Relive Sébastien Ogier's victory in the Power Stage of the Rally Japan with live text commentary

Before tackling this 20th and final special stage of this Rally from Japan WRC – the Power Stage marking the end of Super Sunday – Sébastien Ogier enjoys a relatively comfortable lead over Elfyn Evans. Second in the overall standings, the Welshman, who led the world championship before this Japanese round, was unable to close the gap to his French rival, even allowing the latter to pull away with further stage wins. Sami Pajari occupies third place due to the withdrawal experienced by Adrien fourmaux during this early part of the day.

As in Chile, Sébastien Ogier is now aiming for a perfect performance in this final stage of Rally Japan. Overall victory, Sunday's stage win, and victory in the Power Stage – everything is still possible for the eight-time world champion, whose appetite seems insatiable just weeks after his retirement from the Central Europe Rally.

WRC – Rally Japan
Follow the Power Stage live with commentary

7:15 AM – 👋 Thank you all for following us throughout the weekend for the Rally Japan, which was ultimately won by Sébastien Ogier! The final round of this WRC season will see the Frenchman challenge Elfyn Evans in Saudi Arabia from November 25th to 29th! Only 3 points now separate the two drivers!

7:13 am – After a perfect weekend, Sébastien Ogier scores an additional 35 points!
“That’s what I love! A perfect result! It was a huge challenge, especially with this weather. It was the start of a new rally today because this morning we changed the car’s setup. Well done to the team for this incredible work, it was very quick! I enjoyed it, now see you at the next rally! It’s great to be back so close to Elfyn Evans, I hope the final round goes well.”

7:09 AM – 📊 Here are the final standings for this Rally Japan!

7:07 AM – SS20 – ⏱️ Sébastien Ogier wins this Power Stage by one tenth of a second!

7:06 AM – SS20 – The Frenchman regains a four-tenths lead!

7:05 am – SS20 – By a tenth of a second, Sébastien Ogier is currently virtually second in this Power Stage after 10 km!

7:03 AM – SS20 – Sébastien Ogier regains a slight lead! Four tenths of a second better for the Frenchman!

7:02 AM – SS20 – ⏱️ Elfyn Evans sets the fastest time with a lap of 9:29.4, while we await Sébastien Ogier now!

7:01 AM – SS20 – Four tenths of a second behind Elfyn Evans in the first section! The Welshman has a lead of more than 7 seconds at this stage over Kalle Rovanperä's time.

7:00 AM – SS20 – Last to start, Sébastien Ogier begins his Power Stage!

6:58 p.m. – ES20 – ⏱️ Sami Pajari completes his attempt in 9:53.0 and confirms his place on the podium of this Rally Japan.

6:56 AM – SS20 – Sami Pajari is on track, as is Elfyn Evans, chasing Sébastien Ogier in this Power Stage!

6:54 p.m. – ES20 – 💬 After his run, the Estonian explained that his team had decided to change the rear differential on his car that morning. Much more satisfied with his car's handling, the driver Hyundai feels regret over this inadequate adjustment made at the start of the weekend.

6:52 p.m. – ES20 – ️ Ott Tänak finishes in 9:41.5, 2,8 seconds behind Kalle Rovanperä.

6:49 p.m. – ES20 – ⏱️ Second at this stage, Grégoire Munster completes the special stage in 9:50.0.

6:47 p.m. – ES20 – Grégoire Munster and Ott Tänak are on the track.

6:46 AM – ES20 -💬  Takamoto Katsuta explains how this Power Stage unfolded, hampered by a puncture. "Unfortunately, the afternoon loop didn't go well. I tried, but I'm not satisfied. I'm sorry for my fans and my team. I'm disappointed, but they're even more so."

6:45 a.m. – SS20 – ⏱️ Kalle Rovanperä takes the provisional lead of the Power Stage: 9:38.7 for the Finn.

6:41 a.m. – SS20 – ⏱️ The Japanese driver sets the first mark in the WRC category in 9:57.7 despite suffering a puncture during the attempt.

6:39 p.m. – ES20 – Takamoto Katsuta is pushing the limits on a waterlogged road!

6:38 p.m. – ES20 – ⏱️ Already WRC2 champion, Oliver Solberg takes the lead in his category with a 5,6 second advantage.

6:36 p.m. – ES20 – Kalle Rovanperä's turn to start.

6:34 p.m. – ES20 – Takamoto Katsuta begins his attempt, while Oliver Solberg is on track.

6:33 am – SS20 – ⏱️ Alejandro Cachon crosses the finish line 11,1 seconds behind Jan Solans but secures his overall WRC2 victory in this Rally Japan!

6:31 p.m. – ES20 – 💬 The Bulgarian rider is not very reassuring about the conditions! He explains that he rode at a liaison pace for the last few kilometers. According to him, it is "Impossible to pilot" in this rain.

6:28 p.m. – SS20 – ⏱️ Nikolay Gryazin is 5,7 seconds behind Solans in this special stage but still maintains a lead of nearly 50 seconds over the Spaniard.

6:26 p.m. – ES20 – ⏱️ First mark set in 10:15.2 by Jan Solans in torrential rain!

6:24 p.m. – ES20 – Alejandro Cachon begins his attempt.

6:22 p.m. – ES20 – 1,2 seconds behind for the Bulgarian after the first 2,4 kilometers, while Jan Solans attacks the second part of the course.

6:20 p.m. – ES20 – Nikolay Gryazin takes his turn.

6:16 a.m. – SS20 – Jan Solans, the WRC2 driver who was significantly delayed during the last special stage, is off.

6h15 - 🌧️ It's currently 16°C in Japan, the drivers will be starting in the rain!

6h13 - 📊 In the Super Sunday standings, Sébastien Ogier currently has a 5-second lead over Elfyn Evans. The two drivers are separated by 11,5 seconds in the overall weekend standings.

6h10 - 📊 This Power Stage will cover 13.98 km. Following the same route as the 16th special stage, will Sébastien Ogier dominate again on this 20th stage, as he did on this course earlier in the day? The Frenchman had built a one-second lead over Elfyn Evans.

6h05 - 📊 As a reminder, ten points are up for grabs this Sunday! While 25 points will be awarded to the overall winner of Rally Japan, 5 points will be added for the winner of the day's Super Sunday stage, and another 5 points will be awarded to the winner of the 20th stage, the Power Stage!

6h00 - Elfyn Evans also nearly had a major mishap when he went off the road, but finally managed to resume his race during SS17!

Close call for Evans on SS17 🤯#WRC | #RallyJapan 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/GIJh3Ap0AI

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) November 9, 2025

5h56 - 💬 At the end of the 19th special stage, Sébastien Ogier commented on how the rain had affected his own performance, despite a very positive record up to that point: "A good special stage, less water than this morning. I think starting at the back this morning wasn't a good idea because of the rain, and now it's the opposite, they got rained on and then it improved."

5h53 - 🌧️ On this Sunday, the rain has so far been the main feature of the Rally Japan! Unfortunately for Adrien Fourmaux, it cost him a place on the podium due to a spectacular off-track excursion.

Rally Japan: Fourmaux in the trees, Ogier ahead, a recap of the night before the Power Stage

5h50 - 📊 First of all, here's a reminder of the overall standings after SS19!

5h45 - 👋 Hello everyone! Welcome to AUTOhebdo.fr to follow the very last stage of this WRC Rally Japan!