Kalle Rovanpera takes the lead at Rally Finland
1st August 2025Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera has taken the lead of Rally Finland as the World Rally Championship completes day two of the event.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree // Red Bull Content Pool
Rovanpera, who is yet to win at his home event, is in the hunt for victory this weekend as the Finnish driver took the rally lead on day two in Finland.
The two-time world rally champion, alongside his championship-winning co-driver Jonne Halttunen, finished the day with a 4.9-second advantage over Hyundai’s defending world champion Thierry Neuville.
On the first big day of the event, consisting of nine stages, Rovanpera took three stage wins of the nine available on Friday. His fellow Finn, and teammate, Sami Pajari took his share of stage wins, winning two across the day’s action.
However, it was not smooth sailing for the front runners in the championship as they were hunting for grip and traction thanks to a rain shower before the second loop.
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak outbraked himself in SS7 and struggled to slow his i20N down to take a right-hand turn, and hit a tree head-on. The crew were able to continue on as the car was fine initially, but it started to show signs of damage as the day continued.
Gregoire Munster, M-Sport Ford, and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta had moments on Friday that they managed to escape from.
Munster outbraked himself into a chicane and had to utilise the access road to avoid contact with a silage bale, whilst Katsuta narrowly missed an anti-cut device in the morning. The defending world champion, Thierry Neuville, Hyundai, also achieved a cracked windscreen thanks to the rally’s jumps, and managed to move back into second place.
How did Friday end?
- Kalle Rovanpera, Toyota – 56m 31.6s
- Thierry Neuville, Hyundai +4.9s
- Adrien Fourmaux, Hyundai +7.7s
- Takamoto Katsuta, Toyota +8.1s
- Sami Pajari, Toyota +15.7s
- Sebastien Ogier, Toyota +17.6s
- Elfyn Evans, Toyota +26s
- Martins Sesks, M-Sport Ford +40.5s
- Joshua McErlean, M-Sport Ford +1m 6s
- Ott Tanak, Hyundai +1m 7.2s
- Gregoire Munster, M-Sport Ford +1m 19.4s
Read more WRC here:
- Ott Tanak takes overnight lead at WRC Rally Finland
- WRC confirm 2026 calendar ahead of Rally Finland
- Sami Pajari fastest on first shakedown pass at Rally Finland
- Stage guide: what is the itinerary for WRC Rally Finland?
- Rally Finland: the latest weather forecast ahead of WRC
- WRC Championship: How does it shape up after the lead change?
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
