This year’s drivers’ title was decided in the first-ever Rally Saudi Arabia, which delivered drama and punctures from start to finish. In the end, Sébastien Ogier was crowned champion, securing his ninth title by four points over Elfyn Evans.
Several drivers were in the fight for victory over the weekend. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, M-Sport Ford’s Martins Sesks and Toyota’s Sami Pajari all chased their maiden wins, but fate intervened: Sesks and Pajari suffered punctures, while Fourmaux was handed a time penalty. Last year’s champion Thierry Neuville eventually claimed the win – his first of the season.
Kalle Rovanperä and Ott Tänak bid farewell to the WRC in Saudi Arabia. Rovanperä finished seventh in his final rally, while Tänak was 11th. In the final standings Rovanperä was third and Tänak fourth.
RallyJournal.com journalists Toni Heinonen, Aki Hietavala and Ville Hirvonen evaluate each top-class driver with school-style grades, where 10 is the highest and 4 the lowest.
Toni Heinonen
Thierry Neuville 8½ (Position: 1)
I don’t think I’ve ever given such a low grade to a rally winner. I’m not saying Neuville didn’t deserve the victory – the Belgian avoided the biggest pitfalls. But he was not spectacular either, as he didn’t set a single fastest time. Still, he avoided the greatest embarrassment of all by not ending the season winless as the reigning champion.
Adrien Fourmaux 9 (Position: 2)
This one will hurt the Frenchman. His maiden win slipped away due to a major mistake when they checked in too early at the time control before service. Without the one-minute time penalty, the victory would most likely have gone to Fourmaux and Coria. The Hyundai driver’s rally was eventful, and he certainly deserved more in the end.
Sébastien Ogier 9 (Position: 3)
He did what was required and still managed to tighten the screws on the final day in challenging conditions. His ninth title was fully deserved, although it is somewhat embarrassing for the full-season drivers. Ogier could well adopt the line “it’s just easy being the best”.
Sami Pajari 8 (Position: 4)
The speed finally came together at the end of the season. He spent a long time chasing his first win before a puncture struck – as it did for so many others during the rally. The big breakthrough didn’t come yet, but if the Finn’s form curve continues in the same direction, next year could be his moment.
Takamoto Katsuta 6½ (Position: 5)
He wasn’t at his very best in the desert, but on Sunday he was running as high as third on the timesheets. Then it was time to “do a Katsuta”, and the Toyota rolled. He was lucky to continue and battled to fifth place.
Elfyn Evans 8 (Position: 6)
He deserves praise for the fight he put up. His road position hurt him early on, and a puncture complicated things further. He tried to challenge Ogier on the final day, but once again the Welshman couldn’t stretch enough to become champion. Could next year finally be Evans’ turn?
Kalle Rovanperä 6½ (Position: 7)
His last WRC rally for the time being yielded almost nothing. The road position hampered him at the start, and then the tyres began to burst on the rocky stages. He didn’t get the title, but at least he experienced this rally before switching disciplines.
Gregoire Munster 5½ (Position: 8)
Classic Munster once again. No chance of fighting at the front and small issues throughout the weekend. At least he collected a few points from a rally that may have been his last in the top class for now.
Josh McErlean 5+ (Position: 9)
The Irishman gets exactly the same review as Munster – except for the final line. McErlean is expected to continue behind the wheel of the Ford Puma next season.
Ott Tänak 7 (Position: 11)
At one point I was absolutely certain Tänak would hit the front and no one would stop him. But someone did – punctures. And there were plenty of them. The Estonian had the pace for much more, but this time he was one of the victims of the conditions in what appears to be his last WRC rally for the time being.
Martins Sesks 9½ (Retired)
This is something never seen before: the best grade for a driver who retired. Sesks was in absolutely incredible form compared with my expectations. In earlier rallies he had seemed a little lost, but now his speed was outrageous. It would have been a fantastic story if the first win had gone to Latvia. Things fell apart on the final day, but he still deserves enormous credit. Surely this performance convinced both sponsors and M-Sport that he should be given a full programme next year.
Aki Hietavala
Thierry Neuville 9
No dazzling speed, but the season’s opening win came at the last possible moment. Avoided ending up in the unpleasant club of drivers who have never won while defending the title. Managed the balance between risk and restraint well in the rocky terrain of Saudi Arabia.
