Sebastien Ogier edged Elfyn Evans at the inaugural Rally Saudi Arabia to claim the 2025 WRC championship crown, equaling the legendary Sebastien Loeb’s record nine titles.
In a thrilling climax to the 2025 World Rally Championship season, the Frenchman along with his co-driver Vincent Landais delivered a commanding third-place finish beating Toyota teammate Evans by four points.
Ogier’s journey to the record-equaling ninth crown, his third with Toyota after triumphs with Volkswagen and M-Sport, capped a season of six wins from 11 starts, including Monte Carlo, Portugal, Sardinia, Paraguay, Chile, and Japan, where he closed a three-point gap post-Central European Rally.
Entering the event in Jeddah, Sebastien Ogier trailed Elfyn Evans by just three points after a dominant victory at Rally Japan, setting the stage for an intense intra-team battle amid the demanding Saudi desert and mountain terrain.
The WRC Saudi Arabia 2025 featured 17 stages held over 319.44 kilometers of abrasive gravel, soft sand, and rocky paths under high temperatures which tested the limits of man and machine, with punctures and tire issues plaguing the field.
However, Ogier’s calculated precision propelled him from a mid-pack start to podium glory and championship immortality.
The action ignited on Wednesday evening with a short opening stage, where Ogier started third behind Toyota teammates Evans and Kalle Rovanpera, and proceeded to post a steady time without taking unnecessary risks, mindful of the road-sweeping effect that disadvantaged early runners on loose surfaces.
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Thursday’s marathon leg featured seven grueling stages, including sandy desert tracks that chewed through tires and rocky mountain roads that demanded flawless navigation from Landais, whose positive energy kept Ogier sharp.
Early in the day, Rovanpera suffered tire damage, dropping back, while Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux surged ahead with a near-flawless run, leading by 6.0 seconds over Sami Pajari at the close of Day 1.
Meanwhile, Ogier methodically built position without incident, ending the leg in a solid midfield spot focused on championship math rather than outright pace.
Friday brought high drama as the rally shortened to six stages with Evans conceding 1 minute 40 seconds on the morning loop after stopping for a tire change, handing Ogier a slim advantage despite his own afternoon setback from a slow tire pressure loss that cost valuable seconds.
Ogier absorbed the hit by maintaining composure on the abrasive surfaces where punctures felled rivals, finishing just two places ahead of Evans and effectively taking the 2025 WRC championship lead by one point entering the decisive Super Saturday.
Fourmaux held a strong lead for Hyundai, but the Toyota trio—Evans, Ogier, and Rovanpera—prioritized survival over speed, navigating the cleaning effect and heat that amplified tire wear risks, as Ogier clawed toward the top five with consistent splits.
Saturday’s finale, with three critical stages including the 33.28-kilometer Asfan test—the rally’s longest—proved pivotal in Ogier’s masterful title clinch.
In the morning opener, Ogier matched Evans to 0.1 seconds, showcasing razor-sharp parity, before unleashing in Asfan, outpacing his rival by 7.9 seconds to vault into third overall as troubles struck others, like Takamoto Katsuta’s roll while defending podium.
Four places now separated Ogier from Evans, securing breathing room, and though Evans fired back with the fastest Power Stage time by 7.2 seconds, Ogier outrun him in the overall Super Saturday classification by 0.8 seconds, netting seven more points to finish with 293 against Evans’ 289.
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe claimed WRC Saudi Arabia 2025 victory, leading a Hyundai 1-2 with Fourmaux 54.7 seconds back, while Ogier crossed 1m03.3s adrift in third.
Sami Pajari took fourth, Katsuta fifth despite his mishap, and Evans sixth 3m43.9s adrift.
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Rally Saudi Arabia 2025: Thierry Neuville wins, Sebastien Ogier seals title
