Relive the first day of the Saudi Arabia Rally with live text commentary

After a first special stage run on asphalt, won by Ott Tänak (Hyundai), the Rally The Saudi Arabia 2025 World Championships continue this Thursday morning. During the night in Jeddah, the Estonian completed the 5,22-kilometer course in 3:53.3. Among the two main contenders for the world title, Sébastien Ogier (ToyotaHe finished ahead of his teammate Elfyn Evans, taking second place in SS1, 1,2 seconds behind the Estonian. The championship leader, meanwhile, finished fifth, 2,1 seconds off the fastest time.

Thursday's program in Saudi Arabia features seven additional special stages on a notoriously unpredictable course. The standings could therefore change significantly. As a reminder, three points separate Elfyn Evans from Sébastien Ogier before the final round of the championship.

Mārtiņš Sesks (M-Sport) took third place in SS1 ahead of Thierry Neuville (Hyundai). The Belgian's teammate, Adrien fourmauxfinished in eighth place. For his return to WRCNasser Al-Attiyah (M-Sport) has already received a six-second penalty for a false start.

ALSO READ > Schedule, TV program, entrants: Thursday's program for the 2025 Saudi Arabia Rally

WRC – Saudi Arabia Rally

Relive the first day live with commentary

19:26 PM – 👋 Thank you for following us! Join us again at 06:25 AM this Friday for live commentary of the special stages of the second day of the Saudi Arabia Rally on AUTOhebdo.com.

19h23 - Here is the schedule for Friday in Saudi Arabia:

• 6:25pm – ES9 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 7:20pm – ES10 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 8:30pm – ES11 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 11:50pm – ES12 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 12:45pm – ES3 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 14h – ES14 (Canal+Sport 360)

19h20 - In WRC2, Oliver Solberg finished the first day of the Saudi Arabia Rally with a 1 minute and 20 second lead over Roope Korhonen. Nicolay Gryazin completed the provisional top three, 1 minute and 48 seconds behind.

19h09 - 📊 Here is the overall standings for the Saudi Arabia Rally after SS8:

19:07 PM – 📊 Sebastien Ogier wins SS8, tied with Mārtiņš Sesks! Here are the Super Special Stage standings:

19h02 - Mārtiņš Sesks sets off alongside Nasser Al-Attiya, to close the series of WRC starts in this SS8.

18h54 - The two leaders of the Rally finished 6th and 7th in SS8. They nevertheless retain the lead in the overall standings.

18h50 - It is now the turn of Adrien Fourmaux, leader of the Rally, and Sami Pajari, his closest pursuer, to face off in this Super Special Stage.

18h49 - Thierry Neuville wins his duel against Takamoto Katsuta, and is provisionally 3rd in the SS8 standings.

18h42 - Ott Tänak takes the second provisional time, ahead of Kalle Rovanperä in third. Sébastien Ogier therefore retains the lead in this Super Special Stage.

18h38 - Kalle Rovanperä and Ott Tänak are now off.

18h35 - Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier started side-by-side in this super special stage. The Frenchman finished 1,1 seconds ahead of the Welshman.

18:30 PM – 🟢 SS8 of the Saudi Arabia Rally has begun!

18h15 - The final special stage of this first day of the Saudi Arabia Rally will begin in 15 minutes!

18:07 p.m. – 📊 Here is the overall standings for the Saudi Arabia Rally before SS8:

18h01 - The last special stage of the day, SS8, will be 5,22 kilometers long.

17h50 - 👋 Hello again everyone, and welcome to AUTOhebdo.fr to follow the continuation of this WRC Saudi Arabia Rally! From 18:30 pm (French time), SS8 will restart the hostilities.

15h20 - 👋 Thank you for following us! Meet at 18:20 p.m., to follow the last special stage of the day with live commentary on AUTOhebdo.com.

Saudi Arabia Rally – SS7: Adrien Fourmaux takes the lead

15h10 - In WRC2, Oliver Solberg increased his lead to 1 minute 21 over Roope Korhonen, after winning his 4th special stage of the day.

15h05 - 📊 After the 7th special stage of the Saudi Arabia Rally, Adrien Fourmaux takes the lead! Here is the overall standings after SS7:

15h02 - 📊 Here are the final standings for SS7:

14h58 - Mārtiņš Sesks finishes behind Adrien Fourmaux, and concedes a few more seconds to the Rally leader, which he lost at the end of SS6.

14h54 - Before the final time trials, Ott Tänak still holds the best time for SS7, at 9:14.3.

14:51 p.m. – 📊 Here is the provisional classification for SS7 after the first runs:

14h47 - Adrien Fourmaux finishes SS7 in 9:17.2. After Sami Pajari's poor performance, the Frenchman takes the provisional lead of the Rally!

14h42 - Thierry Neuville just missed out on the fastest time. He missed first place in SS7 by less than a second.

14:39 PM – ⏱️ Ott Tänak improves the benchmark. The Estonian completes SS7 in 9:14.3.

