Motorsport
Rovanpera: WRC title is 'not really in our hands'
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Kalle Rovanpera believes the World Rally Championship title is “not really in his hands” but is expecting the Saudi Arabia championship showdown to serve up drama.
The two-time world champion is one of three drivers in contention to win the 2025 title ahead of this weekend’s thrilling climax as Saudi Arabia makes its WRC debut.
Rovanpera’s hopes of snaring a third world title were dealt a blow in Japan earlier this month when the Finn hit a barrier that inflicted damage to the left rear suspension on his Toyota Gr Yaris. Rovanpera was able to recover to sixth but now trails championship leader and team-mate Elfyn Evans by 24 points, while fellow Toyota driver Sebastien Ogier is only three points behind Evans.
A total of 35 points are however on the table this weekend.
This weekend also marks Rovanpera’s final WRC event for the foreseeable future as the 25-year-old plans to switch to single seater racing next year, with the view of eventually reaching Formula 1. Although, desperate to end this chapter of his career with another title, Rovanpera knows the odds are not in his favour.
“For us, the championship is not really in our hands anymore but we still have a chance, so let’s see how it goes in Saudi Arabia,” said Rovanpera.
“Obviously it is been like this the whole year. It has been difficult to achieve consistent results and being in the fight but not properly. We will see how Saudi goes.”
However, the prospect of brand new stages and unfamiliar conditions for his rivals and the entire field to master could open the door for Rovanpera to snatch the title in dramatic fashion. The desert stages are expected to provide a tough challenge with the roads lined by rocks, increasing the risk of punctures and damage.
"The stages look to be quite tricky with a lot of rocks around, so there could be a fairly big chance of something happening for any of the drivers,” Rovanpera added.
“There are chances for many things [to happen], they are tricky stages with a lot of stones around, so you never know, but obviously it is not so much in our hands.
“All that we can do is focus on trying to do a good job and get a good result for ourselves, and we would still need the others to have a bad result.
“Whatever happens, hopefully we can make it a good last rally to finish this chapter in a nice way.”
The 17-stage Rally Saudi Arabia season finale is due to begin on Wednesday evening.
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