Fourmaux in the lead, Ogier virtually crowned champion: relive the second day of the Saudi Arabia Rally with our live text commentary

After the first day of Rally of Saudi Arabia WRC By 2025, the two championship leaders will be neck and neck. As things stand, and bearing in mind that the Super Sunday and Power Stage will also award points to the drivers, Sébastien Ogier is gradually closing in on the 9th title he so desperately desires. After a difficult day, the Frenchman is currently 7th overall (6 points). This position would allow him to score four more points than Elfyn Evans (9th provisionally – 2 points), the championship leader before this rally, with three points separating them.

Thursday's program in Saudi Arabia features six additional special stages on a notoriously unpredictable course. The standings could therefore change significantly. As a reminder, before the start of the day, Adrien fourmaux leads the overall standings, with a six-second lead over Sami Pajari.

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

WRC – Saudi Arabia Rally

Relive the second day with live commentary

👋 Thank you all for following us, see you tomorrow morning for the last three special stages! Of course, they will be available to follow live on AUTOhebdo.fr… Have a good Friday and see you tomorrow!

Saturday's program: 

7h – ES15 (Canal+Sport 360)
8:20pm – ES16 (Canal+Sport 360)
11h – ES17 (Canal+Sport)

14:59 p.m. – 📊 The provisional standings for the Saudi Arabia Rally. Adrien Fourmaux is in the lead and Sébastien Ogier is virtually world champion by a single point.

14:57 PM – 📊 END OF THE SPECIAL STAGE! Kalle Rovanperä takes the overall win after a stage marked by many punctures.

14:55 PM – ⏱️Adrien Fourmaux is the new rally leader! He lost 29 seconds on the special stage, but takes the lead by two seconds over Mārtiņš Sesks, who also suffered a puncture. Everything will be decided tomorrow between the top three (Fourmaux, Sesks, and Neuville), separated by 5 seconds.

14h54 - Adrien Fourmaux has also suffered a puncture! The end of the stage is going to be difficult for the Frenchman, who had the opportunity to make a strong statement…

14h53 - Terrible for Ott Tänak, who crossed the finish line 7:30 behind Rovanperä…

14h52 - Sami Pajari crosses the finish line 13 seconds behind Rovanperä and finishes 6th overall, between Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans.

14:49 PM – Mārtiņš Sesks finishes 49 seconds behind Kalle Rovanperä, but he maintains his provisional overall lead by 3.4 seconds over Thierry Neuville. However, Sami Pajari and Adrien Fourmaux are still on the track, and the Frenchman should be able to retake the lead, barring any unforeseen incidents…

14h47 - Ott Tänak pulled over to let Sami Pajari pass. A kind gesture from the Estonian, whose rally was marred by punctures.

14h43 - Sami Pajari has left, only Adrien Fourmaux remains at the start.

14h42 - Mārtiņš Sesks, the race leader, has also suffered a puncture!

14h40 - The virtual standings for the special stage

14:38 PM – ⚠️Ott Tänak has been stopped in turn! It just keeps happening in this special stage.

14:37 – Ogier crosses the line 23.8s behind Rovanperä and loses one position in the general classification to his teammate by only 0.2s.

14h35 - Sébastien Ogier suffers another scare with his right rear tire: is it a real puncture this time? The Frenchman is approaching the finish line. 

14:34 PM – ⏱️Kalle Rovanperä levitating: the Finn puts 15 seconds on the reference time set by Elfyn Evans at the end of the special stage.

14:32 PM – According to our special correspondent, Loic Rocci, there appears to have been an error by the organizers regarding Ogier's pit stop. The Frenchman apparently didn't lose any time after all… This is a developing story, but it's all very unclear. 

14:31 PM – ⏱️Elfyn Evans sets the fastest time at the finish. The Welshman improves Josh McErlean's time by 19 seconds.

14h30 - Grégoire Munster lost 1:50 at the finish, a consequence of his wheel change.

14h28 - Sébastien Ogier has stopped! He's changing a tire! The Frenchman is worried about losing time…

14:27pm – Munster has restarted, but he is now just ahead of Elfyn Evans, who is suffering from the dust left by the Belgian-Luxembourger.

14:25 PM – ⏱️Grégoire Munster does even better by improving Al-Attiyah's time by 1:23, whose power steering is out of order, which explains his time loss. 

14:24 PM – ⏱️ Nasser Al-Attiyah finishes and sets the first reference time at 17:45.6. Meanwhile, Grégoire Munster is stopped at the 18th kilometer.

14h22 - At the intermediate checkpoint, 11km out of 25, Evans takes the lead by 1.1s ahead of Al-Attiyah.

