Mälkönen navigates Pajari to impressive Rally1 debut with P4 in WRC Finland

Rally Finland, known for its challenging fast stages, saw the return of a female co-driver in the highest rally class - as Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen made a stellar WRC Rally1 debut with a stage win and fourth place overall.

Photo by Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool

One of the biggest and most popular rallying events is Rally Finland, the fastest rally in the calendar, based around Jyväskylä. It features big, high jumps, smooth gravel paths, and blind fast corners through the breathtaking woods of Finland. With a close title fight between Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak, and Elfyn Evans, the competition is intense among the trees and lakes.

The focus last weekend was also on Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen, who made their debut at rallying's top level with Toyota GAZOO Racing in a GR Yaris Rally1 car - marking the return of a female co-driver in the main WRC category. The duo won the event last year in WRC2 and did their best to make the most of their chance in WRC this year.

The shakedown on Thursday showed a highly competitive field, with Esapekka Lappi going fastest, as the top five were separated by just 0.8 seconds. Kalle Rovanperä was second, ahead of Takamoto Katsuta in third. Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen made their maiden run in WRC with a 9th-place.

Friday was a Rovanperä story; in very challenging conditions, it was the Finn keeping it calm and leading the rally ahead of Evans and Ogier. On the fast-paced roads through the forest, there was drama for Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja as the pair rolled their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 and destroyed it. While Tänak was unharmed, Martin was taken to the hospital for further check-ups and stayed overnight for observation.

Katsuta also faced misfortune, clipping a tree, destroying his rear suspension, and was forced to retire for the day.

Pajari and Mälkönen also faced some troubles in their first proper fast-paced stage, spinning twice and damaging their rear wing, leading them to drive the morning loop more carefully. However, they posted fast times on the afternoon loop and even won their first stage in a Rally1 car at Ruuhimäki. The pair were 6th in the standings ahead of Saturday.

On Saturday, Rovanperä chased his first victory on home soil, posting fast times in the stages and leading ahead of Ogier with a 44.2-second advantage after Evans dropped down the order due to a technical problem with a broken front-right driveshaft.

Sami and Enni performed well on Saturday, securing fifth place on their debut ahead of Sunday, the final day of the event.

The final day of the event turned dramatic as leader Rovanperä crashed out of the rally on the penultimate stage, handing victory to a surprised Ogier after he clipped a rock that pushed him offline and flipped his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 into a roll. Ogier earned the victory ahead of Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux after an eventful rally in Finland.

Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen made an impressive debut on the rally's top level, securing a stage win on Saturday; their Sunday run also had a moment for the duo as they got stuck in a corner and made a little adventure in a field but got out without bigger problems to secure a stunning fourth place in their debut.

"We moved up to P4 in the overall classification, which is of course more than we expected from this weekend, but more importantly, we managed to set pretty good stage times and even one fastest after that tricky start on Friday," said Sami Pajari, navigated by Mälkönen.

The next event on the WRC and WRC2 calendar will take place from the 5th to the 8th of September in Greece.

Photo by Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool