Tänak carries slender championship lead into Finlands flying forests
The tightest WRC battle in years heads to rallying's ultimate speed test as Secto Rally Finland (31 July - 3 August) hosts round nine of the 2025 season this week.
Ott Tänak arrives in Jyväskylä with the slenderest of leads - just one point ahead of Elfyn Evans following his runner-up finish on Delfi Rally Estonia earlier this month. Finland's legendary forest roads will provide the backdrop for the next chapter of their title fight, with cars flying over jumps and crests at average speeds exceeding 120kph.
The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 star faces a crucial test on roads where he claimed victories in 2018, 2019 and 2022. As championship leader, Tänak will open the road on Friday - less of a handicap on Finland's smooth gravel than at recent rough rallies, but still a disadvantage in dry conditions.
Two-time Finland winner Evans benefits from improved road position with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. After leading the standings following early-season wins in Sweden and Kenya, the Welshman now runs second on the road - an advantage on any gravel rally.
Twenty-one points back, Sébastien Ogier returns after skipping Estonia with renewed championship ambitions in his GR Yaris Rally1. The eight-time world champion has been dominant on selected outings this season, with victories in Monte-Carlo, Portugal and Sardinia making him a wildcard in the title race.
For Kalle Rovanperä, sitting fourth, Finland represents both opportunity and pressure. The two-time world champion seeks the victory that has eluded him on home soil, driving his Toyota just kilometres from where he learned his craft.
"We've had good chances to win there with good pace in the last two years and didn't quite manage to do it," said Rovanperä, who crashed while leading on the penultimate stage in 2024. "We continue to work hard with the team to improve upon the pace that we've had on gravel so far this year."
Toyota Gazoo Racing leads the manufacturers' championship and enjoys a unique home advantage - their headquarters sit just across the Jyväsjärvi lake from the service park. The Japanese manufacturer fields a full five-strong line-up with Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari also entered in GR Yaris Rally1s.
Hyundai Motorsport will seek to capitalise on Tänak's recent form with a three-car i20 N Rally1 assault alongside defending champion Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux. M-Sport Ford fields Grégoire Munster, Josh McErlean and Mārtiņš Sesks in Puma Rally1 machinery.
Secto Rally Finland covers 307 kilometres across 20 special stages of smooth gravel punctuated by dramatic jumps that send cars airborne. Double runs of the legendary Ouninpohja stage make up Sunday's spectacular finale.
Photographer Credit: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool
The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 star faces a crucial test on roads where he claimed victories in 2018, 2019 and 2022. As championship leader, Tänak will open the road on Friday - less of a handicap on Finland's smooth gravel than at recent rough rallies, but still a disadvantage in dry conditions.
Two-time Finland winner Evans benefits from improved road position with his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. After leading the standings following early-season wins in Sweden and Kenya, the Welshman now runs second on the road - an advantage on any gravel rally.
Twenty-one points back, Sébastien Ogier returns after skipping Estonia with renewed championship ambitions in his GR Yaris Rally1. The eight-time world champion has been dominant on selected outings this season, with victories in Monte-Carlo, Portugal and Sardinia making him a wildcard in the title race.
For Kalle Rovanperä, sitting fourth, Finland represents both opportunity and pressure. The two-time world champion seeks the victory that has eluded him on home soil, driving his Toyota just kilometres from where he learned his craft.
"We've had good chances to win there with good pace in the last two years and didn't quite manage to do it," said Rovanperä, who crashed while leading on the penultimate stage in 2024. "We continue to work hard with the team to improve upon the pace that we've had on gravel so far this year."
Toyota Gazoo Racing leads the manufacturers' championship and enjoys a unique home advantage - their headquarters sit just across the Jyväsjärvi lake from the service park. The Japanese manufacturer fields a full five-strong line-up with Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari also entered in GR Yaris Rally1s.
Hyundai Motorsport will seek to capitalise on Tänak's recent form with a three-car i20 N Rally1 assault alongside defending champion Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux. M-Sport Ford fields Grégoire Munster, Josh McErlean and Mārtiņš Sesks in Puma Rally1 machinery.
Secto Rally Finland covers 307 kilometres across 20 special stages of smooth gravel punctuated by dramatic jumps that send cars airborne. Double runs of the legendary Ouninpohja stage make up Sunday's spectacular finale.
