Sami Pajari has responded to backlash he has received over his decision to part ways with co-driver Enni Mälkönen for next season’s World Rally Championship.
Pajari – who will drive a Toyota Rally1 full-time in 2025 – announced that he and Mälkönen would be going their separate ways on the Sunday of Rally Japan; the same day the pair were crowned WRC2 champions.
Mälkönen later posted on social media explaining Pajari’s decision had “taken me by surprise”, drawing plenty of support in online comments.
Pajari meanwhile has faced a lot of hate, and has therefore decided to further clarify things from his perspective.
“My announcement that I will not continue my collaboration with Enni has sparked a lot of discussion and speculation in recent days,” he said in a statement.
Pajari admitted the timing of communicating the decision could have been better
“If I’m honest, the communication and timing of this matter could have been handled better. I should have been clearer in explaining the reasons behind my decision and also that this decision had already been discussed between us earlier, so it did not come as a surprise at the end of the last rally. I only shared my decision on Sunday because we had wanted to focus on our final rally together. These kinds of decisions are never easy.
“While our collaboration has been very successful, there have also been difficult moments just like in any relationship, and as young competitors in this sport we have both been still finding our way. As a driver I need to make sure I have the best possible partnership that I can in the car, and I am truly sorry that we couldn’t find a resolution to continue.
“I want to emphasize that I am very proud of and grateful for our shared achievements. I hope you can understand that we both want to look to the future now and refrain from further comment.”
Mälkönen reshared Pajari’s post, with the added caption: “Below is Sami’s perspective on his decision. Let’s all focus on the ftuure and celebrate the championship because no-one can take that away from us.”
Pajari’s new co-driver is yet to be announced.
