Two-time champion cleared to resume ambitious pursuit of F1 seat

Red Bull athlete Rovanpera in WRC — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Two-time champion cleared to resume ambitious pursuit of F1 seat

Kalle Rovanpera is working his way back!

Chris Deeley

Sunday 21 June 2026 16:56

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Two-time World Rally champion and F1 hopeful Kalle Rovanpera has received a major boost after a scary health issue.

The 25-year-old announced his decision to leave rallying last December to switch to single-seater racing with the aim of working his way into F1, but those plans were thrown into disarray when he was diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in March.

That led to his 2026 season effectively being scrapped as he focused on his health and recovery, puling out of a planned Super Formula drive.

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Toyota Gazoo Racing have now announced that Rovanpera will begin making a return to driving after making good progress in his recovery over the last three months, revealing that a comeback to competitive racing in 2027 is the current aim.

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Kalle Rovanpera recovering well after vertigo issues

In a statement released this week, TGR wrote: "Two-time FIA World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanpera is ready to continue chasing his racing dreams in partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing after making strong progress in his recovery over recent weeks.

"Since his planned participation in Super Formula this season was placed on pause due to medical reasons, Kalle has taken time to recover and focus on his health. With his recovery progressing well, he has already resumed physical training and can now look forward to a phased return to driving.

"To assist in his recovery, Kalle has been working closely with KIHU, the Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport based in Jyvaskyla. Best known for supporting Finland’s Olympic and national team athletes, KIHU has provided scientific expertise to optimise Rovanpera’s recovery and training and has now cleared him to make a return to the track.

"Together, Kalle and TGR are now planning the next steps in his racing programme with the objective of returning to competitive racing in 2027, and will make further announcements in due course."