ERC
ERC3 month: Ville Vatanen Q&A
After landing two podiums in three attempts in 2025, Finn Ville Vatanen is returning for a full FIA ERC3 Championship bid in 2026. This is what the 19-year-old has had to say.
You’ll be an ERC3 driver full time in 2026. How does that feel?
“Competing in the ERC will surely give important experience and lessons for the future. We saw the jump to ERC as the right step for us now. There will be a lot of Tarmac rallies, and gaining experience in them is only a good thing for the future. A few familiar events are included as well, as we took our first bite of international competition this year and those events are obviously more familiar to me. Tarmac is completely new, but we’ll practice it.”
Vatanen took two ERC3 podiums during 2025 campaign
© ERC
What are your goals for your first full ERC season?
“In the gravel rallies, winning is the goal and that way maximises the championship points. Sweden’s roads are quite similar to Finnish ones. When it comes to Tarmac, winning might be slightly too optimistic in the first event, but of course we should aim for that. The main thing is a decent result for the championship, so a podium would be good. But you never know, if we get a good touch in the tests and get to grips with the surface then I don’t see why we couldn’t fight for wins. We’ll be giving our all in every event.”
Fast Finn Vatanen has limited time on Tarmac
© ERC
How does the move to ERC feel to you personally?
“I am excited for it for sure. It feels great to be able to compete in the ERC and join the bigger ranks. We have worked towards this opportunity in Finland for multiple years, and we’re not stopping here but amping it up instead. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to show my pace and to learn new things. A big thanks to our own team and to my parents, cooperation partners, and all others who have been supporting us for many years. Without their vital support we wouldn’t be in a place where we can compete internationally.”
Jarno Ottman and Vatanen celebrate success in Finland
© AKK Sports:Taneli Niinimaki
You’ll be driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3 for KMS Racing in 2026. How good will that be?
“We drove the season-ending Finnish championship event with KMS Racing and the feeling is good. The cooperation was there with the team, including their race engineer. As KMS has a lot of experience with European and world championship rallies, it creates trust. I’m happy to be partnering with them.”
First Fiesta start for KMS Racing resulted in a class win for Vatanen
© AKK Sports:Taneli Niinimaki
The Vatanen and Ford names are known throughout the world. What does the relationship mean to you?
“A friend of mine sent me a message at the FRC finale in Seinäjoki, where I competed with the Rally3 Fiesta, that Vatanen and Ford are back together. For sure, people might ask whether I am related to Ari. We’re not closely related, but we have the same roots. Vatanen and Ford had their fair share of success in the past, we hope we can continue that. I don’t take any pressure from it, however. I’ll keep my head down, temper cool and focus fully on the task at hand.”
ERC3 month concludes on 28 February. Visit FIAERC.com to find out more.
Q&A with thanks to Juho Koski