14h34 - Elfyn Evans records a time of 9:33.0, but is already overtaken by Sébastien Ogier (-4,5s)!

14:29 PM – 🟢 SS7 of the Saudi Arabia Rally has begun!

14h20 - In WRC2, Nicolay Gryazin, for the second time today, gained a few seconds on Oliver Solberg. The Swede, however, maintains a more than comfortable lead in the Saudi Arabia Rally, 1 minute 19 seconds ahead of Roope Korhonen.

14h14 - 📊 The overall standings after the 6th special stage of the Saudi Arabia Rally:

14:12 – 📊 Here is the final standings for SS6: 

14h08 - Mārtiņš Sesks finished 9th in SS6, losing first place in the overall standings to Sami Pajari.

14h06 - 💥 Mārtiņš Sesks suffers a puncture, he loses precious time, and the Rally lead will slip through his fingers.

13:59 PM – ⏱️ The leaderboard changes again. Sami Pajari takes the lead with a time of 15:11.9.

13h56 - Adrien Fourmaux moves up to 2nd place in the provisional standings, behind Katsuta and ahead of Neuville.

13:53 PM – ⏱️ It's Takamoto Katsuta's turn to take the lead in SS6.

13:48 PM – ⏱️ Lap times continue to drop with each passing lap. Thierry Neuville takes the provisional lead with a time of 15:17.0. He is ahead of Ott Tänak, who had moved into first place just before him with the same time.

13:44 – ⏱️ Kalle Rovanperä takes the best time of SS6 in 15:23.3.

13h39 - Sébastien Ogier puts a few more seconds between himself and the Welshman. The Frenchman has just completed SS6 in 15:30.9 (-5,6s).

13h36 - Elfyn Evans finishes SS6 in 15:30.9, and sets the first benchmark of the special stage.

13h26 - The route for this special stage is 20,12 kilometers long, still in the Saudi desert.

13:24 PM – 🟢 The 6th special stage of this WRC Saudi Arabia Rally has now begun! Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier are on the roads of the course.

13h19 - In WRC2, Oliver Solberg has regained the lead after missing out on victory in SS4. The Swede continues to extend his advantage over Roope Korhonen. The category leaders are now separated by 1 minute and 9 seconds.

13:11 PM – 📊 Here is the overall standings for the Saudi Arabia Rally after SS5: 

13:09 – 📊 Here is the final standings for SS5: 

13:07 PM – Mārtiņš Sesks wins SS5 of the Saudi Arabia Rally. This is his third victory of the day!

13:04 – ⏱️ Mārtiņš Sesks sets the provisional best time at 10:35.4. 

13h00 - Mārtiņš Sesks is the last driver to reach the finish of SS5. For now, the Latvian is in the lead. He has already won two stages today.

12:50pm – ⏱️ Adrien Fourmaux sets the fastest time on the special stage with a time of 10:38.5. He is directly beaten by Sami Pajari, who completed the special in 10:37.6.

12h46 - 📊 Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak crossed the finish line ahead of Elfyn Evans, who plummeted down the standings. Sébastien Ogier remains the provisional leader.

12h42 - Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville are currently driving on the desert course, while Kalle Rovanperä takes the 2nd time.

12:38 – ⏱️ Sébastien Ogier completes SS5 in 10:45.7! He is 7,2 seconds faster than his title rival.

12h33 - Elfyn Evans set the first benchmark, with a time of 10:45.7. Sébastien Ogier should beat this time by a few seconds when he arrives.

12h26 - Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier have started the course. Slight advantage for the Frenchman after the first splits.

12:20 PM – 🟢 SS5 of the WRC Saudi Arabia Rally is underway!

12h05 - The fifth special stage of this WRC Saudi Arabia Rally will be 19,36 kilometers long. The start will be at 12:20 PM French time.

12h00 - 📊 It was an eventful day in Saudi Arabia, as evidenced by the overall standings after four special stages!

11h55 - If you missed the morning's events, here's everything you need to know about the final stage of the WRC Saudi Arabia Rally:

Saudi Arabia Rally – SS4: Ogier now far ahead of Evans, Sesks still in the lead

11:50 AM – 👋 Hello again everyone, and welcome to AUTOhebdo.fr to follow the rest of this WRC Saudi Arabia Rally! From 12:20 PM (French time), SS5 will restart the hostilities.

09h02 - 👋 Thank you for following us! Meet at 12:20 p.m., to follow the last four special stages of the day with live commentary on AUTOhebdo.com.

08h59 - In WRC2, Oliver Solberg suffered his first defeat of the day. Nicolay Gryazin took the class victory in SS4, but the Swede's overall lead over Roope Korhonen remains more than a minute.

08h48 - 📊 The overall standings after SS4 of the WRC Saudi Arabia Rally:

08:43 – 📊 Sami Pajari has taken the lead. After Mārtiņš Sesks' mistake, he wins SS4 of the WRC Saudi Arabia Rally:

08h38 - Mārtiņš Sesks made the same mistake as Elfyn Evans at a mid-course intersection. He also had to turn back, losing valuable time!