14h19 - Evans is currently third at the first checkpoint behind Al-Attiyah and Rovanperä, who has just started.

14h14 - Elfyn Evans is now the next to start. The Welshman is a contender for the title, but he is currently 9th, 4:31 behind the leader.

14h12 - M-Sport Münster and McErlean are on track.

14:08 PM – 🟢 SS14 is underway with Nasser Al-Attiyah leading the way.

13h55 - SS14, the last special stage of the day, will be 24,9 kilometers long.

13h50 - The next special stage of the WRC 2025 Saudi Arabia Rally will start at 14:05 PM!

13h46 - 📊 Adrien Fourmaux loses the lead in the Rally after SS13! Here is the provisional overall standings for the Saudi Arabia Rally:

13h40 - 📊 Adrien Fourmaux makes a mistake and finishes far behind, placing 7th in the special stage, here is the final ranking:

13:38 PM – ⏱️ Mārtiņš Sesks takes the reference time (17:34.0), only Adrien Fourmaux can still block his path.

13h30 - 💥 Sami Pajari also has a puncture! It's carnage among the Rally leaders, while Adrien Fourmaux still has to finish the special stage.

13h27 - Sébastien Ogier could take advantage of Ott Tänak's puncture to overtake the Estonian in the general classification!

13h24 - Elfyn Evans' time allows him to move back ahead of Grégoire Munster in the overall standings. He is currently 9th in the Rally.

13h22 - 📊 Here is the provisional ranking after the times of the three contenders for the world title:

13:19 PM – 💥 Ott Tänak has a flat tire and has to stop to change his wheel!

13h17 - 💬 Nasser Al-Attiyah after his visit: "It's not easy to find grip for the front of the car."

13h15 - Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä are now launched!

13h13 - Grégoire Munster smashes the previously established reference time, and completes the course in 18:11.8.

13h10 - Al Attiyah records the first time of this ES13 in 18:51.6.

13h08 - 💥 Grégoire Munster goes off the road! The Belgian can continue without significant damage.

13h04 - As a reminder, after his puncture in SS11, Elfyn Evans occupies tenth place in the general classification.

13h00 - Elfyn Evans takes his turn attacking the course of this SS13.

12h53 - SS13 represents the second longest special stage of the day, after SS10.

12:45 PM – 🟢 SS13, 30,58 kilometers long, has now begun!

12h40 - 📊 Here is the overall standings after SS12 of the 2025 Saudi Arabia Rally:

12:34 p.m. – 📊 Adrien Fourmaux finished third in special stage number 12. Here is the ranking after each run:

12h30 - Only Adrien Fourmaux remains to try and beat the Estonian, but the Frenchman is already somewhat behind.

12:22 PM – ⏱️ Thierry Neuville takes the fastest time in turn (8:17.7). He is directly beaten by Ott Tänak (8:13.7).

12h16 - 📊 Sébastien Ogier is doing better than his rivals despite a slow puncture at the end of the stage. Here is the provisional classification for SS12 after the three title contenders have completed their stages:

12h12 - Kalle Rovanperä is 2,4 seconds behind Evans' time in SS12.

12h09 - Elfyn Evans sets the provisional best time with 8:21.1. Sébastien Ogier is ahead in his first sector times.

12h04 - Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä take their turn.

11h59 - Al-Attiyah suffered a puncture on the front left, but continued and finished with a time of 8:24.0.

11:52 AM – 🟢 SS12 of the 2025 Saudi Arabia Rally is underway: Nasser Al-Attiyah is the first to start!

11h45 - SS12 will start at 11:50, and will be 11,69 kilometers long!

11h35 - ???? Hello again everyone, welcome to AUTOhebdo.fr to follow the continuation of this WRC Saudi Arabia Rally! From 12:25 (French time), SS12 will restart the hostilities.

09:35 AM – 👋 Thank you for following us on AUTOhebdo.fr. Join us again at 11:30 AM for the continuation of this WRC Saudi Arabia Rally! 

Saudi Arabia Rally – SS11: Fourmaux cautious, Tänak back in the game

09h30 - 📊 Here is the overall standings for the Saudi Arabia Rally after Friday's morning loop:

09h25 - 📊 Adrien Fourmaux finished 4th in SS11, but retains the overall lead in the Rally. Here are the results for the stage, won by Ott Tänak:

09h18 - Ott Tänak takes the lead in SS11, only Adrien Fourmaux, the Rally leader, remains to block his path!

