Toyota Gazoo Racing have confirmed a six-driver line-up for the 2027 World Rally Championship (WRC), with former world champions Ott Tänak and Kalle Rovanperä returning as the manufacturer prepares to compete with two separate teams and cars under new technical regulations.
The announcement, made on Tuesday, November 3, will see Toyota operate as Toyota Racing and Gazoo Racing Toyota, marking a major restructuring of its championship campaign ahead of the 2027 season.
Toyota Racing will introduce the new GR Celica Rally1, with reigning world champion Elfyn Evans leading the team alongside Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari.
The second outfit, Gazoo Racing Toyota, will compete using the 2027 GR Yaris Rally1, with 2019 world champion Tänak returning alongside co-driver Martin Järveoja. Takamoto Katsuta will also remain with the manufacturer, while Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen complete the line-up.
Tänak's return reunites him with Toyota seven years after he secured his maiden drivers' world championship with the Japanese manufacturer in 2019. During his previous spell with the team, the Estonian and Järveoja won 10 WRC rounds across two seasons.
Rovanperä will also return to competitive rallying after spending a year away from the championship. The Finn, who became the youngest world champion in WRC history, won consecutive drivers' titles in 2022 and 2023.
However, unlike his previous full-time campaigns, Rovanperä will compete in selected rallies during the 2027 season, leaving Toyota room to accommodate additional drivers at different events.
The two-team structure will allow Toyota to field up to six factory cars at individual rallies, with both outfits operating as equal contenders for victories under the new regulations.
The return of the Celica name is another major feature of Toyota's plans. The model played a significant role in the manufacturer's rallying history during the 1990s, winning drivers' championships with Carlos Sainz in 1990 and 1992, Juha Kankkunen in 1993 and Didier Auriol in 1994.
Both the GR Celica Rally1 and GR Yaris Rally1 are being developed for the championship's new technical era, with the cars expected to compete at equivalent performance levels.
Toyota enters the transition after securing its sixth consecutive manufacturers' championship in 2026, equalling the record for successive titles.
The expanded line-up combines three world champions, Evans, Tänak and Rovanperä, with three of the championship's recent rally winners in Solberg, Pajari and Katsuta as Toyota looks to maintain its position at the front of the WRC in 2027.
