Jari-Matti Latvala’s learned a lot since his professional driving career ended, and he became Toyota’s team principal.
Since accepting the role in 2021, Latvala’s appreciated Sébastien Ogier in a different light, witnessed Kalle Rovanperä’s star rise and overseen his first victory, as well as Oliver Solberg, Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari.
Seeing things with a wider perspective, Latvala has been able to realize where he went wrong in his own career – but has rarely had the opportunity to apply those lessons.
That’s what Rally Finland 2026 was about.
The three-time winner of his home event was competing in the RC2 class for the third consecutive year. In 2024 he was second; 2025 too. In 2026, finally, he won.
All victories taste sweet, but this was more than a win for Latvala. It was a chance for him to prove something – not to others, but to himself.
“I’m really, really relieved and really happy,” Latvala told DirtFish. “This result I can live for quite a long time.