After kicking off the second half of the season in Estonia, the WRC circus moved north to Finland for Round 9. This high-speed gravel event is famed for its flat-out pace and has long been nicknamed the “Grand Prix on Gravel.” With such velocity, total trust between driver and co-driver is crucial—there’s no room for error.
Rally Finland is one of the most iconic and historic events on the WRC calendar, a birthplace of legends. First held in 1951 as a qualifier for the Monte Carlo Rally, it quickly grew into a premier event in its own right and was included in the first-ever WRC calendar in 1973. Until the 1990s, the event was known as the 1000 Lakes Rally, named after the country’s landscape. Iconic stages like Ouninpohja, Ruuhimäki, and Päijälä draw massive crowds.
Despite being a gravel rally, Rally Finland features soft dirt and smooth roads with relatively simple layouts, allowing for blistering speed. Average speeds hit 120 km/h, with some stages pushing 140 km/h. Blasting through crests and forest paths at those speeds takes serious guts. Massive jumps can launch cars over 30 meters, and with so little margin for error, a bad landing often spells disaster.
Grip improves with each pass as the gravel is swept away, making road position critical. As speeds climb, co-drivers must call out pace notes faster and more precisely. Downforce and aerodynamic setup are essential here.
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team stuck with its three-driver lineup: Ott Tänak, now leading the championship after Round 8, 2023 title-winner Thierry Neuville, and Adrien Fourmaux. Tänak has proven formidable on Finnish roads that closely resemble his native Estonia, winning here three times—most recently in 2022. Still, things wouldn’t be easy. As the championship leader, Tänak had to open the road, sweeping loose gravel for those behind. While not as punishing as in rougher gravel events, it still posed a disadvantage in dry conditions.
“For me, Rally Finland is the best event on the WRC calendar. It’s all about pure performance; it’s very demanding for the car as well as the crews.” “Setup is crucial to performing well because of the mix of high speeds and jumps; you need grip and stability, and to be absolutely precise with where you place the car at all times,” Tänak sums up.
Neuville had long struggled with Finland’s ultra-high-speed character, but showed clear progress with his first podium in 2023 and a runner-up finish last year. Fourmaux, too, had past success here, taking a podium last year with M-Sport Ford.You have to fight in Finland from the very first stage,” Fourmaux noted, using Ouninpohja as an example. “It can be really demanding in the car because you have to push in every corner, and there are so many crests and jumps – particularly in this year’s Power Stage.”
Toyota, based in Finland, entered five Rally1 cars. Sébastien Ogier returned, which meant breakout Estonian star Oliver Solberg was moved back down to WRC2. The lineup consisted of Elfyn Evans, Kalle Rovanperä, Sébastien Ogier, Takamoto Katsuta, and Sami Pajari from the affiliate team.
Evans, winner here in 2021 and 2023, was gunning for a third win and a return to the top of the standings after losing the championship lead to Tänak. Rovanperä, shockingly, had yet to win in Finland. After leading last year’s rally before crashing out near the end, he was determined to finally clinch his home victory. Even Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala entered the WRC2 class for this hometown event. M-Sport Ford fielded Grégoire Munster, Josh McErlean, and Mārtiņš Sesks. It was McErlean’s and Sesks’ Rally1 Finland debut.
Thursday, July 31. The day began with shakedown on part of the Ruuhimäki stage, followed by the evening’s SSS1 at Harju—a short city stage near the football stadium in Jyväskylä. Tänak drew first blood, topping the leaderboard by 1.3 seconds over teammate Neuville. Fourmaux, who had rolled during testing, lined up with a fully repaired car. Behind Neuville were Ogier, Rovanperä, Fourmaux, and Evans—each separated by less than a second.
Friday, August 1 mirrored last year’s route. The day opened with the 17.96 km Laukaa stage, unchanged from 2024. Next was Saarikas, slightly shorter at 15.78 km and reversed in direction to allow for expanded spectator zones and parking. Drivers then tackled the 14.47 km Myhinpää—racing between lakes—followed by the popular, jump-filled 7.76 km Ruuhimäki stage.
The four stages were repeated in the afternoon, and the day concluded with another run of the Harju city stage. In total, nine stages (SS2–SS10) covered 114.52 km.
Pajari surprised by taking the first stage win of the day, while Katsuta grabbed the overall lead with Rovanperä close behind. Solberg, demoted to WRC2, struggled to adapt. Tänak, opening the road, said “It's quite big gravel on top, in the straight I have no line so.. I don't carry any speed. Need a bit better engine.” Rovanperä dominated SS3 and SS4, with Pajari coming out on top in SS5. By the midday service, Rovanperä led overall, followed by Fourmaux and Pajari. The top five—down to Neuville—were separated by just 4.9 seconds. Tänak sat in 8th.
