Rovanpera is sidelined by illness once more as his path to F1 comes to a halt.

      "The month was definitely very informative."

      Kalle Rovanpera has encountered another obstacle on his early single-seater journey, as illness compelled him to miss the final weekend of the Oceania Formula Regional series. According to Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, the 25-year-old contracted a stomach bug after the tests last Thursday, which kept him from participating in the Friday sessions and ultimately dashed any hopes of a comeback later in the weekend. "The decision was made on Saturday morning when he was feeling unwell and had a mild fever," manager Timo Jouhki explained. "It wasn't sensible for him to drive."

      Rovanpera is believed to have left New Zealand quietly before Sunday’s races and returned to Europe. Jouhki remarked that the schedule in January still provided valuable preparation, despite the untimely conclusion. "The month was certainly very educational," he noted. "The progress was quite good, considering we started from scratch."

      Rovanpera’s top finish in the series was a third place in wet conditions, while his last three races resulted in a podium, a fifth, and a seventh. He concluded the series in 16th position, having previously held 11th before falling ill. This setback comes after a challenging December, when Rovanpera’s initial Super Formula tests were hindered by positional dizziness. His attention now turns to additional Super Formula practice at Suzuka Circuit later this month, with the championship set to start in April. Jouhki urged caution regarding expectations. "Going to Japan is still about training and logging kilometers," he said. "It's difficult to predict whether we can expect results there."