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Relive the first day of the Canary Islands Rally with live commentary

Relive the first day of the Canary Islands Rally, the fourth round of the 2025 WRC season, with live commentary on AUTOhebdo.

Published 25/04/2025 à 16:05

Dorian Grangier

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Relive the first day of the Canary Islands Rally with live commentary

© Red Bull Content Pool

Here is the first new one rally of the 2025 season in WRCThe Canary Islands Rally, one of the classic events of theERC, will be added to the World Rally Championship calendar for the first time in 2025. The Spanish event will consist of 18 special stages, spread over three days of competition, for a total of 301,30 timed kilometers.

Friday, April 25 (118,84 km)
09:03 p.m. – SS1 : Valsequillo – Telde 1 – 26,32 km: Kalle Rovanpera
10:49 p.m. – SS2 : Velleseco – Artenara 1 – 15,27 km: Kalle Rovanpera
12:25 p.m. – SS3 : La Aldea – Mogan 1 – 17,83 km: Kalle Rovanpera
16:18 p.m. – SS4 : Valsequillo – Telde 2 – 26,32 km: Kalle Rovanpera
18:04 p.m. – SS5 : Velleseco – Artenara 2 – 15,27 km: Kalle Rovanpera
19:40 p.m. – SS6 : La Aldea – Mogan 2 – 17,83 km: Kalle Rovanpera

> Follow the evolution of the ranking live via the official WRC Live Timing

WRC – Canary Islands Rally
Relive the first day live with commentary

20h20 – 👋 Thank you all for following us, and see you tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. for the second day of the Canary Islands Rally! Have a good evening!

Rally Canary Islands – Rovanperä and Toyota disgust the competition

20:19 p.m. – SS6 : 🏁 It was therefore a perfect day for Kalle Rovanperä who won all the day's special stages, a first since the Safari Rally 2024! The Finn largely dominates this Rally of the Canary Islands with a nice lead of 26″8 over Sébastien Ogier at the end of this first stage. The five Toyota are in the top five places in the general classification.

ES6 – Rankings


20:18 p.m. – SS6 : Josh McErlean is no better, quite the opposite: the young Irishman finishes this SS6 with a delay of 26″4.

20:15 p.m. – SS6 : Grégoire Munster ended this difficult day with a delay of 16″3 on the time of Kalle Rovanperä.

20:12 p.m. – SS6 : Sami Pajari crossed the finish line with the third provisional time, 3 seconds behind his compatriot. A good day for the Finnish rookie, who finished fourth overall on Friday evening.

20:09 p.m. – SS6 : Takamoto Katsuta finished SS6 7 seconds behind Kalle Rovanperä. The Japanese rider finished the first day in 9th place overall.

20:08 p.m. – SS6 : 💬 Kalle Rovanperä: “It’s a really good feeling. It’s surprisingly nice to have this kind of rally on asphalt; it’s been a long time since we’ve had one. I don’t know who was second fastest now, but I had good pace. Now, hopefully, we’ll know what to do with the car tomorrow. We tested a few things here, so it should be okay.”

20:06 a.m. – SS6: ⏱️ Kalle Rovanperä is out of this world! The Finn sets the fastest time for the sixth time in as many special stages - exceptional! The double world champion recorded a time of 10:34, 4 seconds better than Sébastien Ogier, and increased his lead to 1 seconds in the general classification of the Canary Islands Rally!

20:03 – ES6: 🇫🇷 Complicated end of the day for Adrien fourmaux who concedes 14″1 to Sébastien Ogier on this special! The Northerner passes behind Thierry Neuville et Ott Tänak in the general classification and finished this Friday in 8th place, despite a promising morning. “It was a difficult day for everyone HyundaiWe're still learning. It's been a long time since we've driven on dry tarmac. We need to understand. I really tried to save the tires in this stage, but the time is bad."

20:00 a.m. – SS6: ⏱️🇫🇷 Sébastien Ogier clocked a great time of 10:36 and took the provisional best time of SS1. « "We can't say it was a fantastic day because Kalle had a better day than us. He was impressive today."

19:57 – SS6: Ott Tänak is once again slower than Thierry Neuville and even falls behind his teammate in the general classification! The Estonian finishes SS3 9 seconds behind Elfyn Evans and is now provisionally ranked 6th in the Canary Islands Rally.

