After Super Formula, Kalle Rovanperä aims for Formula 2 in 2027

Titled in 2022 and 2023 after two consecutive successful seasons in WRC, Kalle Rovanperä now believes he has covered the issue. A week ago, the Finn celebrated his 25th birthday, and this seems to have inspired something completely different in him, vowing to pursue a career in carAnnouncing this Thursday his decision to end his career in the World Rally Championship at the end of this 2025 season, the interested party has already outlined a daring career plan, but one that could not be more ambitious for the future.

From 2026, the pilot Toyota is preparing to attempt the challenge of Super Formula. Japanese championship is, in terms of level, between the Formula 1 and Formula 2, this one notably welcomed Pierre Gasly or more recently, Liam Lawson among the F1 drivers who had to wait before making their debut. Less lucrative than Formula 2 in terms of the Super Licence, the Japanese championship is however only a stepping stone for the driver concerned.

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Can Rovanperä succeed in his gamble?

Not hesitating to project himself into Formula 2 by 2027, Kalle Rovanperä will first have to prove himself starting from the coming season. That said, if the performance is there, it seems that an F2 team needing a headliner to attract or retain its most important financial sponsors could be tempted to seize such an opportunity. Given the very open nature of Formula 2 at this stage, the question mark lies above all in the Finn's ability to adapt from rally to single-seaters in the coming months. If he makes it to the Formula 1 antechamber, the challenge will be all the greater as he will be 26 years old at the start of the 2027 season. A fact that becomes central to the extent that the oldest driver in the 2025 season is none other than Richard Verschoor, born the same year as the double WRC champion.

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Furthermore, given the announced arrival of Colton Herta in the Formula 1 antechamber, there are many new features on the grid if these two projects come to fruition. Far from the classic pyramid leading to the pinnacle of the discipline, these two access routes could become inspiring for certain other drivers if they were to work. On the other hand, although he has already climbed into a Formula 1 car as part of a private test on the side of Red Bull Ring, a failure for Kalle Rovanperä would be a major blow, at a time when the challenge still seems immense in many ways.

So, in a context where the level of the Formula 3 continues to climb – as evidenced by the overall level announced for the 2026 grid – and as the young talent about to enter Formula 2 continues to arrive more prepared for the next stage, the first results of Herta and Rovenperä will obviously be closely scrutinized.