Katsuta topped SS6, Rovanperä SS7. In wet conditions on SS7 Saarikas, Tänak hit a tree and damaged his radiator, losing significant time. Then, during post-stage tire checks, he accidentally struck a tire inspector while rushing due to engine overheating. Though the inspector was not seriously hurt, Tänak received a 5-minute penalty and was placed on probation—any future incident could void his current 35 championship points.
Fourmaux topped SS8, moving into third behind Rovanperä and Neuville. Expressing frustration with Finland’s blistering pace, Neuville stormed back with the fastest time in SS9, closing within 5.4 seconds of Rovanperä. Fourmaux again topped SS10.
As Friday closed, Rovanperä held the lead, with Neuville trailing by 4.9 seconds. Fourmaux was third, 7.7 seconds back, with Katsuta just 0.4 seconds behind. Pajari, Ogier, and Evans followed, then the M-Sport trio of Sesks, McErlean, and Munster. In WRC2, Robert Virves led Georg Linnamäe and Jari-Matti Latvala. Solberg crashed out on SS8.
Saturday, August 2 opened with SS11 Parkkola (15.51 km), shorter and revised from its 2021 layout. Västilä and Päijälä returned with their previous configurations. SS14 Leustu was brand-new, never before run in WRC. These four stages were repeated in the afternoon. Though only eight stages were run, most were mid- to long-distance, totaling 142.16 km.
Rovanperä opened strong, taking back-to-back stage wins before suffering a puncture at the end of SS13 Päijälä. Neuville capitalized, setting the top time. But on SS14 Leustu, Neuville experienced brake issues, falling 14.7 seconds behind again. Fourmaux stayed close, clocking a near-identical time to Rovanperä and closing the gap to Neuville to just 0.3 seconds. He said, "That's a brand new stage so it's a challenge to be flat out with only pacenotes and the speed carrying through recce. I had a good stage, i'm happy." He also reported: “I’m really pleased with the pace and the balance of the car,It’s a good fight with Kalle. He is always quicker a little bit but we are there so the pressure is still there.”
SS15 Parkkola was run again in muddy, low-grip conditions. Ogier set the top time, with Tänak second. But SS16 Västilä proved catastrophic for Hyundai: both Fourmaux and Neuville suffered front-right punctures. “Sometimes you hit something or cut too much, you get a puncture and you know why. But when it's a clean road.. I don't understand what happened. No words,” said Fourmaux afterward.
With both Hyundai drivers sidelined by punctures, Toyota locked out the top five. Rovanperä sealed two more stage wins to close Saturday in the lead, followed by Katsuta, Ogier, Evans, and Pajari. Neuville’s podium hopes dimmed as he trailed Pajari by 55.5 seconds. Fourmaux sat seventh, followed by McErlean, Munster, and Sesks. In WRC2, Roope Korhonen led Latvala by 1.8 seconds.
Sunday, August 3 featured just one stage—Ouninpohja—run twice. It was the first time in WRC history a single stage was repeated for the entire final day. Shortened to 23.98 km (from over 30 km last year), it still made for a longer final-day distance than 2024’s four-stage Sunday.
Evans won SS19, trailed by Ogier and Rovanperä. Hyundai aimed to collect Power Stage points, but came up short. Rovanperä topped SS20 to claim his long-awaited first Finland victory—and all 10 Power Stage points. A dominant, perfect win. Toyota locked out the top five with Katsuta, Ogier, Evans, and Pajari behind.
Tänak’s rally was derailed early by penalties. Neuville and Fourmaux’s punctures took them out of podium contention. Fourmaux suffered another blow when a tire burst in the final stage, barely making it to the finish. The championship standings were shaken. Evans regained the lead with 176 points, just three ahead of new runner-up Rovanperä. Ogier climbed to third, tied with Tänak at 163, who dropped to fourth. Neuville fell 51 points behind, effectively out of title contention. The WRC now heads to South America, with rounds in Paraguay (Aug 28–31) and Chile (Sep 11–14).
Written by: Soo-jin Lee
In 1991, Lee’s passion for cars led him to enthusiastically write letters to the newly launched Korean car magazine Car Vision. This unexpected connection led him to start his career as an automotive journalist. He has served as editor and editorial board member for Car Vision and Car Life, and now works as an automotive critic. While eagerly covering the latest trends like electric vehicles, connected cars, and autonomous driving technology, he is also a car enthusiast who secretly hopes that the smell of gasoline engines will never disappear.
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