19:54 – SS6: Thierry Neuville finished this laborious day behind Elfyn Evans, again, with a slight deficit of 1 seconds over the Welshman. Enough to give some optimism for tomorrow? “I don’t know what to say. Days like this are very hard to swallow. But at the end of the day, it’s not the end of the world. I’m not sure we learned anything today. We know we have two days left and we have to stay positive.”

19:50 a.m. – SS6: ⏱️ Elfyn Evans sets a first reference time of 10'40"7, which is a little slower than Kalle Rovanperä's time this morning. "It was pretty good. The feeling isn't great yet, I'll be honest. It's hard to be right everywhere, and it's a little frustrating to be like this, but we're here."

19:46 p.m. – SS6 : No matter the conditions, the work of the drivers behind the wheel and pedals is always impressive to watch...

19:43 p.m. – SS6 : 🔎 This morning, Kalle Rovanperä set the fastest time on the first run of this special in 10'39"5.

19h40 – ES6 : 🟢 Elfyn Evans takes the start, it's time for the 6th and final special of the day! 

18h55 – 👋 Meet at 19:40 p.m. for the start of SS6 (La Aldea – Mogan 2 – 17,83 km).

18h53 - ES5: 🇬🇧 In WRC2, Yohan Rossel still leads the category after five stages. Like Kalle Rovanperä, the Frenchman has won every stage so far. Oliver Solberg, who is not eligible for points this weekend, encountered a transmission issue early on in SS5 and lost more than a minute and a half.

18:41 a.m. – SS5: 🏁 Kalle Rovanperä received five out of five! The Finn has secured his fifth consecutive scratch in as many stages and is in contention for a perfect day in Gran Canaria. His lead is now 25 seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier at the top of the rally.

ES5 – Rankings


18:40 – SS5: And it's still a long way off for Josh McErlean, who lost another 25 seconds on this SS2. Overall, he's even behind Yohan Rossel, who's riding a Rally5...

18:37 – SS5: Grégoire Munster finished this special with a delay of 18″7. The Fords M-Sport are anonymous this Friday in Gran Canaria.

18:34 – SS5: Sami Pajari set a very good time, within the lap times of the other Toyota drivers. The Finnish rookie finished just 4 seconds behind Kalle Rovanperä's time.

18:31 p.m. – ES5: 🆙 Takamoto Katsuta concedes only 6 seconds to his Finnish teammate and overtakes Adrien Fourmaux in the general classification. The Japanese driver is now 2th, 5 seconds ahead of the Frenchman. So, we have a Toyota quintuple leading the Canary Islands Rally!

18:31 p.m. – SS5: 💬 Kalle Rovanperä: "We're always trying to find more. These last two stages have been very enjoyable. We'll try to have a really good last stage, because we struggled a bit this morning."

18:28 a.m. – SS5: ⏱️ And guess what? For the fifth time today, Kalle Rovanperä sets the best time in the special! The Finn continued to attack and recorded a time of 8:55, 5 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans! He extended his lead to 2 seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier in the overall standings.

Rovanperä ES5 Canary Islands Rally WRC

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

18:25 – ES5: 🇫🇷 Compared to his teammates, Adrien Fourmaux is having a bit more trouble this afternoon: the Northerner arrives with a deficit of 7″8 on Elfyn Evans, behind Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak. "Nothing to say. I'm just slow."

18:22 – ES5: 🇫🇷 This time, Sébastien Ogier lost to Elfyn Evans. The eight-time world champion finished 0 seconds behind his Toyota teammate on this 4th special stage. "A lot of fog, it's difficult. [Rovanperä] is simply faster, I wish I knew how!"

18:19 – SS5: Ott Tänak was once again slower than his teammate and finished 4 seconds behind Elfyn Evans.

18:16 – SS5: Unsurprisingly, Thierry Neuville finished behind Elfyn Evans: the Belgian was still 3 seconds behind the Welshman. "It's perhaps the first special where I was able to push a little harder, but I was still far behind."

