Saudi Arabia Rally - Sébastien Ogier equals Sébastien Loeb with a 9th world title

Sébastien Ogier secured his ninth WRC title this Saturday at the conclusion of the Saudi Arabia Rally. The driver from Gap joins Sébastien Loeb in the pantheon of motorsport legends. It is also the first title for his co-driver, Vincent Landais.

Published 29/11/2025 à 12:01

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Saudi Arabia Rally – Sébastien Ogier equals Sébastien Loeb with a 9th world title

Photo Nikos Katikis / DPPI

Sébastien Ogier is world champion for the ninth time! The Gap native from Toyota closed his three-point deficit to teammate Elfyn Evans by finishing third in the Rally from Saudi Arabia this Saturday. With this new title, he obviously equals the record of his compatriot Sébastien LoebThis is the first title for his co-driver Vincent Landais.

In a rally that sometimes resembled a lottery with numerous punctures, the Frenchman avoided almost all the mishaps apart from a slow puncture. Consistently ahead of Evans, Ogier upped the tempo on Saturday morning by winning the long SS16 stage of over 33 kilometers before managing his pace during the Power Stage, which was won by the Welshman.

Another title contender, Kalle Rovanperä (Toyoya), lost everything due to an early puncture on the same 16th stage. This also ended the victory hopes of Mārtiņš Sesks (M-Sport), which broke through twice. The victory in this first Saudi Arabia Rally ultimately went to Thierry Neuville (HyundaiThe 2024 world champion finally secured a victory this season. The Belgian finished ahead of Adrien fourmaux (Hyundai).

This is Fourmaux's best career result. The Frenchman can nevertheless rue Friday's timing error, which resulted in a one-minute penalty. Finishing 54,7 seconds behind his teammate Neuville, this penalty cost him his first-ever World Rally Championship victory.

ALSO READ > Ogier is world champion! Relive the final day of the Saudi Arabia Rally with our live text commentary.