Reigning World Rally Champion Thierry Neuville has wished his fellow title-winner Kalle Rovanperä well in his pursuit of a new career in racing – but added that the Finn’s departure from rallying doesn’t diminish the challenge for next year’s crown.
Like the rest of the rally world, Neuville’s Thursday morning was interrupted by the news that two-time champion Rovanperä was retiring from the series, aged 25. He will move on to Japanese Super Formula next season as he lays the foundations for what he hopes will be a longer-term move into Formula 1.
Neuville admitted he had never considered such a move, but could understand Rovanperä’s thinking.
“He knew already since a while that he has other ambitions in motorsport,” the Hyundai star told DirtFish. “Since winning the championship, there are things he wants to follow. It’s a very ambitious challenge, but I wish him the best of luck and I’m going to follow him closely.
“It’s going to be exciting to see and to follow – we all have some goals, but I wouldn’t go that way with my career because I am a pure rally driver. But, I’m sure I will try some things when my career is finished.
“I think the main reason [he is leaving] is that he achieved what he wanted to achieve in rallying – he’s been there in the sport since a long time because he started super-young. But as well, maybe, if the WRC would be at its highest level in terms of communication and promotion, I think he would have been interested in staying.”
Talking about the challenge of 2026 without Rovanperä as a World Rally Championship rival, he added: “There will be another one [driver]. People come and go since many, many years but the challenge is always there – it’s never easy to win the championship.”
Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier added his thoughts on social media, saying: “This might be a surprise to some people, but at the end of the day everybody needs to respect your decision.
“I wish you all the best for your challenge towards circuit racing! We will all follow closely and it will be exciting to watch for sure. It’s been a pleasure fighting with you on the rally stages and we will still have three exciting events to go this season.”