18:13 – SS5: ️ Elfyn Evans is therefore the first to finish this SS5 with a time of 8'57″9. It's already faster than this morning. "It was difficult this morning, and it's still difficult today. There's quite a bit of fog, even though the road is dry. I'm not happy with my stage, but it's okay."

18:11 p.m. – SS5 : ⏪ Speaking of the first run, it was obviously Kalle Rovanperä who set the best time this morning on this special in 8'59″5.

18h09 – ES5: ☁️ Like this morning, the clouds are very low on this Velleseco – Artenara special and the fog is still present, although less thick than during the first pass.

18:07 p.m. – SS5 : Since the start of the day, Toyota has impressed and dominated this Canary Islands Rally, as evidenced by the two quintuplets (!) on the last two special stages.

18:04 p.m. – SS5 : 🟢 SS5 is underway with the departure of championship leader Elfyn Evans! 

17h25 – 👋 Meet at 18:04 a.m. for the start of SS5 (Velleseco – Artenara 2 – 15,27 km).

17:24 p.m. – SS4 : 🛠️ With his mechanical problem, Léo Rossel has dropped to 7th place in the Rally2 classification. He now finds himself 35 seconds behind his brother in the general classification.

17:10 p.m. – SS4 : 🇫🇷 In Rally2, Yohan Rossel currently holds the provisional best time in the category with a 0″ lead over Oliver Solberg who, let us remember, cannot score any WRC4 points this weekend. On the other hand, a hard blow for Léo Rossel: victim of a problem with his accelerator pedal, the Frenchman lost 2″ on this special.

17:02 a.m. – SS4: 🏁 Kalle Rovanperä to the power of four! The Finn scored a fourth consecutive scratch this Friday. On another planet, the double world champion impresses and sees his lead increase to 22″ ahead of Sébastien Ogier.

ES4 – Rankings


17:01 – SS4: And it's no better for Josh McErlean: the Irish rookie crosses the finish line with a significant delay of 39 seconds.

16:58 – SS4: If Hyundai are struggling in Gran Canaria, then what can we say about M-Sport, which is simply nowhere to be seen? Grégoire Munster finished this 4th special stage 28 seconds behind Kalle Rovanperä…

16:55 p.m. – ES4: 🆙 Sami Pajari lost 11 seconds to his compatriot Kalle Rovanperä on this SS2. The young Finn climbed to 4th place overall ahead of Adrien Fourmaux, 4 seconds ahead of the Frenchman.

16:52 – SS4: Takamoto Katsuta, behind his teammates at Toyota, finished 12 seconds behind Kalle Rovanperä.

16:49 p.m. – SS4 : ⏱️ And like this morning, Kalle Rovanperä put everyone in agreement and took the best time in 15'39"9, with a 4"5 lead over Sébastien Ogier's time! The Finn further increases his lead at the top of the Canary Islands Rally, now 22 seconds ahead of his French teammate!

16:46 – ES4: 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux finished 10 seconds behind his compatriot. This time, unlike this morning, the Northerner was behind his two Hyundai teammates on this special. "Everything's fine. I'm just not happy with my time."

16:43 a.m. – SS4: ⏱️🇫🇷 Like this morning, Sébastien Ogier beat the time of the three drivers who started before him and clocked a time of 15'44"4. That's 3 seconds better than Elfyn Evans. "With the higher temperatures in the afternoon, it's not easy. Inside the car, everything is fine, but the tires are suffering and moving a lot."

16:40 – SS4: Ott Tänak did slightly better than his teammate and finished 6 seconds behind Elfyn Evans. Hyundai is still behind Toyota despite setting changes in the service park.

16:37 – SS4: Thierry Neuville is on the mend, conceding "only" 6 seconds to Elfyn Evans on this SS9. This morning, the Hyundai driver lost 4 seconds to the Welshman on this same stage. "We may have made some improvements, but it's certainly not enough."

16:34 p.m. – SS4 : ⏱️ Elfyn Evans sets a first reference time of 15'47″4. This is slower than Kalle Rovanperä's time this morning despite significantly better weather conditions... "From the start, I didn't have a good feeling. It seems like there's more understeer than this morning."

16:29 p.m. – SS4 : For now, we're seeing the same scenario as this morning, with the Hyundais unable to keep up with Elfyn Evans' pace. Halfway through the race, Thierry Neuville is already 3 seconds behind the Welshman.

