It’s the question that has been circulating for weeks in the paddocks, on social media and among WRC fans. The two-time world champion, the man who surprised everyone with his coolness, his almost glacial calm and a brutal speed on dirt roads around the world, no longer seems to be the same . And the numbers say it, but his eyes also say it when he gets out of the Toyota Yaris Rally1: there is no longer that spark, that predatory instinct that made him one of the youngest champions ever.

Kalle Rovanperä’s 2025 season had already started with some worrying signs in Monte-Carlo: a fourth place in pursuit, an inconsistent pace and a feeling with the new configuration of the GR Yaris Rally1 that never really took off. Then came Sweden, the Arctic Lapland (test race), Sardinia, Portugal and Acropolis, and in the midst of some flashes of class – such as the splendid victory in the Canary Islands, on asphalt – there were errors, retirements and a technical malaise that can no longer be ignored.

The retreat in Kenya: the lowest point

The Safari Rally in Kenya in March probably marked the lowest point in Kalle’s recent career. He retired due to mechanical problems, but behind the breakdown was a nervous driver, not very lucid and, above all, unable to find a compromise with Hankook , the new sole supplier of WRC tires. If there’s one thing that has always distinguished Rovanperä, it’s his ability to adapt: ​​to the slippery surfaces of Finland, to the dust of Estonia, to the French asphalt. Now, however, the feeling is that this time the adaptation is not working.

Kalle himself admitted it after the Greek debacle :

“Nothing worked this weekend. We weren’t at the pace we should have been. I know I can improve, too. I just can’t ride like I normally do.”

Words that weigh like boulders when they come from a boy who in the past had never shown signs of psychological weakness.

The Hankook Variable and a Toyota to Find

The big technical theme of the season is, without a doubt, the supply of Hankook tires . The Korean company has focused a lot on durability — a must for rallies like the Acropolis or Kenya — but pure performance, especially on gravel, is still not there. Rovanperä is among those who seem to suffer the most: his smooth and precise driving style is built on predictable grip, on confidence in support and on the ability to pull out all the stops when entering a curve.

All Toyota drivers complain about difficulties, but Rovanperä seems to be the one who struggles the most to patch things up with talent (perhaps only Thierry Neuville has more difficulty). A sign that perhaps, behind the wheel, something has cracked in the head too.

Toyota, for its part, has worked tirelessly to find new set-up solutions . More than once, between Monte-Carlo and Portugal, the GR Yaris has returned with significant modifications. But the feeling is that Kalle has lost that magical understanding with the car, also considering the results that Sebastien Ogier has obtained in equal conditions and with a part-time program.

Numbers don’t lie

If we look at the general classification, the picture leaves us with some thoughts: Kalle is fourth with 117 points, while his teammate Elfyn Evans leads with 150. Paradoxical, isn’t it? But this also says a lot: Evans started the season very strong and now he is consistent, he makes few mistakes, he manages even if he doesn’t win. Rovanperä, on the other hand, alternates days of glory (the Canaries were perfect) with lackluster performances, where he collects the bare minimum thanks to the Power Stage, his favorite hunting ground since always.

The most striking fact is that, after the victory in May in the Canary Islands, two third places arrived (Portugal and Sardinia) but also a 27th place in the Acropolis. For someone like him, used to dominating on dirt roads, it is an “almost vertical” collapse

The mental aspect: the real key

But perhaps the biggest question is not whether Hankook will find the perfect compound or whether Toyota will come up with the right setup. The real question is: Will Kalle find himself again? Because the killer instinct is not trained in a gym or bought in a factory. That Finnish coolness — also the result of dad Harri’s experience — was his secret weapon.

Now he seems almost absent, distracted. The one-year break while grappling with other driving sports was supposed to serve to rebuild the stimuli and eliminate that “mental fatigue” that had led him to temporarily say enough. But something doesn’t seem to work properly and that drumming rhythm that led to two world titles is a distant memory. And this, for a boy who has made his mind his strength, weighs more than any bad tire.

Crucial Summer: Estonia and Finland to Restart

The next few weeks will be decisive: Estonia and Finland, his favorite hunting grounds, could mark the turning point. Fast, jumping roads, curves in support: if there is a context where he can return to show what he is made of, it is this.

He knows it well:

“Now it’s time to get some rest and then come back fresh and fit in Estonia. Of course, the goal is to get back to fighting for the win,” he said.

But words alone are no longer enough. He will need to regain his self-confidence, to regain that cannibalistic hunger that had made him uncatchable.

Killer instinct lost or just dormant?

Maybe it’s just a setback. Maybe we’re witnessing that moment, in the career of every great champion, when the climb becomes harder and you have to prove you can suffer. Certainly, if Kalle manages to find his way again, he’ll do it his way: in silence, with a cold gaze and his visor lowered. Because a champion, when he loses his killer instinct, can always rebuild it. You just have to believe.