the RACER Network. There’s LIVE Wolf Power Stage coverage from all remaining rallies on the RACER+ App, plus same-day airings on the RACER Network.
• From the high-speed dirt roads of Finland, to a fast-paced South American doubleheader in Paraguay and Chile, to the all-asphalt blasts of Central European Rally and Rally Japan, and finishing with an all-new gravel challenge in Saudi Arabia, it’s all on RACER+ and RACER Network. You can find out more about the RACER+ App at racerplus.com.