Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Loeb penalized, Moraes moves up to 2nd overall

Sébastien Loeb thought he had limited the damage on Tuesday during Stage 3 of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The Alsatian, who started first after his stage victory the day before, crossed the finish line in 5th place, just 4″38 behind the day's winner, his teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah. Unfortunately, a few hours after the end of the stage – interrupted due to strong winds – the race stewards gave him a two-minute penalty for speeding in a restricted area.

ℹ️ LOEB PENALIZED | ULTIMATE@SebastienLoeb has been handed down a 2-minute penalty for speeding, changing the face of the stage and overall standings. The Frenchman has been relegated to sixth in the stage, 6′38″ down, which also frustrates the Dacia 1-2 on the provisional… pic.twitter.com/P43YHbt0i1

- World Rally-Raid Championship @ 🏍 (@ OfficialW2RC) February 25, 2025

A sanction that has consequences for the stage ranking and the general ranking: with these two additional minutes, Sébastien Loeb is finally ranked 6th in Stage 3, 6'38 behind Nasser Al-Attiyah. Above all, the Tricolore loses his 2nd place overall and falls behind Lucas Moraes. Now, the nine-time champion WRC is 2'46 behind the Qatari, the new leader of the Emirati event. Nevertheless, the Frenchman will be able to take his revenge on Wednesday, as he will start sixth on Stage 4, the longest of this Emirati event (300 kilometers).

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