16:27 p.m. – SS4 : ☀️ This morning's fog has cleared, and the stage is taking place entirely in bright sunshine. Temperatures have risen above 20°C.

16:24 – SS4: ???????? An update on the ranking of the French drivers before their departure in this second loop:

Rally1 (WRC)
2nd – Sébastien Ogier (+17″8)
4th – Adrien Fourmaux (+34″2)
Rally2 (WRC2)
1st – Yohan Rossel
3th – Léo Rossel (+20″0)
Ab. – Mathieu Franceschi
Rally3 (WRC3)
1st – Arthur Pelamourgues
2nd – Mattéo Chatillon (+8″4)
3rd – Ghjuvanni Rossi (+43″9)

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

16:21 p.m. – SS4 : During the first pass this morning on the Valsequillo – Telde special stage, the longest of this Canary Islands Rally, it was Kalle Rovanperä who set the best time in 15'43″0.

16h18 – ES4 : 🟢 The second loop is launched with the departure of Elfyn Evans on SS4! 

16h18 – 🔎 For the tires, all the Rally1 drivers made the same choice on this second loop with five hard tires, and therefore only one spare wheel.

16h14 – After the traditional stop at the service park, the drivers return to the road to reach the start of the fourth special stage.

16h10 – 📸 Visually, for its first appearance on the WRC calendar, this Canary Islands Rally is already a success with sublime postcard scenery.

16h07 – 🔎 Update on the general classification before the start of SS4 with an imperial Kalle Rovanperä this morning and Toyotas in great shape, unlike the Hyundai and the M-Sport Fords. In WRC2, it is Yohan Rossel who leads the debates with a 1″8 advantage over Alejandro Cachon and a 20″0 advantage over his brother Léo Rossel.

16h05 – We are back for the second loop of this Friday on the Canary Islands Rally with the second pass on the three special stages of the day.

13h15 – 👋 Meet at 16:18 p.m. for the start of SS4 (Valsequillo – Telde 2 – 26,32 km)

Rally Canary Islands – Ideal start for Rovanperä and Toyota, Hyundai behind

13:14 p.m. – SS3 : 🇫🇷 As in the first two special stages, Yohan Rossel currently has the best provisional time in the Rally2 category with a time of 11:01. Léo Rossel finished 4 seconds behind in this special stage and is now 5 seconds behind his brother in the overall standings.

13:05 a.m. – SS3: 🏁 Three out of three for Kalle Rovanperä, who achieved a new scratch this Friday morning! The Finn is leading the Canary Islands Rally with insolent ease and is now 17 seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier.

ES3 – Rankings


13:03 – SS3: Josh McErlean finished this 3rd special 26 seconds behind the reference time.

13:00 – SS3: There is some improvement for Grégoire Munster, who nevertheless concedes 16″0 to Kalle Rovanperä on this 17,8 kilometer course.

12:57 – SS3: Sami Pajari comes in between the four other Toyotas and sets the provisional 4th fastest time, 4 seconds behind Kalle Rovanperä. For now, we're heading towards a Toyota quintuple on this SS5!

12:54 p.m. – ES3: 🆙 Takamoto Katsuta arrives 6″6 behind Kalle Rovanperä, the Japanese climbs to 5th place overall ahead of Ott Tänak.

12:51 a.m. – SS3: ⏱️ There's no stopping Kalle Rovanperä, who sets (once again) the best time! The Finn clocked 10:39 seconds, beating Sébastien Ogier by 5 seconds! He extended his lead to 2 seconds ahead of the Frenchman in the overall standings. "It wasn't good at all. I struggled a lot more on this stage than on the others, especially at the beginning. I don't know why. I had a lot of understeer. I couldn't get the tires and balance to work, it was really difficult."

12:48 – SS3: 🇬🇧 For the third time in a row, Adrien Fourmaux is the best Hyundai driver. However, the Frenchman is unable to close the gap with the Toyotas and is 7 seconds behind Sébastien Ogier.

12:45 a.m. – SS3: ⏱️🇫🇷 Sébastien Ogier sets the provisional best time of this SS3 in 10:41, 5 ahead of Elfyn Evans! “It went well. To be honest, the first stage was where we struggled the most with the tires. It was a good stage, but it wasn't perfect. We need to try some small adjustments.”

