"We all knew he was a talent...II

Kalle Rovanperi had set the rally world alight even before he became the youngest-ever WRC champion earlier this year. Damien Smith wonders if the best is yet to come

The new 'Sébastien'? On this evidence, you have to wonder just how many World Championships Rally Kalle Rovanperä will rack up before he's done. Sébastiens Loeb and Ogier won 17 between them from 2004, since when only Ott Tänak has broken the French chain - until now. On Rally New Zealand in October, just a day after his 22nd birthday, Rovanperä was crowned the youngest-ever World Rally Champion, by some margin. The previous youngest was Colin McRae in 1995. When he was 27.

Rovanperä is, in our view, the hands-down sensation of the 2022 season, across all motorsport codes. We knew he was good. So did his team, Toyota Gazoo Racing. But even his bosses admit they didn't know just how special he was, or at least how quickly he would rise, in a year when the WRC adopted hybrid technical regulations. How Rovanperä adapted to the Rally1 cars and his new GR Yaris is a key part of his success.