08:33 – ⏱️ Adrien Fourmaux does even better: 9:38.7 for the Frenchman who takes the lead in the provisional standings.

08:27 – ⏱️ Thierry Neuville takes the record in turn, with a time of 9:43.9

08h21 - 💬 Elfyn Evans admits his mistake: "I made a mistake at an intersection."

08:17 – ⏱️ Sébastien Ogier (9:47.7) takes another ten seconds' lead over Elfyn Evans during SS4!

08h15 - 08:55.5, Elfyn Evans sets the first benchmark.

08h13 - 💥 Puncture on the left rear for Kalle Rovanperä. The Finn chooses to continue!

08h10 - Elfyn Evans made a mistake while navigating a blind corner. The Welshman had to stop his Toyota for a few seconds to avoid spinning out.

08:08 – 🟢 SS4 is now underway! 11,33 kilometers to cover on a technical road.

08h03 - In WRC2, Oliver Solberg continues his dominance. His lead over Finland's Roope Korhonen is approaching one minute after SS3.

08:00 – 📊 Here is the overall standings for the WRC Saudi Arabia Rally after SS3: 

07:55 – 📊 Here is the final standings for SS3: 

07:52 – ⏱️ Mārtiņš Sesks doubles down this morning, and wins 2/2 specials in Saudi Arabia!

07h45 - 💬 Thierry Neuville after his visit: “We had a good pace. We had a slow puncture (luckily) 5 km from the end of the stage.”

07:41 – ⏱️ Times are dropping again. Adrien Fourmaux now takes the best time.

07:35 – ⏱️ Ott Tänak shines on SS3, erasing the provisional benchmark time just set by Thierry Neuville (15:37.6) – despite a puncture at the rear right. The Estonian beat the Belgian by more than 9 seconds, after completing the lap in 15:28.2. 

07h30 - 💬 Elfyn Evans frustrated at the end of the course: "This is probably the worst step."

07:25 AM – ⏱️ Sébastien Ogier is one second ahead of Elfyn Evans, but Kalle Rovanperä does even better! The Finn sets the provisional benchmark at 15:40.8!

07h20 - The Frenchman is slightly behind his rival at the halfway point.

07h16 - Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans are tackling the course in Saudi Arabia.

07:08 – 🟢 SS3, known as 'Moon Stage', has now begun! The rocky course will be 20.12 km long

07:06 – 📊 Here is the overall standings after SS2:

07h03 - In WRC2, Oliver Solberg inflicts another defeat on his opponents, and now has a 19-second lead over Roope Korhonen in the overall standings.

06:55 – 📊 Here is the final standings for SS2, won by Mārtiņš Sesks with M-Sport:

06:49 – ⏱️ Mārtiņš Sesks sets the fastest time on SS2. His time is enough to take the lead in the Rally!

06:43 – ⏱️ Sami Pajari beats Sébastien Ogier's best time by just over a second. The Frenchman retains the lead in the Rally.

06h42 - 💥 Puncture on the front right for Josh McErlean! This kind of incident was feared by everyone on a tricky course, but he is the first to pay the price.

06h37 - 💬 Thierry Neuville takes second place in the provisional standings: "New experience. We had a rough landing and our windshield is broken."

06h35 - 📊 Here is the SS2 standings after the first runs:

06h28 - 💥 After a hard landing, the windshield of Thierry Neuville's Hyundai cracked. Although the Belgian driver's visibility on the course is reduced, he continues on SS2.

06h25 - 💬 Elfyn Evans regrets her lack of risk-taking: "Perhaps I was a little too cautious in the middle of the special stage."

06:22 – ⏱️ Sébastien Ogier smashes Elfyn Evans' time: 10 minutes and 40,2 seconds for the Frenchman, who increases his lead to nearly 14 seconds over his rival in the general classification!

06h18 - Elfyn Evans was the first to set a time. The Welshman completed SS2 in 10 minutes and 53 seconds. Sébastien Ogier is still ahead of that time.

06h12 - Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans are at the halfway point, and the Frenchman currently has a slight lead over his teammate.

06:08 – 🟢 SS2 is underway in Saudi Arabia. It's a long stage: 19,36 km!

06h02 - Here is the program for Thursday, November 27th, with the times of the seven special events planned:

• 6h05 - ES2 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 7:05pm – ES3 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 8h – ES4 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 12:20pm – ES5 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 13:20pm – ES6 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 14:15pm – ES7 (Canal+Sport 360)
• 23h – ES8 (Canal+Sport 360, delayed broadcast)

05h55 - If you missed the first special stage of this Rally, here's everything you need to know:

Saudi Arabia Rally – SS1: Ott Tänak ahead of Sébastien Ogier, Evans 5th

05h50 - 📊 Leader Ott Tänak only has a one-second advantage over Sébastien Ogier before the start of this new special stage!

05h45 - 👋 Hello everyone, welcome to AUTOhebdo.fr to follow the continuation of this WRC Saudi Arabia Rally! From 06:05 (French time), SS2 will restart the hostilities.