After 95 WRC starts and two victories, as well as 15 podiums, Esapekka Lappi has called time on his professional racing career after the final round of the Finnish Rally Championship which takes place this weekend.
“As you may have heard, my professional rally career is coming to an end this season,” Lappi announced.
“Never say never, but after many years behind the wheel it’s time to focus on my family and life outside of rallying.
“But first, the Last Dance: final round of the Finnish Rally Championship in Porvoo. See you there!”
Lappi has combined a successful defence of his Finnish Rally Championship title with a five-round WRC programme for Hyundai Motorsport in 2026.
Driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally1 alongside co-driver Enni Mälkönen, Lappi finished sixth in Sweden, fourth at Safari Rally Kenya and sixth in Chile. His appearance in South America marked his final WRC outing. Considering some of his end of stage interviews on Rally Chile, where he was unable to explain his lack of pace, perhaps it’s not a surprise
.Lappi and Mälkönen have already secured their second consecutive Finnish title with one round remaining, winning every stage of August’s Kitee Rally in their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
Lappi began his rally career in 2007 and made his WRC debut in 2011. His breakthrough came in 2012, when he won all seven rounds of the Finnish championship. He went on to win the European Rally Championship in 2014 and the WRC2 title in 2016, earning a factory drive with Toyota in 2017.
He quickly made his mark at the highest level, claiming a memorable victory at Rally Finland in only his fourth WRC event with Toyota. He finished a career-best fifth in the 2018 drivers’ championship before spells with Citroën and M-Sport Ford.
After returning to Toyota for selected events in 2021 and a full programme in 2022, Lappi joined Hyundai for the 2023 season. His second WRC victory came at Rally Sweden in 2024, more than six years after his first win and giving Hyundai its first victory.
Across nine seasons at the top level, Lappi represented four manufacturers and recorded 77 stage wins. Most came alongside long-time co-driver Janne Ferm, before Mälkönen joined him for the latest chapter of his career.
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