Overview
- Rovanperä said he will stop his single-seater season for safety reasons, explaining his health has worsened and must be treated first.
- Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda said a medical evaluation showed his body was struggling and pledged full backing for a future return.
- Reporting links the issue to vertigo that can disrupt balance and vision, with Motorsport.com noting he abandoned a December test after symptoms.
- Close friend Takamoto Katsuta rejected talk that fitness or pace forced the move and said he expects Rovanperä to recover and come back stronger.
- The two-time rally champion had shifted to circuit racing with encouraging pace, including a New Zealand podium before illness kept him out of the final round, in a program viewed as a step toward higher levels of single-seaters.