09h10 - 📊 Sébastien Ogier, meanwhile, crossed the finish line without incident. Here is the provisional standings after the three title contenders have completed their runs:

09h06 -💥 Kalle Rovanperä also suffered a slow puncture on his front left tire two kilometers from the finish of this special stage. He was able to complete the course without being too affected by the incident.

09h00 - 16:40.4. Grégoire Munster is the fastest after the first three passes.

08h55 - This quick repair should allow Evans to limit the damage in the overall standings. The Welshman loses one position to Grégoire Munster, but should be able to recover it later in the rally. The incident is therefore more of a psychological than a sporting blow for the driver.

08h50 - Elfyn Evans managed to change his wheel in a record time of 1 minute and 38 seconds, and get going again.

08:47 AM – 💥 As the three title contenders set off on SS11, disaster struck for Elfyn Evans, who suffered a puncture! This incident could have serious consequences. consequences in the championship.

08:35 – 🟢 SS11 of the 2025 Saudi Arabia Rally begins!

08h25 - SS11 will start at 08:35, and will be 24,9 kilometers long!

08h21 - 📊 Here is the overall standings for the 2025 Saudi Arabia WRC Rally after ten special stages:

08h17 - 📊 Ott Tänak wins SS10 of the Saudi Arabia Rally, Adrien Fourmaux retains the overall lead:

08h12 - Adrien Fourmaux finishes SS10. He is accumulating a significant deficit on Mārtiņš Sesks, and could lose the lead in the Rally.

08:07 – 💬 Thierry Neuville, currently in 6th place, is complaining of mechanical problems: "I have no shock absorbers."

08h04 - 💬 Kalle Rovanperä, the provisional leader, emphasizes the difficulty of the course: "It's really difficult. There are a lot of crests and blind corners. I try to accelerate, but I have to work too hard with the car, so it's not easy. Plus, the cars are getting faster and faster."

07h59 - Sébastien Ogier lost a few seconds compared to his rivals while covering the 30 kilometers of SS10.

07:58 – 📊 Here is the overall ranking after the first runs: 

07:48 – ⏱️ Elfyn Evans sets the fastest time on the stage in 17:51.4. Ogier is slightly behind him.

07:43pm – Al-Attiyah completes SS9 in 18:48.7, but is already beaten by almost 40 seconds by Josh McErlean (18:09.3).

07h37 - The three title contenders have set off to attack SS9!

07h34 - Nasser Al-Attiyah is nearing the end of his journey, his opponents are already ahead of him.

07:23 – 🟢 SS10 is underway! Nasser Al-Attiyah is the first to start.

07h21 - SS10 will start at 7:20 am, and will be over 30 kilometers long! This is the longest special stage of this Friday.

07h17 - In WRC2, Oliver Solberg, who has a lead of almost two minutes over his pursuers in this Rally, logically takes the win in the morning.

07:13 p.m. – 📊 Here is the overall standings for the 2025 Saudi Arabia Rally after SS9:

07h07 - 📊 Adrien Fourmaux finishes the special stage with the best time, securing another victory in this Rally, ahead of his overall rival, Sami Pajari:

07:00 – 📊 Ott Tänak drops the reference in turn, the top 3 shaken up:

06:58 – ⏱️ Takamoto Katsuta and Thierry Neuville both improve the benchmark. The Belgian leads the way with a time of 8:22.2

06h52 - Sébastien Ogier records the second provisional time for SS9 in 09:29.4. Kalle Rovanperä remains the fastest.

06h48 - 💬 Elfyn Evans still having difficulties with her Toyota in Saudi Arabia: "Still struggling, it's not easy."

06h45 - Here is the provisional classification for SS9 after the first runs. Sébastien Ogier completes the route again:

06h40 - Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans also set off this morning. Sébastien Ogier will be the next to depart.

06h34 - Nasser Al Attiyah completes the SS9 route in 8:31.9. This is the first established reference time.

06:25 – 🟢 ES9 is underway! Nasser Al-Attiyah is the first to start.

06h15 - The first special stage of the day, SS9, will be 11,69 kilometers long, and will start at 6:25 am French time.

06h10 - Before the start of hostilities, here is what the overall standings for the 2025 WRC Saudi Arabia Rally look like:

06h03 - Before this day begins, here are the times for the six special stages on the program:

• 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)

05h55 - If you missed yesterday's events, here's what you need to know:

Saudi Arabia Rally – SS8: Back in the championship lead, Sébastien Ogier finishes in style

05h55 - 👋 Hello everyone, welcome to AUTOhebdo.fr to follow the continuation of this WRC Saudi Arabia Rally! From 06:25 (French time), SS9 will restart the hostilities.