12:43 – SS3: And finally, Ott Tänak finished behind his teammate and conceded another 7 seconds to Elfyn Evans. How tough it was for the Hyundai drivers! "It's not a question of nervousness [of the car], it's just an overall problem. It's quite surprising. The engineers have no idea what's going on."

12:40 p.m. – SS3 : Thierry Neuville arrives 6 seconds behind the Welshman, which further confirms that the Hyundai is behind the Toyotas. Behind, Ott Tänak is barely faster than the Belgian... "I have no idea. Honestly, it's not very pleasant and it doesn't work. I can't take any lines. Nothing works.", concedes the reigning world champion, dejected.

12:37 p.m. – SS3 : ️ Elfyn Evans sets a 10'43"4 as the first reference time on this SS3. "This stage was tricky for the tires, it wasn't easy, there were a lot of pace note corrections here."

12:32 p.m. – SS3 : After two intermediates, Thierry Neuville is already 2 seconds behind Elfyn Evans…

12:28 – SS3: This morning, the first two stages took place in thick fog, especially in SS2. In this SS3, there shouldn't be any.

12:25 p.m. – SS3 : 🢢 Elfyn Evans takes the start of SS3, the last special of this morning loop!

11h55 - 👋 Meet at 12:25 p.m. for the start of SS2 (La Aldea – Mogan 1 – 17,83 km).

11:52 p.m. – SS2 : 🇫🇷 An update on the French after the ES2. Mathieu Franceschi stopped in the special stage and does not seem to be able to restart...

Rally1 (WRC)
2nd – Sébastien Ogier (+15″8)
4th – Adrien Fourmaux (+24″6)
Rally2 (WRC2)
1st – Yohan Rossel
4th – Léo Rossel (+14″3)
Ab. – Mathieu Franceschi
Rally3 (WRC3)
1st – Arthur Pelamourgues
2nd – Mattéo Chatillon (+11″0)
3rd – Ghjuvanni Rossi (+34″6)

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

11:36 p.m. – SS2 : It's the turn of the WRC2s to reach the finish of SS2. Yohan Rossel sets the benchmark time in 9:22 ahead of his brother Léo Rossel (+5) and Oliver Solberg (+8).

11:27 a.m. – SS2: 🏁 Second special and second scratch for Kalle Rovanperä! The Finn is on the attack this Friday morning and so far, it's paying off! He's increased his lead to 15 seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier, who leads the Canary Islands Rally.

ES2 – Rankings


11:26 – SS2: Josh McErlean is very cautious in these rather special conditions: the light-footed Irishman finishes this SS2 35 seconds behind Kalle Rovanperä. This is obviously the slowest time of the Rally7.

11:23 – SS2: The first M-Sport driver to cross the finish line, Grégoire Munster, was 23 seconds behind the reference time set by the Finn.

11:20 – SS2: Sami Pajari, who is equipped with two soft tires, arrives with the 5th provisional time, 12″4 behind Kalle Rovanperä.

11:17 – SS2: Takamoto Katsuta finished SS2 15 seconds behind Kalle Rovanperä, despite having a soft tyre fitted to the No. 3 Toyota Yaris.

11:14 a.m. – SS2: ⏱️ Kalle Rovanperä takes the best time, and by far! The Finn clocked 8'59"5, 6"7 better than Sébastien Ogier! "I definitely could have done better. At the beginning of the stage, I wasn't very smooth, even though the conditions weren't that bad. (…) It's really difficult to attack in these conditions. Our reconnaissance team is doing a very good job with the pace notes. I have a good feeling so far."

11:11 – ES2: 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux started strongly with a fastest time in the first intermediate stage, but ultimately finished 5 seconds behind his compatriot. He was once again the best Hyundai driver. "I felt good. It was a tricky stage, I don't feel much grip with the car. I'm not very happy with it. The balance is good, but the grip is a bit weird."

11:08 a.m. – SS2: ⏱️🇫🇷 Sébastien Ogier took the provisional best time in 9'06″2, 3″1 better than Elfyn Evans. "I'm happy about that. The stage was shorter, so there were no problems with the tires. There was also a bit of humidity, a bit colder temperature, so it's easier to manage [the tires]."

