Ott Tänak is back behind the wheel of a Toyota — only this time the car has no name, no model number and, according to Toyota Gazoo Racing's technical chief, no link to anything in the showroom.
The 2019 world champion completed his first day of testing the manufacturer's WRC27 prototype on gravel in central Finland this week, the latest stage of a development programme that has already taken the camouflaged machine to a Spanish gravel test in late April. Toyota's other current Rally1 runners — Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Oliver Solberg — have all spent time in the car. Eight-time champion Sébastien Ogier is the lone holdout among the works squad.
Tänak's involvement was confirmed earlier this year when the Estonian, who stepped away from full-time WRC competition for 2026, accepted a development role with Toyota. The brief is to log mileage on the next-generation car, feed engineering feedback back to Jari-Matti Latvala's team, and free up the race drivers to focus on the championship fight against Hyundai and M-Sport Ford.
The car itself has become rally's worst-kept secret and biggest puzzle. Toyota's chief engineer Tom Fowler has made clear that the WRC27 prototype is not, despite widespread guessing, a re-bodied Yaris. "We've started our testing with something that's not based on any particular car," Fowler said. "It's literally a prototype."
That position — confirmed publicly through Toyota's own statements and via Motorsport.com reporting — has fuelled debate about whether the 2027 regulations will sever the visual link between rally cars and the road models they are supposed to promote. The current Rally1 machines, despite their tube-framed silhouettes, broadly mimic the Yaris and i20 they share badges with. Rally2 cars, by contrast, are built around production shells. The WRC27 prototype, sources around the project suggest, may eventually be used by Toyota to launch an entirely new model line rather than carry over the Yaris brand.
Engineers and fans have already begun pulling apart camo-wrapped photos from the Spanish test. Comparisons of the first and second prototype iterations show a reshaped front end, revised air intakes and subtle changes to the rear bodywork around the wheel arches. The rear wing — a detachable item that teams can swap for tarmac and gravel events — has also been altered between the two evolutions.
Ogier, who has not yet sampled the car, welcomed Tänak's return to the driver's seat. "We are aware of it, obviously," the nine-time champion said at Rally Islas Canarias. "But Ott I think still has the hunger and some wish to drive a bit more, probably. And he will tell you better than me."
Ogier added that Tänak's mid-2025 split with Hyundai may have been driven as much by competitiveness as by family commitments. "I think we said at the end of last year that he was obviously not happy where he was and having at least a break sometimes helps. Now he is starting to test our car. I'm sure after months of not driving it, he's been enjoying it again."
On the workload, Ogier was blunt. "The feedback from Ott can always be interesting. I haven't tested this car and I'm not sure it's going to happen soon. We have a busy calendar somehow. It's mainly good for the current drivers of the team — as without someone doing this job, it would make the calendar very intense."
Tänak himself has stayed away from the media since the Finland test, with FFM Rallyvideos capturing the first widely shared footage of the prototype on Estonian-style forest stages. The 38-year-old has not ruled out a competitive return for 2027, and Toyota has not closed the door — though every seat in the current works line-up is full and the team is fighting Hyundai for the manufacturers' crown.
For now, the mystery car keeps lapping. With the 2027 hybrid-free regulations less than 18 months away, every gravel kilometre Tänak adds is being noted by the M-Sport and Hyundai engineers who will have to chase whatever Toyota eventually rolls out of the garage.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/ott-tanak-toyota-wrc27-prototype-finland-test-2027-regulations-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
