How to watch WRC’s Rally Finland: schedule, line-up and more

The battle for the WRC title is extremely competitive, as a lackluster performance by championship leader Thierry Neuville at Rally Latvia has narrowed his lead to just eight points over his Hyundai teammate, Ott Tanak.

Neuville’s eighth-place finish means he has not reached the podium in three consecutive events, accumulating only 35 points during that stretch, while Tanak has scored 58 points thanks to a victory in Sardinia and a third-place finish most recently.

The 2019 world champion, Tanak, is in impressive form and could take the championship lead this weekend in Finland. Elfyn Evans is also in contention, trailing Tanak by a mere five points with five rounds left in the season.

However, Evans finished fifth in Latvia and has yet to secure a win this season, while both Neuville and Tanak have achieved only one victory due to the prowess of Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera.

The two Toyota drivers have dominated, winning five of the last six rallies, but they’re not in contention for the championship this year as they are competing part-time in the 2024 season.

Both will participate in this weekend’s rally, with two-time reigning champion Rovanpera racing in his home event, which he has yet to win. He will be joined by WRC2 title rival Sami Pajari, making his WRC debut in a fifth GR Yaris.

To finally claim a home victory in 2024, Rovanpera will need to navigate virtual chicanes making their competitive debut this weekend in the WRC after being used in the European Rally Championship in Rome.

These virtual chicanes serve as a substitute for physical barriers to slow down cars before challenging sections, where organizers can assign predetermined areas for drivers to decelerate to 37 mph (60 kph).

They will be implemented in the Ouninpohja stage, which will run twice, as stage 13 and stage 16 on Saturday.

This adds yet another layer of challenge for participants in the legendary Rally Finland, recognized as the fastest event in the WRC and having origins that date back to 1951.

Additionally, the race for the manufacturers’ championship is equally tight, with Hyundai leading Toyota by just one point, despite having scored only three wins compared to Toyota’s five this season.

M-Sport is currently 173 points behind Toyota, with only two of their cars earning points this year compared to their competitors’ three. The British team has achieved three podiums this season, all through Adrien Fourmaux.

Fourmaux also has an outside chance at the drivers’ title, sitting fifth and 44 points behind Neuville, with eight-time champion Ogier 16 points ahead in fourth place.

With the season nearing its final rounds, there’s still plenty at stake – here’s how to catch this weekend’s Rally Finland.

Kalle Rovanperä, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

Photo by: Tomasz Kaliński

When is Rally Finland?

Date: 31 July – 4 August
Start time: 5pm BST/7pm local time on Wednesday 31 July

The 2024 Rally Finland kicks off on Wednesday, 31 July at 5pm BST and 7pm local time in Jyvaskyla, the capital of Central Finland. This timing marks the ceremonial start, with the first competitive stage commencing the following day at 5:05pm BST and 7:05pm local time.

Thursday will include a shakedown at 8am BST and 10am local time, allowing drivers to test various car configurations ahead of the competition.

How can I watch the WRC?

TNT Sports has held broadcast rights for the WRC in the UK since 2014, then under the name BT Sport. As a result, this subscription service is broadcasting every round of the championship this year.

You can subscribe for as little as £20 per month, which includes access to all four sports channels, Eurosport 1 and 2, and the live streaming platform Discovery+.

Another option for viewing the WRC is Rally.tv, which also covers the ERC and World Rallycross Championship. Rally.tv offers subscriptions either annually for £119.99 or a monthly pass for £12.99.

How can I watch Rally Finland?

TNT Sports will kick off its Rally Finland coverage on Wednesday, 31 July at 5pm for the opening ceremony. The channel will resume coverage for the shakedown the next morning at 8am, followed by the first stage later that day at 5:15pm, all on TNT Sports Extra 1.

TNT Sports 3 will take over coverage on Friday at 6am for stages two to five, before shifting to TNT Sports 4 for stages six to ten in the afternoon.

Following this format, TNT will alternate its coverage based on the start time of each stage, with Saturday following a similar schedule where TNT Sports 3 covers the morning stages and TNT Sports 1 or TNT Sports Extra 1 handles the post-lunch segments.

A comparable schedule will also be observed by Rally.tv, which will broadcast every stage starting with Wednesday’s opening ceremony at 5pm.

How can I watch the Rally Finland highlights?

TNT Sports will deliver multiple 30-minute highlight shows from Rally Finland starting at 9:45pm and again at 11:15pm on Friday evening.

Red Bull TV will also feature highlights, broadcasting an hour-long program at 8pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Additionally, ITV4 will air a one-hour highlights showcase beginning at 9pm on Tuesday, 23 July.

Furthermore, daily highlights of the action from Finland can be accessed via Autosport and the official WRC YouTube channel, which uploads clips throughout the rally weekend.

What is the route for Rally Finland?

Rally Finland will include 20 special stages totaling a competitive distance of 189.95 miles. It will start on Thursday evening, with drivers taking on the first of two runs on the 2.16-mile Harju stage before an early Friday start for stages two through five, which consist of a loop of 35.52 miles covering Laukaa (11.16 miles), Saarikas (9.9 miles), Myhinpaa (9.64 miles), and Ruuhimaki (4.82 miles).

An identical loop will be repeated Friday afternoon before returning to Harju to conclude the day. Saturday will feature another two identical loops, starting with 11.77 miles of Vastila, then heading south to Paijala (12.55 miles), and finishing the day with Ouninpohja (20.49 miles) completing both runs.

Ouninpohja is one of the most iconic stages in WRC history, famous for its high-speed jumps and challenging sweeping curves, making a return to the rally for the first time since 2016. It is the largest stage of the weekend and will also introduce virtual chicanes.

The final day of Rally Finland will feature four stages with two runs each. For stages 17 and 19, drivers will navigate 8.87 miles of Sahloinen-Moksi, while Laajavuori will host stages 18 and 20, offering bonus points to the top five finishes for that session on a sliding scale of 5-4-3-2-1. Stage 18 will span 2.7 miles, while the final run of Laajavuori will cover 5.45 miles to close out the weekend.

Rally1 entry list for Rally Finland