11:05 p.m. – SS2 : 4″8 behind Ott Tänak in this second special, here too there is an improvement for the Estonian compared to SS1.

11h02 – ES2: Thierry Neuville is improving, even if the Belgian is not yet as fast as Elfyn Evans. The Hyundai driver lost 5 seconds to the Welshman in this SS5. "It's not a surprise, to be honest. I can't tell you what's going on, I don't know!", confides the reigning world champion.

10h59 – ES2: ⏱️ Elfyn Evans sets the first benchmark in 9:09. “A lot of fog with changes in grip, it wasn't easy.”

10h57 – ES2: The final stage, on the other hand, takes place under bright sunshine and a dry track. An incredible environment on this island of Gran Canaria!

10h55 – ES2: Elfyn Evans plunges into increasingly thick fog, with the road really wet in places. For now, Thierry Neuville is riding within a second of the Welshman.

10:52 a.m. – ES2: ☁️ There's a lot more fog on this stage, with even a light drizzle making the road damp in some places. Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari, the only riders to have taken at least one soft tire this morning, could have an advantage on this route.

10:49 p.m. – SS2: 🟢 This second special stage is underway with the departure of Elfyn Evans.

10h25 – 👋 Meet at 10:49 a.m. for the start of SS2 (Velleseco – Artenara 1 – 15,27 km).

10h20 – ES1: ???????? An update on the French after SS1 : in Rally1, Sébastien Ogier is 3rd (+9″1) and Adrien Fourmaux is 4th (+12″8). In WRC2, Yohan Rossel is in the lead, Léo Rossel is 5th (+5″7), Mathieu Franceschi is 6th (+7″7).

© Red Bull Content Pool

10:07 p.m. – SS1 : Nikolay Gryazin took 3rd place in the WRC2 category, 4 seconds behind Yohan Rossel, behind Alejandro Cachon (+5 seconds). Emil Lindholm, back in Rally2 three years after his title, has the 4th time, 5″0 behind the Frenchman.

9h55 – ES1: The first Rally2 drivers are starting to arrive. So far, Yohan Rossel is the fastest in 16:23 seconds (the same time as Josh McErlean in Rally9…), ahead of his brother Léo Rossel (+1 seconds) and Oliver Solberg (+5 seconds). The Swede is not eligible for points this weekend.

9h47 – ES1: 🏁 Kalle Rovanperä therefore takes the first scratch of the weekend in this Rally of the Canary Islands! The Finn logically takes the lead of the race ahead of two other Toyotas, those of Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier. Hyundai is already in trouble...

ES1 – Ranking

9h47 – ES1: It's even further for Josh McErlean who finishes this SS1 with a 40″9 deficit to Kalle Rovanperä.

9:44 – SS1: It's the M-Sport drivers' turn to complete this first special, starting with Grégoire Munster. The Belgian-Luxembourger is far behind the competition and is already 21 seconds behind the best.

9h41 – ES1: Sami Pajari finished this first special stage 17 seconds behind his compatriot. He was only faster than Thierry Neuville.

9h38 – ES1: No Toyota quadruple on this special: Takamoto Katsuta finished 10 seconds behind his teammate (and friend) Kalle Rovanperä, the provisional 9th time behind Adrien Fourmaux and Ott Tänak.

9h35 – ES1: ️ Best time for Kalle Rovanperä! The Finn started his weekend ideally with the best time of SS1 in 15:43″0, 6″5 better than Elfyn Evans. "I'm a little surprised by the time to be honest, I didn't have a good feeling. The tire pressure wasn't optimal and we have to be better on the next stage. We can improve."

9h32 – ES1: 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux is the best Hyundai driver on this special: the Frenchman arrives 6″3 behind Elfyn Evans, and ahead of his two teammates. "It's a nice stage with a bit of fog in some places and some dirt in some corners. I didn't expect so much, but for the most part it's very clean. I had a good stage, I'm happy."

9h29 – ES1: 🇫🇷 Ahead at the start of the special, Sébastien Ogier finally recorded the 2nd provisional time, 2″6 behind Elfyn Evans. "We struggled with the tires, there was too much pressure and it wasn't working. I'm happy to be back in the car. I wasn't as precise as I would have liked."

