Kalle
Rovanperä
Finland
·
Formula Racing
Date of birth | 1 October 2000 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Jyväskylä |
Age | 25 |
Nationality | Finland |
Career start | 2015 |
Disciplines | Rally / Drift Racing |
Kalle Rovanperä first came to the world's attention at the age of eight, when a video showing him expertly piloting a rally car around the dirt tracks near his family home went viral. The son of former WRC driver Harri Rovanperä, Kalle has been driving cars since the age of six, and bikes and ATVs since he was three. That connection with whatever he's behind the wheel of has been developing since before he can remember.
First foray into motorsport
He took part in his first rally, in Estonia, at just 10-years-old, and was competing in Latvia at 13, albeit only on special stages. (His father's old co-driver, Risto Pietiläinen, had to take the wheel on the public roads.)
By 2015, Rovanperä had stepped up another level, and the titles started to follow. He won three consecutive titles in the Latvian series (from 2015 to 2017) and put in a series of impressive displays in Italy and Finland.
Such was the speed of Rovanperä’s development that he was invited to take part in a couple of WRC events towards the back end of the 2017 WRC season – including Australia, where he finished 10th to become the youngest-ever driver to score a championship point.
Making waves in WRC
Those impressive cameo appearances led to him being rewarded with a full-time WRC2 place as part of the Skoda team for the 2018 season 2018, becoming the youngest factory driver in the WRC and notching up three WRC2 podium places for Škoda Motorsport II in the process.
Rovanperä also continued gaining invaluable experience in the WRC proper throughout the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He became a fully fledged WRC driver from the beginning of the 2020 season, when he switched to an all-new driver line-up at Toyota Gazoo Racing and became the youngest ever podium finisher at Rally Sweden.
The Finn ended the 2020 season in fifth position overall and made an impressive start to the 2021 campaign. He finished second at the Artic Rally Finland and then carved his name into the record books at Rally Estonia, becoming the youngest driver in history to win a WRC round, at the age of 20.
Dominating the WRC
Rovanperä made more history at the second round of the 2022 WRC series, Rally Sweden, where he followed in his father's footsteps to win the snow-bound rally. After that he embarked an extraordinary run of wins, topping the podium in Sweden, Croatia, Portugal, Kenya and Estonia to put himself 72 points clear at the top of the World Rally Championship standings and with the WRC title within his grasp.
Later in the season, history was made at the revived Rally New Zealand on the first weekend of October, when Rovanperä stormed to victory and sealed his first-ever WRC world title.
Aged just 22 years and one day on the afternoon he secured the title, Rovanperä became the youngest-ever WRC title winner in the process, sweeping aside the record previously held by Colin McRae, who won in 1995 aged 27.
The 2023 season brought yet more success as Rovanperä successfully defended his WRC title thanks to victories in Portugal, Estonia and Greece.
Exploring new challenges
Rovanperä would also gain a victory in Formula Drift Japan in 2023 as he proved that his driving skills are not just limited to rallying.
For the 2024 season, the Finn raced part-time in WRC as he tested his driving skills in a host of other events, including the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux. He chose to do the same in 2025, finishing third in the overall WRC standings, while also making his endurance racing debut in the 2025 Middle East Trophy.
At the end of 2025, Rovanperä announced his retirement from the World Rally Championship. Instead, he planned to race in the Japanese Super Formula Championship but was forced to take a hiatus from racing after being diagnosed with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), which causes mild to intense feelings of dizziness.
Now fully focused on his health, Rovanperä hopes to soon return to racing. "My chapter in circuit racing isn’t finished," he said via his social media. "I’ll keep working hard to come back stronger."
Kalle Rovanperä won two titles during a dominant spell in the WRC
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Crossing the Bíobío River en route to Rally Chile
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Showcasing his drifting skills
© Kunihisa Kobayashi/Red Bull Content Pool
Rovanperä tasted victory on 18 occasions in the WRC
© Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool