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We came then to the final day of the round and with just under 66km’s over three stages this championship was not decided by any means. Ott and Martin would return to the action and open the road throughout the final day.

Onto the action with the SS15 Thabhan 1 – 16.29 km and Adrien was fastest from Kalle and Thierry. Seb and Elfyn made it through safely setting the fourth and fifth fastest time respectively with just a tenth of a second separating them. Thierry’s pace took him ahead of Martins after the Latvian was sixth fastest and almost ten seconds slower, but the gap remained close with just two seconds between them.

Next up was SS16 Asfan – 33.28 km and it was a strong run by Seb who was fastest from Thierry and Sami. Two crews suffered punctures in this one with Kalle and Martins being those to have that problem. The Latvian Puma crew stopped to change the tyre and then continued, before getting a second puncture before completing the stage. Unfortunately, Adrien and Alex were caught in their dust trail and lost time. They would be given this time back later and regained second place before the final stage. There was huge drama for Takamoto who lost third overall after a soft roll over. The windscreen was quite broken on the Yaris, but they did manage to finish the stage. The result of this now meant that Seb was now in the podium positions. This gave him and Vincent an even better chance to take the title given that Elfyn was in sixth place after Kalle fell behind him.

After a break in the action the crews lined up for the final stage, SS17 Thabhan 2[Power Stage]. Ott set the early pace and the other cars completed the stage, not getting anywhere near the time the Estonian set. Then came Elfyn and Scott who on each split were clearly getting the hammer down and at each split the gap to Ott and Martins time was getting bigger and they crossed the line almost ten seconds faster. Seb and Vincent came through and was second fastest and with that secured third overall. This meant they’d secured the 2025 crown, Seb’s ninth and Vincent’s first. Elfyn and Scott had done everything they could to secure the championship, and this was the fifth time they’d come second in the title fight.

Let’s take a look at the final standings for the rally and hear from the drivers.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Saudi Arabia

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“It’s been a long wait since the last victory, but it’s good to be back on the top step, especially at the end of the season after a tough year. We’re super happy, and of course getting the 1-2 is very important for the team – they have all been working hard. The next few weeks are the most important to help us be contenders again in 2026. We need to bring some more upgrades and improvements to the car as well as develop the structure within the team. We have learnt a lot about the evolution of the car recently, and now we need to push to put those learnings into performance.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“If you remove our penalty, I’m really pleased with how we managed this rally. We made the decision to take softs at the beginning, against the decision of the others, and we made the right choice in doing that. We were managing the pressure of the others catching up with us, and I’m really pleased we were able to and have that self-control inside of the car. We are the unofficial winners! The speed is there, the management is there and so is the reliability for us, so these are the things I need to keep up my motivation for next year – there is no reason to doubt the steps we have taken forward this year.”

Ott Tänak

“Today wasn’t the greatest day to open the road. It’s been demanding, but we still tried to have good rhythm and drive. These cars are some of the best things in motorsport at the moment, they’re really fun to drive and I’m sure really fun to watch from the outside too. I tried to enjoy this today, and I really enjoyed it. Let’s see what the future brings. I don’t know how much things are going to change but let’s see what the sport does and where it goes. I’m not turning my back on rallying; it’s given me so much and I’m very grateful for that.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“What a fight it’s been with Elfyn and Scott. A great champion needs great opponents, and they have been super strong and pushing us to the limits until the very last stage of the year. Well done to them, to Kalle and Jonne also, and to the whole team. It’s been such a successful season, and I’m proud and happy to be part of this family. I never thought that this moment of a ninth title would come after I decided to make a change and spend more time with my family. It’s thanks to having the chance to work with this fantastic team and finding a young co-driver in Vincent who’s doing an amazing job alongside me, bringing such positive energy and making me feel younger. Together we’ve achieved great things and I’m very happy to welcome him to the world champions’ club.”

Sami Pajari

“We came here with a mission to take the first win and it was going really well for a lot of the rally. It’s disappointing what happened yesterday afternoon which meant we couldn’t have an even better result, but I’m super happy with the performance that we did here this week on a new and difficult rally. After the podium in Japan, we end this first season with quite a nice feeling, and I’m really grateful to the team for the great job they are doing to help us get faster and stronger. It feels promising for next year and I’m looking forward to that.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It was good to reach the finish of this rally but today could have been better. We were fighting for the podium until one slightly optimistic pacenote in the penultimate stage. We went off and when trying to come back to the road, we dug into the very soft sand, and it caused us to roll. It’s such a pity because we were being patient all weekend and then made this small mistake, but this is rallying. I’m sorry to the team but I want to thank them for the massive support they gave me this year, and I will work hard to come back stronger.”

Elfyn Evans

“I think we did what we could this weekend. The tyre change on Friday didn’t help but that’s been the name of the game this week and everyone’s had their fair share of issues. I didn’t have a great run through the middle stage – I’ve been struggling a bit in the more sandy sections this weekend – and many others had problems which promoted Seb up the leaderboard. It wasn’t to be for us, but Seb and Vincent have been amazing all year and deserve this title. I’m a competitor and I always want more, but it’s been a good season with a fantastic team behind us, pushing us all the way: thank you to everyone for the amazing job.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“Congratulations to Seb and Vincent on the title: they fully deserve it; they have been very good this year. For us it was not really the last rally that we wanted but we knew that it would be tough. Still, the feeling is good. Of course, it’s sad to be leaving the sport and the people who have been the biggest part of my life, but I can also be super proud of what we’ve achieved: it has been quite amazing. I have so many people to thank but first of all to Jonne, we’ve had such good times together, great results but also a lot of fun. And a special thanks to Toyota and everyone in the team for these great years together.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Grégoire Munster

“Saudi was a new experience for us – hot, rough, and full of different terrains to tackle. We had everything from very fast sections to technical stages, and others with deep sand and ruts that required a completely different driving style. I’m glad we made it through without major issues. The pace wasn’t exactly where we wanted it to be, but finishing eighth overall and scoring some points is a solid result. A big thank you to the whole team for their efforts. It’s been a long and tough season with plenty of positives, and it’s good to be able to reflect on that.”

Josh McErlean

“It’s been a challenging rally for us. A puncture on the first stage meant we were doing road cleaning on the following days, which wasn’t ideal. But it’s been an incredible experience to be here for Saudi’s first WRC event, seeing these fantastic desert stages. To still finish in the top ten despite the number of punctures is a testament to the team. Huge credit to everyone involved, including the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, John Coyne, and Eoin on the pacenotes. Now we look forward to what comes next.”

Nasser Al-Attiya

“I’m really happy to compete here in the Rally1 car, I’d like to say a big thank you to M-Sport for making this possible. It wasn’t easy to find a car, and after one call to Malcolm, suddenly we had a car ready. It’s amazing to be here and compete at this level – normally I come and compete in the Rally2 car, but experiencing these stages in a Rally1 is completely different. I’m really happy with the experience and will definitely aim to do it again next year.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“Well, I think there is some relief for me and Renārs that we have the pace, and that we can do things in the right way. I am happy with what we have shown together with the team after all the hard work that has been put in. It was a pleasure to be back.”

Oliver Solberg

“This rally brings a new vision to the World Rally Championship – it brings us back to the Middle East, where we haven’t been for such a long time. I can understand the thinking for the guys fighting for the championship, it’s a really tough one with some very tricky terrain and a lot of rocks – it’s kind of a small Dakar! But, for me, the championship needs this sort of mix of rallies. I had a great week here in Saudi.

“And, like I said earlier, this has been the most fantastic season. I have so many people to thank and the first one has to be Elliott. We have been on this journey together, he’s right beside me in the car and I couldn’t have a better co-driver and friend. Of course, everybody at TOYOTA and Printsport, I can’t thank them all enough – the same with Monster Energy and all of our partners. And then to my family, to my fiancée Chloe and my mom and dad and everybody, thank you. We did it.”

Summary

How to sum up this rally and the title win for Seb and Vincent. Well, first of all I’m going to discuss the top three in the rally.

Thierry and Martijn finally took a win in their title defence year. It was a controlled drive from the pair. Thierry was worried they were not pushing hard enough, but it was enough to deliver them victory in what was a really tough event.

Adrien and Alex came the closest they’d ever come to their first victory and to be honest a win they deserved to take. They were given a one-minute penalty and ultimately finished just under a minute behind their teammates.

Finally, Seb and Vincent took third place and with that this years world championship. They were fastest over the three stages on the final day, giving them the points, which delivered the championship. There were only four points in the end which separated them and their teammates Elfyn and Scott. That’s how close it was in the end.

I shall be writing a review of the battle between the three championship protagonists.

Here’s the final points standings for 2025.

2025 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 14

2025 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 14

Onto the second day then of the event and the crews had just over 130km’s over six stages. Nasser would open the road throughout the day, whilst championship leader Elfyn would be the fourth driver into the stages. Adrien as the overnight leader would be the final driver from the top class to start giving them a bit of an advantage perhaps with the road conditions.

First up then was SS9 Alghullah 1 – 11.69 km and Adrien was fastest from Sami and Martins. Best of the rest was Ott who was fourth fastest and 18 seconds from the lead. For the three championship challengers it was Kalle who made the best time but was only half a second faster than Seb, the gap between them over thirty seconds.

Onto the longest stage then of the day, SS10 Um Al Jerem 1 – 30.58 km and Ott was fastest from Martins and Sami. The Latvian duo moved past Sami and back into second overall and were now just over four seconds away from Adrien and the lead. Kalle and Elfyn were both quicker than Seb in this one with the Finn moving closer to the Frenchman.

The final morning stage then SS11 Wadi Almatwi 1 – 24.90 km and Ott was fastest again from Martins and Sami. The rally leader, Adrien was fourth and saw his lead cut to a little under three seconds. Meanwhile there was drama for the championship leaders who lost over two minutes after having to stop for a puncture near the start of the stage. They fell one position to tenth, now over ten seconds behind Greg.

Into the afternoon stages SS12 Alghullah 2 – 11.69 km and Ott made it three stage wins in a row setting the pace from Martins and Adrien. Once again, Martins moved a little closer to Adrien with the gap now under two seconds. Ott’s pace took him onto the same overall time as Sami in fourth. Elfyn closed on Greg for ninth the gap now under sixth seconds.

Next it was back to the SS13 Um Al Jerem 2 – 30.58 km and Martins took the stage win from Thierry and Takamoto. This was a brilliant run by the M-Sport crew and took them back into the overall lead by over twenty-two seconds. The former leader, Adrien, had an overshoot at a junction and was only seventh fastest. Ott had drama as he suffered a puncture losing over a minute and a half. The Estonian duo dropped two positions as a result. Sami also had the same problem and fell five positions to eighth place as Elfyn moved up one place to ninth. The top three were now Martins, Adrien and Thierry, whilst Takamoto was now in fourth. Seb and Kalle also gain one position each moving into sixth and seventh respectively.

Time then for the final stage of the day, SS14 Wadi Almatwi 2 – 24.90 km and Kalle was fastest in this one from Thierry and Takamoto. There was drama for the top two as both Martins and Adrien suffered punctures which they did not stop to change. There were others who had punctures including Seb, Thierry, Greg, Takamoto and Ott. In fact, the Estonian had two punctures. They stopped to change the first before getting another later in the stage. The top three was Martins, Thierry and Takamoto. When the stage ended Adrien was holding the lead but was later was given a one-minute penalty for being early to the time control. This meant that the Frenchman was now in fourth, 57 seconds behind new leader Martins. There were changes in positions in the championship contenders as Kalle passed Seb and moved into fifth place, Seb now in sixth and Elfyn was now in eighth place. We lost Ott on the road section as there was suspension damage to his car and a decision was taken to retire the car after the double puncture.

Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day Two

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“It was a very tough day out there. We were pushed to our limits, and we had to somehow find a good approach to allow us to go fast and avoid the stones. This rally is a big lottery for everybody – you need to have a bit of luck here. We got punctures yesterday, and one front-right puncture on the last stage today but luckily not too far from the finish so we didn’t drop too much time. There’s room for more, so we’re going to try and find that tomorrow.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“I was really pleased with our performance today. I think we might have been able to push more, but we were playing with the balance of pushing or saving the car and the tyres and I think we managed that quite well. We came back here in the lead, with a small gap, ready to fight tomorrow – we were enjoying being in the battle with all the young guns, but now we are fourth after a time penalty for an early check-in. We’re not sure what happened, but at the moment I can only focus on myself and let the team investigate further.”

Ott Tänak

“We had a lot of punctures today; it is what it is but at least we tried. We want to get to the end of this rally, but hopefully there will still be a fight for the podium tomorrow we can follow. It’s been a proper lottery, and we didn’t have too good a weekend.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Takamoto Katsuta

“It’s good to be up to third overall tonight. We had some difficulties during the afternoon with the tyres, but we managed it without needing to stop on the stage, and this helped a lot to gain the positions. To have 42s to the lead is quite a big gap, but there’s still three stages to go and you never know what can happen, especially here with how tough this rally has been. We will just try to keep going like this tomorrow and avoid problems and see where we are at the end.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“It’s been a long and tricky day. I tried to just be fast and avoid the trouble. The conditions were really tough already on the first pass; even with only four cars in front of us, we still had a lot of surprises and loose stones. The last stage of the loop was especially rough and that’s where everyone else started to get issues and we managed to make up some positions. The situation is still not in our favour but at least we are in the mix, and we will just try to enjoy our final day tomorrow and go for it.”

Sébastien Ogier

“It’s been a demanding day. I knew that Elfyn had stopped in the last stage of the morning and took that stage a bit more carefully because of that, but it didn’t really change much about the championship: we still had to try and stay ahead of Kalle. We anticipated that this last stage of the day would be the roughest one of the weekend and I tried to have a careful rhythm there but had this loss of tyre pressure at the end. At least we still have our destiny in our hands: tomorrow we hope to stay out of trouble and have to go for it.”

Sami Pajari

“It was a really close fight still today. I was expecting there would start to be some bigger time gaps, but everyone was pushing quite hard, and the margins were small. I still felt I was being clever in the places where I could see a risk of damaging the car or tyres, and in other sections I was doing all I can. Unfortunately, we had to stop and change the tyre in SS13. We were not the only ones to have such trouble, but we were chasing for our first victory and really in the fight. The pace was there, so it’s a big disappointment but of course we need to take the positives into the last day tomorrow.”

Elfyn Evans

“It wasn’t ideal what happened to us this morning. We got the tyre pressure alarm quite early in the third stage of the loop and with so far still to go we had to make the decision to stop and change it rather than try to drive on it. Thankfully we could make up some places this afternoon with others having issues and so it’s still quite open and it will all come down to tomorrow now. It’s pretty straightforward in a way: we just have to give it the best shot we can and see what happens.”

Oliver Solberg

Oliver said: “It’s been another good day. This rally has been such a cool challenge, it’s amazing to come somewhere new like this and to meet new people and new fans. And the roads are incredible, so tough, but so rewarding to drive.

“I was in the last stage this afternoon and all the way from the start line to the finish, across the mountains I could see this helicopter following us – it was HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal with my fiancée Chloe and my mom and dad. It was super-cool, they were with me for the whole way and when I had a straight section, I had time to wave to them a little bit!

“Tomorrow is going to be another big day for Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] and me. It’s the final day of the season with this fantastic Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 and with this fantastic Printsport team. I want to go out on a real high and win some more stages and really enjoy myself – but Elliott and I are still learning and taking more experience.”

Summary

Well, what a day. We had a number of changes of the leader plus punctures and a penalty for Adrien which gave Martins the overnight lead heading into the final day of the rally and the year.

The crews face almost 66m’s over three stages with a single run through the longest stage of the weekend which is 33km’s. What will we witness? Elfyn and Scott’s first crown or Seb and Vincent’s first championship as a crew and Seb’s ninth title? Or perhaps Kalle and Jonne will take it?

Will we also witness Martins and Renars first win at the top level and the first win for M-Sport since Ott and Martin won in Chile 2023?

The first full day of action would see the crews tackle 112km’s over seven stages. There had been a single stage run in the previous evening and we had a top three of Ott, Seb and Martins whilst Elfyn was fifth overall, 2.1 seconds from the overnight leader. Of course, the championship leader would open the road throughout the first full day of action.

Into SS2 Al Fasallyah 1 – 19.36 km and the top three in the championship would set very different time. Seb managed the third best time, Kalle sixth and Elfyn was ninth, reflecting the different road positions they faced. The top two in the stage were Martins and Sami. The surprise result was that the Latvian duo we now leading from Seb, whilst Sami gained four positions and moved into third overall.

Next up came SS3 Moon Stage 1 – 20.12 km which had quite a different character to the first stage with a harder surface and rocks lining the road. Martins was again fastest from Adrien and Ott this time, whilst Kalle was the fastest of the three challengers in eighth with Seb tenth and Elfyn twelfth. The three of them held seventh to ninth in the overall standings.

The final morning stage then SS4 Khulays 1 – 11.33 km and Sami was fastest from Adrien and Thierry this time. Martins had a moment on the stage at the same point as Elfyn as they both had to reverse back to the correct part of the stage and they both lost around six seconds. The Latvian held onto the lead from Adrien by just 1.3 seconds.

After service came SS5 Al Fasallyah 2 – 19.36 km and Martins kept his pace high going fastest again from Sami and Adrien who’d set the same time as Seb who was fourth fastest. Elfyn was ninth finding the conditions really tricky but was holding eighth overall one position behind Seb.

Onwards to SS6 Moon Stage 2 – 20.12 km and Sami was fastest from Takamoto and Adrien third. Thierry and Ott set the same time for fourth and fifth fastest. Kalle moved up one position to ninth overall and was now 5.6 seconds behind Elfyn. There was drama for Martins though as he got a puncture. He fell to third overall but remained close to the top, just 12.9 seconds from the new leader Sami.

Onto the final proper stage then of the day, SS7 Khulays 2 – 11.33 km and it was a 1-2-3 for the Hyundai crews as Ott was fastest from Thierry and Adrien. Martins was fourth in this one as Adrien moved into the lead. Sami had a tyre breakup and lost over ten seconds. Further back Kalle also passed Elfyn for eighth overall.

The final stage then, SS8 Jameel Motorsport Super Special 2 – 5.22 km and Martins and Seb set the same time with Ott a further half a second back with the third fastest time. The top positions closed up with Martins in third overall, just 6.9 seconds from the lead.

Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day One

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“I’m really pleased with today. I always think we can push more, but we are playing with the balance of pushing or saving the car and the tyres and I think we managed that quite well. We are leading tonight, but the gaps are small, so nothing is certain. Today was demanding on the tyres, especially on the second stage of the afternoon loop. It’s really nice to be in the fight with the young guns. Tomorrow the stages all vary, but they all have similarities to some of today’s. It’s positive to finish a day like this, and we will see what happens tomorrow.”

Ott Tänak

“Today has been all about surviving and keeping it clean, we’ve done that so it’s good and I’m happy there haven’t been any big incidents. Hopefully we have learnt enough from today and can improve the feeling in the car a bit. Everything is still very close so it’s all possible, but we need a bit more speed.”

Thierry Neuville

“I enjoyed today, the diversity of the stages and the profile meant I had good fun. There’s a good mix of challenging and rough conditions, and I think we managed them quite well. I was generally happy with my tyre choice this afternoon; we just had a couple of issues today including a delamination on SS7 which cost us a bit of time. For us there is no championship pressure, so we are just having fun while trying to stay in the fight for the result. We are just over 16 seconds from the lead, so on that side all good.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“It’s been a really positive day for us. To take a couple of stage wins, be consistently close to the top times and even leading the rally at one point is really good. It’s a pity what happened with the tyre on the last gravel stage because we dropped a bit of time there, but we’re still only a few seconds away from the lead. It’s not easy to manage things here, but I tried to push in the sections that felt safe and be smarter in the tricky places. Tomorrow will be a longer day but it would be good if we can continue like this.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“This first full day was a tough one as expected. It’s very hot out there but the team has done a really good job to try and make us comfortable. This first stage of the loop in the desert was really nice, with super high speed and big jumps. Otherwise, we were just trying to avoid mistakes and the puncture risk, which was quite high this afternoon. I’d like to be higher than sixth but there’s still a long way to go, so we’ll just keep going and see what happens tomorrow.”

Sébastien Ogier

“It’s been a challenging day like we expected, and with a massive cleaning effect especially in the super twisty sections on the second and third stages of the loop. The first stage of the loop was smoother, so I tried to take the opportunity to push there and gain some time. Maybe we can’t see it in our overall position, but I think we did a really good job today. I don’t think there was anything more we could do in our position. The main target is to be in front of Elfyn and Kalle, but the gaps are still small, so we need to try and keep going tomorrow and try to gain more places if we can.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“Today has been quite tough, but it’s much the same for everybody. Unfortunately, we sustained this tyre damage in the last stage of the morning. We made the right call not to stop and change the tyre, but we still lost quite a bit of time with that and some starting positions for tomorrow, which is not so good. As we have seen today, the cleaning effect is maybe even greater than we thought, so tomorrow can be tough also. There’s still a long way to go though, so let’s see what we can do.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been a tough day out there. This morning I was too conservative on the first stage and a bit disappointed to give away so much time. After that, the cleaning effect was more dramatic on the next two stages, and it felt like my pace wasn’t so bad compared to Seb just behind. I think the cleaning was maybe even worse in some places on the second pass of the stages. It’s tough to know how well you’re driving when the road is evolving so fast. But we’re still here and tomorrow we have a longer loop of stages where staying out of trouble will probably be quite tough, but I’ll just stay focused on my own driving.”

Oliver Solberg

“It’s been a really good day,” said Oliver. “In places this morning, it was definitely more slippery than we were expecting, but the car was perfect, and we were able to enjoy the roads while taking more and more experience.

“In the afternoon, we had to be more strategic with the tyres. We pushed quite hard on the stage in the loop, but then took it easier in the middle one. We knew this Moon Stage was really abrasive, so we looked after the tyres a little bit and then pushed harder in the last one. It worked well for us.

“Some of the roads here are amazing and so much fun, but all the time you have to be keeping these rocks in mind – they are everywhere! Tomorrow will be another tough day, but me and Elliott are ready for it.”

Friday

The second full day of action will see the crews face a longer day with 134km’s over six stages. This includes a double run of a thirty-and-a-half-kilometre stage.

What will the positions be at the end of day two?

Time then for the fourteenth and final round of this years World Rally Championship on the sand and gravel roads of Saudi Arabia. This round is a complete unknown with roads which will have never been used before in the championship and in this respect it will be interesting how things develop with each car coming through. There will be completely new pace notes to prepare for the crews during recce Road position could and likely will be crucial in the ultimate result taken at the end of the rally, and this will likely have a huge bearing as to who takes the drivers and co-drivers titles.

Just three points separate Elfyn and Scott from the second placed crew of Seb and Vincent, whilst Kalle and Jonne are a further 24 points in third.

Now just some housekeeping to mention at this point. This will be the final WRC event for Ott and Martin as was announced by Hyundai after Rally Japan. The 2019 world champions are calling a day on their careers. Joining them in retirement are Kalle and Jonne, with Kalle switching codes to circuit racing next year in Super Formula.

We know who is joining Toyota’s Rally1 squad as well, as WRC2 champions Oliver and Elliot will be in the top spec GR Yaris. What we don’t know yet is whether Hyundai will run three cars next year and should they do who the third crew will be?

One final thing to mention following the sporting news and this is a bit political from me. Why on earth have the FIA decided to give a round of this amazing championship to a country which has a questionable government which is alleged to have carried out some really bad things against its own citizens is beyond me? I know there are a huge number of fans who’d love to see the championship back in Britain. Can you imagine the huge interest as Elfyn and Scott who lead the points standings if they were competing at home for the title on some of the most iconic stages? Only last weekend was the thirtieth anniversary of Colin and Derek taking the 1995 championship and we could have had this for the Toyota crew. I think that it is a huge shame Wales Rally GB has now been missing for six years from the championship.

Now, let’s take a look at the stages.

Competitive action commences on Wednesday evening with the first run of Jameel Motorsport Super Special (SS1/8, 5.22km).

A jam-packed Thursday will see crews contest seven stages: two loops of Al Faisaliyah (SS2/5, 19.36km), Moon Stage (SS3/6, 20.12km) and Khulais (SS4/7, 11.33km) followed by the final run of Jameel Motorsport Super Special (SS1/8, 5.22km).

Friday’s itinerary features six stages: two loops of Alghulah (SS9/12, 11.69km), Um Al Jerem (SS10/13, 30.58km) and Wadi Almatwi (SS11/14, 28.59km).

The final day of competition includes three stages and features the event’s longest stage: two loops of Thahban (SS15/17, 16.39km) sandwich the treacherous Asfan (SS16, 33.88km).

There are 319km’s over seventeen stages with the longest day of competitive action being Friday’s stages. Also, the event actually finishes on Saturday instead of Sunday.

Let’s hear from the drivers then.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“We go to Saudi Arabia knowing that everything is still to play for and very open in the championship. Seb is a tough opponent and performing at a really high level, and Kalle cannot be counted out at this stage either. It will be tough, but we’re going to give it our best shot of course. Nobody really knows what to expect from this event. None of the drivers have done it before and many of the stages are completely new anyway, so it’s basically a clean sheet for all of us. We just have to arrive there, focus on doing the best rally we can, and see what comes.”

Sébastien Ogier

“It was an intense battle with Elfyn for the win at Rally Japan and it was good for us to close the gap in the championship before the final round. It’s been a strong year, I’m happy with the performance we’ve had, and I’ve really enjoyed driving the car. Hopefully this all-new rally can be a good and exciting finale for the championship. Nobody has much experience of what the stages are like there, so there can be the potential for a lot of surprises. There could be rough sections with a lot of rocks around, but hopefully the conditions are fair for all of us, and may the best man win!”

Kalle Rovanperä

“For us the championship is not really in our hands anymore, but we still have a chance, so let’s see how it goes in Saudi Arabia. The stages look to be quite tricky with a lot of rocks around, so there could be a fairly big chance of something happening for any of the drivers. All that we can do is focus on trying to do a good job and get a good result for ourselves, and we would still need the others to have a bad result. Whatever happens, hopefully we can make it a good last rally to finish this chapter in a nice way.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“I’m looking forward to discovering Rally Saudi Arabia for the first time. None of us have been there before and from the information we have, it looks like it’s going to be very tough. It could be quite like Kenya in some places, and maybe a similar kind of approach could be needed. That has suited me well in the past, but we need to see what it’s like when we get there. I hope to be able to finish the year with some positive feelings to be able to take into next year, and I’ll try my best like always.”

Sami Pajari

“It was really nice to achieve our first podium finish at Rally Japan, and it shows that we have been moving in a good direction through this first proper season with the Rally1 car. Now we have something completely new to end the year in Saudi Arabia. Nobody knows really what’s going to happen there, but I’m looking forward to it nonetheless. I would guess that it might be quite like Kenya in some ways – there we took a steady approach that really paid off in the end with a good result – but we need to wait to see exactly what challenges we face.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak

“We are going into the unknown with Rally Saudi Arabia, so we will have to go there and discover what the event has to offer. We will be back in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 evo for the event, a car which has performed especially well on rough gravel. We don’t know exactly what to expect from the rough gravel in Saudi Arabia, but the team has been strong in these sort of conditions in the past.”

Thierry Neuville

“We don’t know too much about the event; we only have some footage of the stages which we can check to get a better idea of the surface and the layout. We won’t get a full understanding until we arrive in Jeddah. It’s hard to say exactly what we will need from the car setup, but with the high risk of punctures, loose stones and rough surface, we need a reliable car and a high ride height for maximum protection. We’ve had a tough year, but we will go all in for one final victory for the team – we have nothing to lose.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“I really enjoy brand-new events because all crews go into it with the same level of experience – and so it becomes all about pacenotes. We’re expecting it to be a very rough event with a lot of sand and rocks, but then also quite fast and soft in certain places, making it hard to find the perfect setup. It’s going to be warm for us inside the car, and we’ll have to manage our tyres well. I would love to finish the season on a high. We have done well in terms of performance, but this hasn’t been reflected in our results. It would be really nice to clinch our first victory at the final round of the season.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Grégoire Munster

“This is my first time in Saudi Arabia, and I’m really interested to experience the culture here and discover this brand-new rally. The stages are definitely going to be a real challenge. The terrain is a mix of sandy sections and much rougher patches, with plenty of big rocks lining the roads, so managing punctures and keeping the car in good shape will be crucial.

“It’s going to be a demanding rally, but also one that offers opportunities if you stay smart. We’ll approach it with a solid plan, and hopefully turn it into a strong result to end the season.”

Josh McErlean

“Heading into Saudi Arabia, I’m fully focused on ending my debut Rally1 season on a strong note. Japan was a tough weekend, but we’ve reset quickly and put everything into preparing for this new challenge. With the event being completely new for everyone, it really levels the playing field with no previous data to rely on.

“From what we’ve learned so far, the stages will change character quickly, so it’s the kind of rally where you need to be smart, stay committed, and strike the right balance between caution and pushing on. I’m excited for the challenge and ready to give it everything.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“I’m excited to be back with M-Sport for the final round of the season, especially for a new event as intriguing as Rally Saudi Arabia. This is another great opportunity to continue the progression we’ve made with the Puma throughout the 2025 season. With the rally being brand-new for all the crews, it puts everyone on equal ground, which is a nice challenge to take on.

“The stages will be challenging, and adapting quickly will be key. I’m looking forward to learning as much as possible, supporting the team, and finishing the season with a positive performance.”

Nasser Al-Attiyah

“I’m incredibly proud to make my Rally1 debut with M-Sport Ford, and to do it here in Saudi Arabia makes the moment even more special. I’ve followed the evolution of the Puma Rally1 closely, and it’s an honour to finally experience this level of performance for myself. Rallying in the region is growing rapidly, and to be part of the first WRC event in Saudi Arabia is a huge privilege. My goal is to enjoy the challenge, learn as much as I can, and represent the fans here in the Middle East with a strong performance.”

Oliver Solberg

“What a season we’ve had,” smiled this year’s WRC2 World Rally Champion. “And what a place to end the year… Saudi Arabia. This is really a unique event in the championship, something so different and so exciting. Honestly, I think it’s impossible to predict what’s coming on this event – the roads are incredible, with so many rocks waiting to catch you out.

“It’s an amazing place to come to decide a world championship, and really good to be bringing the WRC back to the Middle East after so long (it’s 14 years since Rally Jordan in 2011). I’m looking forward to meeting lots of fans we haven’t seen before and showing them why ours is the best sport in the world!

“But before we start what’s going to be one the most challenging rounds of the season, Elliott and me want to say thank you and offer some genuine appreciation to every single person in the Printsport team – the best team in WRC2. You guys have been just incredible, you’re all a total pleasure to work with, super-professional and simply the best. Thank you. Kiitos.

“And the same to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing for making the GR Yaris Rally2 the unbelievable car it is. When I tested this car for the first time, it was quite different to what I’d been used to and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I loved it then and I really love it now. Between TOYOTA, Printsport, Elliott and me, I think we made some nice results, a nice title and a really nice team.

“To our amazing friends at Monster Energy – I couldn’t have done this without you. And to all our other partners, what an amazing journey we’ve been on. And now, to the next chapter.

“Like you know, we have signed to join the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team next season; this is my dream, it always has been. Thank you again to everybody for helping me realise my dream. Now, let’s live it together.

“But first, to Saudi Arabia and the adventure that lies in wait in the deserts and mountains of round 14. The aim? One more win. Let’s see…”

Summary

This is it then, whether you like it or not the final rally is taking place in Saudi Arabia. This will be a huge challenge for the crews fighting for the championship. Can Elfyn and Scott finally secure their first world title and join Colin and Derek and Richard and Robert as British World Rally Champions?

Their teammates will be working hard to do everything to take the title and perhaps the road position on Thursday’s first full day of stages will be key? Of course, as championship leaders, Elfyn and Scott will open the road.

The action gets underway with shakedown at just after eight tomorrow morning UK time. (Wednesday 26 November 2025)

The final day then of this thirteenth round of the rally championship dawned with rain falling on all the stages bringing an extra dimension of sketchiness to the roads. The plan was for Thierry to return to the action after his retirement at the start of Saturday. However, he would not start as the i20 suffered a failure of the windscreen wipers which would not work. He came back to the service park and parked up for the day. Takamoto and Aaron would therefore open the road throughout the six stages.

First up then was SS15 Nukata 1 – 20.23 km and the rain had made the whole stage really tricky for the crews. Takamoto had probably the best conditions and would set the third best time behind Ott and Kalle. Elfyn and Seb continued their fight for victory and in this one the Welshman was a little faster, bringing the gap down to just under six seconds.

Onto SS16 Lake Mikawako 1 – 13.98 km and Takamoto was once again third fastest with his teammates Seb and Elfyn the only two to go faster in the dress rehearsal for the powerstage as the Frenchman set the pace and increased his lead by a second. There was drama though for Adrien who went off the road and with that lost the right-hand door. He regained the road and finished the stage but there was no way that he and Alex could continue. Now Sami was into third overall.

The first of two runs of SS17 Okazaki SSS 1 – 1.98 km was won by Seb whose time was equalled by Takamoto whilst Ott was third. Elfyn was fourth fastest, but it could have been so much worse as he went down a bank near the end of the stage. He emerged just over a second slower than Seb and maintained his second place overall.

The second run of SS18 Okazaki SSS 2 – 1.98 km saw Takamoto set the pace from Ott and Seb with Elfyn keeping his car on the road and finishing just half a second behind Seb. The gap between the two title fighters had grown to just over eight seconds.

Now it was time to return to SS19 Nukata 2 – 20.23 km and the rain was still falling. Interestingly, Ott was having a good day so far and was able to set some good pace on these wet stages. Once again Seb was fastest from Elfyn with Ott with the third best time. The gap grew some more between Seb and Elfyn, now 11.5 seconds separating them.

We came now to the final stage, SS20 Lake Mikawako 2[Power Stage] – 13.98 km and the question was could Elfyn beat Seb on the stage and take victory? Well, Kalle who was looking to keep him and Jonne in the title fight would set the benchmark time on their final tarmac stage. However, then Elfyn came through and beat this time by over nine seconds. As Seb came through the splits showed that at first Elfyn was slower, but as Seb came closer to the end of the stage it was much closer and Seb won the stage but only one tenth separated them. Ott and Greg completed the top five.

Seb had won the rally and also set the fastest time on Sunday’s stages, plus taken the top points in the powerstage. It was a maximum score for him bringing him closer to Elfyn at the top of the championship.

Let’s take a look at the final finishing positions and hear from the drivers.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Japan

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“This is the perfect result for us and I’m very happy to win this rally in Japan at home for Toyota. It’s been an intense weekend, especially this last day with very challenging conditions. A big congratulations to the team for giving us a great car again to fight like this, because today we started a completely different rally with a completely different setup, and it worked straight away. Elfyn was pushing me the whole weekend, and great wins only happen when you have great opponents.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been a fun and strong weekend overall and another great result for the team at home in Japan. It wasn’t easy today to be in such a big fight in those difficult conditions. We gave it our best shot, but Seb was driving very well and was too tough to beat today. It was so close between the two of us, especially in the Power Stage, and it feels like we’ve missed out on quite a few points, but that’s the name of the game and everything is still to play for going into the final rally.”

Sami Pajari

“This result feels really, really nice. It’s always special to take the first podium, and to do it in Japan and get a 1-2-3 for Toyota at home makes this even more special. There were super tricky conditions today, but we had good pace on the first two days, and today we had some margin that meant we could just make sure that we finish. It’s been a really good event, and we must be really pleased with this. It’s been a super job by all the team, and it shows we are going forwards in a good way.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“It’s been a tricky weekend overall for us and today conditions got really difficult with a lot of rain and standing water. We tried what we could to get some extra points from Sunday, but it’s not been the weekend or the result that we wanted to have. We’ve just been a bit too inconsistent this year, but we still have the chance to go for it one more time on the final round and we will try to make that a good one and see what happens.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Thank you to the team and the fans for their great support in my home rally. I couldn’t get a good result in the end and I’m sorry for that, but I saw so much support this week and I really appreciate it. Thanks to the team for fixing the car; today I tried my best to drive for the fans. I felt good confidence and pace, but in the Power Stage there was a lot of standing water, and it didn’t work out well. I can see that it’s possible to get a good result here in the future and I will keep trying.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak

“The conditions today have been demanding but I enjoyed them as the car was driving better than the days before. We didn’t have to push too hard today, but it was much more drivable. We don’t know what was causing our issues over the last few days, but we will investigate with the team. We need to go to Saudi and discover what it’s like, but Hyundai have been good on rough gravel, so these kind of conditions should suit us.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“Firstly, and most importantly, both Alex and I are OK. There was a lot of mist on my windscreen which made it difficult to see the road. I didn’t hear Alex’s pacenote warning about a tricky corner, and I didn’t see it either, so we went slightly wide into the trees, which damaged the door and side of the car. Without the door and with the timecard inside, we had no choice but to retire. Of course, I am disappointed, but at the same time, we were able to fight at the front all weekend and make good progress with the car. Overall, we can say it was a really positive weekend.”

Thierry Neuville

“Unfortunately, we experienced an electrical issue on the way to the first stage this morning, which caused the wipers to stop working and forced us to retire from Rally Japan. It’s a real shame, as we were looking forward to gaining more mileage today and continuing to improve the car. Overall, it has been a very disappointing rally for us, but now it’s time to reset and focus on Rally Saudi Arabia, where we hope to be back fighting at the front.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Grégoire Munster

“I’m happy with a top-five finish in Japan. We didn’t start the rally as we had hoped, but the team worked hard on Friday and Saturday to find solutions and get the car into a much better working window. Sunday brought really tricky conditions with the rain, and it was our first time running the Hankook wet tyres. It wasn’t an easy mission, as we had to fight to hold onto fifth with Kalle behind us – finding the right balance to push without making a mistake. Overall, we’re happy to bring a top-five result home after a difficult season, and it’s a strong reward for the team’s efforts.”

Josh McErlean

“It’s really disappointing to end our rally like that. We ran wide and had a big shunt on SS3, but the main thing is that we’re both OK. It’s not the result we wanted after all the effort to get here by the team and our supporters, but we’ll regroup and come back stronger for the exciting challenge of Saudi.”

Oliver Solberg

The 24-year-old said: “It was quite strange coming here to compete for the first time. I love this country, I love the people, I love everything about Japan, and I’ve been here so many times, coming since I was a young boy.

“But I’d never driven a rally here!

“With the championship already sorted, the emphasis for me and Elliott was always to take experience for next year. We wanted to understand the roads as much as possible, to understand how the tyres work on the surface and build as much knowledge as possible for next year.

“Of course, we wanted to take another win in the class, but the experience was always most important. So, to be able to do both is something really cool for us. The roads here are quite amazing, so many corners. We had really dry conditions for the first two days, then it rained like crazy today [Sunday].

“It was good to see the roads in different conditions, this was giving us some more data and understanding. Me and Elliott are really happy for the team; once again everybody has been fantastic. The support we had here, like all year, has been incredible.

“But I have to save some words for the people of Toyota City. Like I said, I came here before, we have done the recce and been kind of like tourists and really enjoyed it – but coming here and feeling the amazing appreciation, emotion and passion from all of the fans is something else.

“It’s been an honour to be here competing in a Toyota. Arigatō to everybody and see you all next year.”

2025 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 13

2025 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 13

Summary

Well, it’s really close at the top of the championship with just three points between Elfyn who remains at the top of the championship and in the best position to take this year’s world championship and Seb who is looking to take his ninth title.

It was a close battle between the two crews for this weekend’s rally victory and I suspect that the championship will be decided potentially on the final day of the final rally.

There were a three drivers who challenged for the final podium position this weekend and it was Sami and Marko who were the one’s who secured their first, and I suspect, not the last overall WRC podium.

The final round then is in the middle east as the championship heads to Saudi Arabia which takes place from the twenty-sixth to the twenty-ninth of November.

The second full day of action would see the crews tackle 122km’s over seven stages. Kalle and Jonne would open the road throughout the day due to their time loss in stages three and four after their incident which left the Yaris damaged.

Into the action then with SS8 Obara 1 – 16.44 km first up and it was a great start from Adrien who was fastest from Elfyn and Sami. The Welshman passed Takamoto in this one after the Japanese driver was only fifth fastest. The was drama for Thierry who sadly had a problem with his transmission crawled through the stage and then headed back to service. Without a lunchtime service there was no point in risking the car any further. The good news for Elfyn was that he’d closed the gap to Seb to just 8.9 seconds.

Onto SS9 Ena 1 – 21.25 km Adrien was once again fastest from Elfyn and Takamoto. Meanwhile Seb was again not quite on the pace only setting the fifth best time and was now just 7.4 seconds ahead of his teammate.

Next up was SS10 Mt. Kasagi 1 – 21.74 km and Elfyn was fastest in this one from Takamoto and Adrien. It was a great stage from the Welshman who reduced Seb’s lead to just two seconds. This was not over by any means for Elfyn to take victory and extend his championship lead. Meanwhile his teammate Kalle was making his way up the leaderboard and was now into the top ten.

After the tyre fitting zone came SS11 Mt. Kasagi 2 – 21.74 km and once again Elfyn set the pace from Seb and Adrien. There was drama for Takamoto sadly who made a mistake and collided with some barriers in part of the stage. This impact caused damage to the front of his car and crucially caused damage to the power steering system meaning it failed in the stage. He struggled with the failure losing almost four and a half minutes and falling to seventh position. This meant that Adrien was now into third overall.

Into SS12 Ena 2 – 21.25 km then and Seb hit back on this one with his first fastest time of the day going three tenths faster than Elfyn whilst Adrien was third. Meanwhile Greg was having a better day with the Puma working better than it did on Friday’s stages.

Onto the last proper stage then of Saturday, SS13 Obara 2 – 16.44 km and Seb was fastest again from Adrien and Elfyn and saw his lead grow again over the Welshman to 4.9 seconds. Further back Kalle gained another position, passing Oliver for seventh overall.

All that remained was SS14 Toyota City SSS – 3.05 km and Seb was fastest from Elfyn and Adrien. The Frenchman saw his lead grow to six and a half seconds.

Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day Two

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“I feel that I’ve done a good job this afternoon, but I could have done better this morning – I think that’s the summary of the day. In the end we cannot be unsatisfied with what we’ve done. Elfyn was driving very well with strong pace. In the morning we lost a bit too much ground, especially in the last stage of the loop, but after that we had a good response. The gaps were still incredibly small, but going into the last day in the lead can only be positive. The conditions will probably be extra challenging for everybody, and we will have to be on it straight away.”

Elfyn Evans

“Overall, it’s been a good day. This morning things were going well and working much better than yesterday. I was maybe driving more smoothly also, and we were able to close the gap to Seb. We still had good runs through the first two stages this afternoon, but then probably gave away more than I would have liked in the last two. It’s still pretty close though and all to play for going into tomorrow. It sounds as though the weather could be very difficult, so anything can happen and we’re definitely going to keep fighting.”

Sami Pajari

“I think it has been another solid day. We again had quite consistent stage times and some good sections on most of the stages. At the same time, there are some places where I feel I should be able to improve, but that’s normal. Overall, I think I can be quite satisfied with the pace we have been doing. There’s still one day to go and I guess it will be tricky with the rain that is likely coming; let’s see together with the team how we approach it.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“It’s good that we are at least now back into the top 10 and scoring some points, so it’s been quite an OK day in that sense. Tomorrow we have the extra Sunday and Power Stage points available, and the rain looks to be coming which can make things more tricky. Not many drivers have experience with this year’s wet tyres in such conditions, so it will be something new. There’s a lot at stake in the championship so it will be an interesting day, and also my last day on asphalt with a rally car for now, so I’ll try to enjoy it.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“This morning we were closing the gap to the lead, even though it didn’t feel so fast in the car. Then in the first stage of the afternoon, I don’t know exactly what happened, but I couldn’t get the car slowed enough for the narrow entrance to this arena section. I hit the barrier, and it damaged the cooling and power steering systems. We tried what we could to fix the car; Aaron did an amazing job together with the information the team was giving us. We were able to finish the day but lost too much time. Right now, I just feel so sorry for the team and especially the fans who are supporting me.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“I was really satisfied with my pace today; it was one of my best days of the season so far. I felt very comfortable pushing on every stage, and with two stage wins and getting close on the others it’s been really positive. I continued to push with the setup we had, and it’s been working well. Tomorrow will be a difficult day, so I will keep my head down and focus on pushing in the wet.”

Ott Tänak

“We are nowhere on this rally. There’s still one day to go, and that’s the best we can do. We’re almost three minutes behind, so it’s going to be hard to find any opportunity when the rain comes.”

Thierry Neuville

“The failure happened on the road section before the start of the stage, similar to Shakedown, so we will have to investigate. It was very disappointing, because we wanted to use today to get more mileage and try different things, and unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Tomorrow will be a different day with the rain, but we don’t want to risk our chances of Super Sunday points in those conditions.”

Oliver Solberg

“Another great day today,” said Oliver. “I’m not so sure there’s much more to say… The fans have been amazing again and the car has been even better!

“Elliott and me have been really working hard to focus on taking as much experience as possible from this event and these roads – we have to be ready for next year. These roads are really technical, so twisty and so much to understand with the way the grip works and evolves. We’ve taken a lot of data and experience for the tyre.

“And tomorrow, we hear there’s a lot of rain coming, this will give us some very different conditions and the chance to learn more.”

Sunday

The final day will see the crews tackle 72km’s over seven stages. Rain is due to fall throughout the day bringing an extra dimension to the challenge for the crews. Can Elfyn use this to his advantage to take victory, or will we see Seb win this rally? What can Kalle do to keep him in the fight for the title as he begins his last day of rallying on tarmac?

The first full day of the penultimate rally of this season with 111km’s over six stages. The first stage of the rally was on the previous day with Kalle holding the lead from Ott and Takamoto. The top eight was also covered by one second with the championship leaders just eight tenths of a second from the rally leaders.

First up was SS2 Inabu / Shitara 1 – 17.08 km and Seb made a great start to the first full day of action setting the fastest time from Takamoto and Elfyn. The pace that the three of them set meant that Seb moved up three positions and into the lead from Takamoto and Elfyn who was third. Just 3.1 seconds covered them all. Kalle was the big loser in this one falling to fifth position, the last of the five Toyota crews.

Into SS3 Shinshiro 1 – 17.41 km and Takamoto was fastest in this one from Elfyn and Seb and took the lead from Seb whilst Elfyn remained in third and 3.1 from the new leader. Ironically the Welshman was closer to Seb after going half a second faster, but the new overall leader had the same advantage over third place. Adrien was the best placed of the three Hyundai crews holding fifth place. The Frenchman had gained one position after Kalle’s mistake in the stage which left him with broken rear left suspension. The Finn last almost two and a half minutes as he limped his damaged Yaris to the end of the stage. Elsewhere there was bigger drama for Josh in his Puma who went off the road at around the middle of the stage. The damage would mean that he and Eoin would retire from the rally.

The final morning stage then, SS4 Isegami’s Tunnel 1 – 19.66 km which was run in the opposite direction from the previous years and Elfyn was fastest this time from Seb and Takamoto. They both leapfrogged the Japanese driver with Seb going back into the lead from Elfyn. Incredibly the gap between the three of them was now just 1.7 seconds. Adrien closed the gap to Sami for fourth overall by just over two seconds, the gap between them coming down to just over six seconds.

After the service break came SS5 Isegami’s Tunnel 2 – 19.66 km. The morning stages were being run in a different way to the morning format. Seb was fastest in this one from Takamoto with Adrien third. This was the first time Toyota’s stranglehold on the top three stage times had been interrupted. Elfyn was fourth fastest and fell to third overall. Meanwhile Adrien great time plus Sami only able to set the fifth best time meant the overall gap between them came down to just 1.2 seconds.

Onto the penultimate stage of the day then, SS6 Inabu / Shitara 2 – 17.08 km and Seb again was fastest from Elfyn and Sami. In fact, Takamoto set the same time as Sami but was given fourth fastest in the stage. The young Finn actually doubled the gap to Adrien to 2.4 seconds. It had been a very good day so far for the Frenchman in the Hyundai though as he was only 24 seconds from the lead whilst his champion teammates had really struggled and were in Ott’s case a minute and seven seconds from the lead and Thierry was a further twenty seconds back.

We came then to the final stage of the day SS7 Shinshiro 2 – 17.41 km which saw the sun setting as the crews came through. Elfyn finished the day with a great time which could not be beaten and Adrien and Takamoto were second and third fastest respectively, just one tenth slower! Very close! Adrien’s pace saw him move ahead of Sami and into fourth but with just three tenths of a second between them it was certainly not over.

Let’s take a look at the top positions and hear from the drivers.

Classification after Day One

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“I think we can be pleased tonight; it’s been a good day for us. This morning we had a decent rhythm but there was not much between the top drivers. Then we were able to have a bit more of a push this afternoon when we had a bit more certainty in the pacenotes and the grip conditions for the second pass. It’s nice that we’ve been able to build this small gap: it’s not much, but always better to be in this position. There’s a long way to go but for now it’s been the start that we wanted to the rally.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It’s nice to be at the end of Friday in second place. It has been a bit up and down in terms of the feeling for me: on some stages I was quite happy with the car and in some stages I was struggling for some reason, but we will look into this with the team tonight. Also, on the second pass of Isegami’s Tunnel I didn’t take much risk in the tricky places, and Seb was able to take some time there. Still, it’s a long weekend and I will continue to push where I can; let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Elfyn Evans

“We had a decent start this morning. There were some changeable conditions like we expected, and everything was quite close, but the feeling was OK. Then it wasn’t the best afternoon for us, especially in the opening stage of the loop where we seemed to give away a bit of time in a couple of sections. Otherwise, we have not been too far away, but we can’t be completely happy tonight. Still, there is a long way to go in this rally and we will keep trying everything.”

Sami Pajari

“I think it’s been quite a good day overall. It’s my first time here with the Rally1 car and the pace of my team-mates is really high, but we are not so far away and some of the stage times especially were really close to them. Of course, there were also some sections where we were maybe losing a little bit too much time, but the feeling has not been bad, and we will try to improve in these areas for tomorrow.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“The feeling was not so good on the first stage this morning, which was kind of expected with such twisty roads, but on the next stage it was starting to feel pretty good. Unfortunately, we went a bit too fast into one corner – the pacenote was probably too optimistic – and we slid into the rail on the outside and broke the suspension. We could make a creative fix to get back to service where the team was able to repair it properly. We tried a few things with the setup this afternoon and the feeling was getting better, and we’ll keep pushing tomorrow and see what we can gain.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“I’m quite pleased with the balance I found this morning, we decided not to change the setup too much and just push which seemed to be the right approach. We overtook Sami, finished in fourth and are not too far away from the podium. The rally is long, but I will keep my head down and focus on driving to the best of my abilities. Now that I’ve got the right balance, we can look into any other setup issues later on.”

Ott Tänak

“The conditions have been really nice and very consistent today; we haven’t been on the pace, but other than that it’s been okay. Adrien is doing very well, and it seems like the potential of the evo car is finally showing itself now – he’s been on the pace.”

Thierry Neuville

“Obviously it’s been a challenging day out there; we were carrying a technical issue all morning, so we were trying to work our setup around that. We got through this afternoon with a fresh rear differential and some new dampers, so we started from scratch trying to find a basic setup to get as much speed as possible. Tomorrow we’ll start again on something new, I have a list of things I want to test.”

Oliver Solberg

“It’s been a really strong day for us,” he said. “We won quite a few stages and really enjoyed driving this amazing Yaris on some very challenging roads. It was quite hard to judge the grip in some places – we were caught out in Isegami’s Tunnel first time through. I caught one of the drainage ditches and it spun the car. We dropped around 12 seconds. That was a little bit frustrating, but otherwise it’s been fantastic.

“It’s amazing to see so many fans at the side of the road and a real pleasure to be here competing for the first time. Let’s see what tomorrow brings now.”

Saturday

The second full day of competition will see the crews tackle seven stages and a total of almost 122km’s. What will the second day bring for the championship battle?