9h26 – ES1: Difficult start for the Hyundai: Ott Tänak arrives 10 seconds behind Elfyn Evans. "It's terribly difficult," says the Estonian upon arrival.

9h23 – ES1: Thierry Neuville's delay was confirmed at the finish: the Belgian was already 13 seconds behind his British opponent at the end of this first special.

9h20 – ES1: ️ Elfyn Evans sets the first reference time in 15'49″0 on this SS1. Thierry Neuville is already 10 seconds behind at the penultimate intermediate. "Pretty good overall. A few foggy spots, windshield mist, and a few wet corners.", confides the Welshman.

9h18 – ES1: Elfyn Evans arrives at the end of the special, higher up, and finds himself in the middle of the fog in the forest. A fog that is not very thick and quite brief.

9h16 – ES1: Halfway through the special, Thierry Neuville is 4 seconds behind Elfyn Evans. At the first intermediate stage, Sébastien Ogier is currently the fastest.

9h12 – ES1: 🔎 To give you an idea of ​​the magnificent roads the drivers will be taking this weekend in the Canary Islands, here is the replay of the shakedown with onboard camera with Kalle Rovanperä.

9h09 – ES1: 🌤️ Weather-wise, the sun is rising quietly over Gran Canaria. There are a few clouds to report, but overall, it's nice on the Spanish island. The temperature is around 10-15°C, and the track is generally dry, with a few slightly damp patches due to dew.

9h06 – ES1: 🔎 We start this rally with the Valsequillo – Telde special stage, which is nothing less than the longest special stage of the weekend, with 26,32 kilometers to cover.

9h03 – ES1: 🢢 Elfyn Evans takes off on the first special stage; the Canary Islands Rally is underway! 

9h00 – 🔎 While the Spanish event is included for the first time on the WRC calendar, the crews carried out their pace notes in complicated circumstances, on often busy roads. It will be necessary to measure what impact this will have on the race, with possible errors...

Canary Islands – Difficult reconnaissance

8h58 – 🔎 We know the Rally1 drivers' tire choices for this first loop of the day. All drivers are starting with five hard tires, with the exception of Katsuta (four hard, one soft) and Sami Pajari (four hard, two soft), who is the only one to start with two extra wheels in the trunk of his Yaris.

8h56 – ⏪ Yesterday morning, Kalle Rovanperä set the fastest time in a 6,40-kilometer shakedown. A good warm-up for the Finn, who has been struggling at the start of the season.

Rally Canarias – Shakedown: Kalle Rovanperä starts the event on the right foot

8h54 – 🔢 An update on the situation in the Drivers’ Championship before the start of this 4th round of the 2025 season:

1) Elfyn Evans (Toyota) – 88 points
2) Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) – 52 points
3) Ott Tänak (Hyundai) – 49 points
4) Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) – 33 points
5) Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai) – 31 points
6) Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) – 31 points
7) Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) – 25 points
8) Sami Pajari (Toyota) – 19 points
9) Grégoire Munster (M-Sport Ford) – 16 points
10) Martins Sesks (M-Sport Ford) – 8 points
11) Josh McErlean (M-Sport Ford) – 8 points

8h51 – For this grand premiere, the public responded in force yesterday at the opening ceremony. The streets of Las Palmas were packed to see the machines and their drivers parade before the rally's grand start this morning.

8h48 – 🔎🇮🇨 This is the first time that the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago west of the Moroccan coast, has hosted the WRC. Created in 1977, the Canary Islands Rally was previously part of the ERC (European Rally Championship) calendar. This event, which will take place on the island of Gran Canaria, is the first of three new rounds of the WRC season, along with Paraguay (August 28-31) and Saudi Arabia (November 27-30).

8h45 – 👋 Hello everyone ! Welcome to this live commentary to follow the first day of the Rallye Canarias, the fourth round of the 2025 WRC season! The start of SS1 (Valsequillo – 26,32 km) will be given in a few minutes, at 9:03!

WRC Rally of the Canary Islands Live Commentary

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

ALSO READ > The 2025 Canary Islands Rally program

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Dorian Grangier

A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.

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