Rovanpera heads Toyota 1-2-3-4-5 in Finland as Hyundai hits Saturday dramas

Kalle Rovanpera is one day away from a first home victory after heading a Toyota Gazoo Racing 1-2-3-4-5 sweep at WRC Rally Finland on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Finn (pictured above) completed the rally's penultimate leg with a commanding 34.6s advantage following a dramatic afternoon on the FIA World Rally Championship’s fastest event that saw Hyundai's leading contenders suffer identical heartbreak. Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux both tumbled from podium positions after front-right tire deflations struck their i20 N Rally1s on the same stage, handing Toyota’s fleet of factory GR Yaris Rally1s complete control of the leaderboard.

Rovanpera had earlier overcome his own deflation drama on the morning's 12.54-mile Paijala stage to reach midday service with a 14.7s lead over reigning WRC champ Neuville, with Fourmaux just three-tenths further back. But lightning struck twice for Hyundai when both drivers suffered identical failures on the afternoon's repeated run through the 11.77-mile Vastila test, dropping to sixth and seventh respectively.

Victory on Sunday would deliver Rovanpera’s first home triumph, though the two-time WRC champ knows the job isn't finished. He and co-driver Jonne Halttunen rolled from the lead on the penultimate stage in Finland last season and must safely navigate two passes of the daunting 14.9-mile Ouninpohja stage before claiming the winners’ trophies.

“It's quite a big day for the team,” said Rovanpera. “I just tried to keep a good pace. Obviously, there was no need to take any crazy risks, but I still wanted to go fast so that I have the feeling for tomorrow morning, because I have the feeling we need to go quite fast tomorrow. It's going to be a big day.”

Takamoto Katsuta inherited second place following Hyundai’s misfortune and stands to celebrate his best result since February's Rally Sweden. However, the Japanese driver faces pressure from eight-time WRC champ Sebastien Ogier, who sits just 6.8s behind in third. Ogier himself holds only a 1.5s cushion over teammate Elfyn Evans, with Rally1 rookie Sami Pajari completing Toyota's remarkable top-five lockout.

Takamoto Katsuta sits second in the Toyota train, but last year’s Finland winner, Sebastien Ogier, is just 6.8s behind. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

As things stand, Evans is poised to reclaim the WRC championship lead, with current points leader Ott Tanak languishing outside the top 10. A five-minute penalty after an incident involving a stage-end official on Friday has left the Estonian targeting only Super Sunday and Wolf Power Stage bonus points in his Hyundai.

Neuville and Fourmaux now find themselves in damage limitation mode, sitting more than a minute behind Pajari, with 24.0s separating the frustrated Hyundai pair.

“Tomorrow we are going to try and take some points, but obviously any good result and any hope for the championship is basically gone,” said Neuville. “We needed a good result here, and we won’t get any.” 

A puncture dashed the podium hopes of Hyundai’s reigning WRC champ Thierry Neuville. He’s now in salvage mode… Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

M-Sport Ford's Martins Sesks endured his own drama when rain-induced windshield fogging forced a two-minute roadside stop on the afternoon’s first stage. The delay dropped the Latvian part-timer to 10th, behind full-season teammates Josh McErlean and Gregoire Munster, in the battle to be top of the Puma Rally1 trio. 

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Roope Korhonen narrowly held off a charging Jari-Matti Latvala, setting up an intense all-Finnish finale, with just 1.8s separating the Toyota-equipped duo.

Korhonen maintained his overnight lead in his GR Yaris Rally2, but faced relentless pressure from WRC veteran Latvala, who mounted one of the most impressive comeback drives of the season. The 18-time WRC winner had been demoted from first to fourth on Friday when heavy rain derailed his charge, leaving him 13.8s adrift going into Saturday.

Latvala wasted no time cutting into that deficit, winning three of the morning's four stages to close within 7.7s by midday service. 

Taking time out from his “day job” as Toyota Gazoo Racing team principal, 40-year-old Latvala continued his assault in the afternoon, trimming the gap to just 0.5s on Vastila 2 before Korhonen responded with the quickest time on the following Paijala 2 test. 

The momentum swung again on the day's final stage, Leustu 2, as Latvala claimed another stage win, pulling back to within striking distance for Sunday's two-stage shootout.

Korhonen has enjoyed a breakthrough 2025 season in Rally2 machinery, claiming his first FIA European Rally Championship victory in Hungary and already earning WRC2 podiums at Rally Sweden and Estonia. Now the Finnish starlet could be in line to claim his biggest triumph yet.

Roope Korhonen is within touching distance of a first WRC2 win – but WRC veteran Jari-Matti Latvala is closing in. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Sunday's final leg is all about the legendary Ouninpohja stage, with two passes through its super-fast sweeps and multiple closing the action. The second run will be the bonus points-paying, rally-ending Wolf Power Stage – a final chance for the likes of Hyundai’s Tanak, Neuville and Fourmaux to salvage something from their weekends as Toyota’s factory quintet looks to lock in a potentially historic result.

WRC Rally Finland, positions after Saturday/Leg Two, SS18
1 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h01m28.8s
2 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +36.1s
3 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +42.9s
4 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +44.4s
5 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +59.2s
6 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m54.7s
7 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m23.7s
8 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +3m28.3s
9 Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m27.9s
10 Martins Sesks/Renars Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m38.7s
11 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2 leader) +6m40.4s
12 Jari-Matti Latvala/Janni Hussi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +6m42.2s

• Watch the rally-closing, bonus points-paying Wolf Power Stage action from Rally Finland LIVE on RACER Network and the RACER+ App on Sunday, Aug. 3 at 6:00-7:30am ET, with same-day re-airings on the RACER Network at 8:30pm ET and 11:30pm ET. 
• Plus, for a deeper dive into the FIA World Rally Championship, check out the WRC Magazine Show on RACER Network. Catch the latest episode on Sunday, Aug. 3 at 5:30am ET, 8:00pm ET and 11:00pm ET. 
• You can find out more about the RACER+ App at racerplus.com.