Kalle Rovanperä was in a class of his own on Friday 25 April 2025 as he led Toyota to a historic 1-2-3-4-5 finish on the opening day of the WRC Islas Canarias. The event on Gran Canaria was the series’ first visit to the Canary Islands, and Rovanperä dominated all six stages of the day. The two-time world champion built a 26.8-second lead over teammate Sébastien Ogier in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Toyota’s celebrations were completed by Elfyn Evans, Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta, who finished third, fourth and fifth respectively, leaving Hyundai and M-Sport Ford rivals far behind.
Rovanperä’s return to the top came at the perfect time. The 24-year-old Finn, who rode a partial World Championship program in 2024, had been struggling at the start of the season since returning to the full series. He was 57 points off the top of the World Championship heading into this fourth round, but his dominance on Friday has the potential to close the gap if the momentum continues throughout the weekend. On Gran Canaria’s narrow and technical mountain roads, lined with enthusiastic fans, Rovanperä seemed at home. The only blemish on his day was the understeer he experienced on the third special stage in the morning, but he still won that stage too.
Rovanperä commented at the end of the day: “It feels really good. It’s surprisingly nice to drive on a tarmac rally like this – we haven’t driven on one like this for a long time. We tested some small changes to the car, so everything should be fine tomorrow.” His performance was reminiscent of his tarmac experience in the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux series, which clearly paid off on the roads similar to these circuits.
Toyota’s other drivers also had a strong day. Eight-time world champion Ogier finished second, but was 26.8 seconds behind Rovanperä. He struggled with tyre pressures in the morning but managed to balance the car and maintain a 9.6-second gap to championship leader Evans. Evans, who led the way, was unable to match Rovanperä’s pace but held on to third place. Youngster Sami Pajari, driving in only his second pure asphalt event in a Rally1 car, surprised with a fourth place finish, just 18.9 seconds behind Evans. His consistent top-four times showed great potential. Katsuta, meanwhile, grew in confidence throughout the day and overtook Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux on the penultimate stage to take fifth place.
It was a frustrating day for the Hyundai drivers. Thierry Neuville, the reigning world champion, was sixth, but more than a minute off the lead. He lamented the problems with Hankook’s hard Ventus Z215 tyres and the car’s set-up: “Days like this are hard to swallow, but they’re not the end of the world. We have to stay positive and keep working.” Ott Tänak was seventh and Fourmaux dropped to eighth on the final stretch of the day. The Hyundai team struggled with the performance of their i20 N Rally1 cars, and solutions will be sought overnight.
M-Sport Ford’s Gregoire Munster and Josh McErlean faced similar challenges. They tried to adjust their Puma Rally1 cars in the transition between special stages, but progress was limited. Munster was ninth, 56.3 seconds behind Fourmaux, with McErlean 12th. In the WRC2 category, Frenchman Yohan Rossel took an 18.7-second lead in his Citroën C3 Rally2 to finish 10th overall. He was followed by Alejandro Cachón in his Toyota and Nikolay Gryazin in his Škoda.
The rally atmosphere in Gran Canaria was palpable as thousands of spectators watched the action on the Valsequillo–Telde, Valleseco–Artenara and La Aldea–Mogán stages. Friday’s 118.84 kilometres offered challenging conditions due to morning fog, but better weather in the afternoon increased the intensity of the competition. On Saturday, the rally continues with its longest stage, comprising seven special stages and 124.08 kilometres. The day will end with a unique special stage at the Gran Canaria Arena, normally the island’s basketball hub. The performance by Rovanperä and Toyota has raised the question: can anyone challenge them, or will the Finn’s flight to victory continue?
