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Rovanperä to return to rallying with Toyota in 2027

Conceptual AI-generated editorial motorsport illustration; not a documentary photograph or evidence that a pictured event, meeting or transfer occurred. · 2026-11-03GPBeat newsroom · News Made Clear generated illustration

Rovanperä will compete with Toyota Gazoo Racing again in 2027 after health problems disrupted his planned progression through Super Formula and Formula 2 toward Formula 1.

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · · 1 min

Health problems disrupted Kalle Rovanperä’s planned route toward Formula 1; the two-time world rally champion will return to rallying with Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2027.

He stepped away from rallying at the end of 2025 to pursue circuit racing. His plan was to race in Japan’s Super Formula in 2026, then progress to Formula 2 in 2027.

Positional vertigo forced him to stop a Super Formula test at Suzuka in December 2025. The inner-ear condition causes dizziness and affects balance and vision; further illness also disrupted his Formula Regional Oceania Trophy campaign.

Rovanperä returned to Super Formula testing, but withdrew from the championship in March after medical examinations. The physical demands of driving a formula car proved too great, and he then focused on recovery.

Once he was able to drive again, Toyota offered him a test in a new-generation WRC car. Rovanperä says he is happy to race with the team again in 2027 and that it has always felt like family. He said he enjoys other pursuits, but rallying has been a major part of his life and he eventually began to miss the car.

Sources 01
  1. SOURCEF1-droom spat definitief uiteen voor ambitieuze Red Bull-wereldkampioenRacingNews365 Nederland