Adrien Fourmaux 9½
In terms of pace, the best or at least the second-best driver of the rally. A frustrating one-minute time penalty on Friday evening ruined what could have been the first victory of his career. First place has eluded the Frenchman all season, but perhaps next year it will finally fall into place.
Sebastien Ogier 10
What a master! Third place came thanks to others’ mishaps, but he handled the difficult conditions and intense pressure like a true champion. The Power Stage was a remarkable display of precision work: he started eight seconds behind Evans and finished the stage 0.8 seconds ahead of Elfyn Evans in the Super Saturday results. GOAT!
Sami Pajari 8½
A maiden victory or at least a podium was within reach. A puncture spoiled the effort, but in Saudi Arabia there was little anyone could do about them. They came if they were going to come. His pace curve was definitely heading in the right direction towards the end of the year.
Takamoto Katsuta 6
Yet again a mistake on the final day. It wasn’t huge, but big enough that another promising result slipped into fifth place. Couldn’t put the whole package together at any point during the season. For the sake of the likeable Japanese driver, one can only hope something clicks mentally during the short winter break.
Elfyn Evans 7
He came alive for the fight on Saturday, but not before. He admitted himself that battling Ogier would have required more of a “tiger’s eye”. His starting position at the beginning of the rally was, of course, the worst possible, but his risk level should have been maxed out. There are more than enough silver medals already.
Kalle Rovanperä 6
It didn’t seem like Rovanperä had much of the last-battle spirit either. Granted, his starting position was also painful, but expectations were a bit higher. Punctures wiped out any remaining chances. Eyes now towards Formula cars!
Gregoire Munster 6
Reached the finish and scored points. Once again, the Luxembourger’s performance was bland and unremarkable. He will likely find himself in a Rally2 car next season.
Josh McErlean 6
Getting to the finish earns a pass. His first season in a Rally1 car was quite the learning experience. Will likely continue at the top level next year as well, but a small miracle would need to happen before Monte Carlo for him to be able to fight even for top-five finishes. Right now, that would require significant misfortune for others.
Ott Tänak 5
Tänak’s Rally Saudi Arabia summed up the Estonian’s entire season. The effort is there, but something always goes wrong. Saudi Arabia was indeed a luck-based rally, but to be honest, nothing really clicked this year for the whole Hyundai team. No wonder a sabbatical year is coming.
Martins Sesks 9
An aura of rally sensation suddenly formed around Sesks again. After last season’s fantastic performances, this year was difficult—apart from the season finale. You can’t help but feel sympathy for the Latvian: last year he lost a home-rally podium on the final stage, and now, on the final day, perhaps even a win. Two punctures and a mechanical issue struck on the penultimate stage. A cruel fate.
Ville Hirvonen
Thierry Neuville 8
Not a season without a victory. That is how it can be summarised for the Belgian. The 2024 world champion had a truly challenging season, but the ending was positive. The first win of the season came at the last possible moment. He managed to drive a relatively steady rally in extremely difficult conditions and was rewarded for it.
Adrien Fourmaux 8-
Drove really well and actually fought for the victory for almost the entire rally, but then made a terrible and downright amateurish blunder at the end. He arrived early at the technical zone on Friday evening and received a one-minute time penalty for it. That must count as a negative, even if it seems the incident was due to some sort of communication breakdown – which, of course, is human. Still, the Frenchman shouldn’t be criticised too harshly. He achieved the best result of his career by finishing second in the rally.
Sebastien Ogier 8
It ended up being tight, but he nevertheless secured the ninth world title of his career. He did exactly what he needed to do. In Saudi conditions it would have been very easy to make mistakes, but the Frenchman was able to keep his focus on what mattered. He understood who he was fighting against and managed the situation well. A deserved title, as Ogier’s season bordered on perfect. Juha Kankkunen declared his driver the greatest rally driver of all time – and that assessment is not far from the truth.
Sami Pajari 8
A fine and strong performance from Sami. Fourth place gnawed at the Finn, and no wonder. There was so much more on offer for Pajari. However, he showed for the second rally in a row that he can fight for top positions. A major change in attitude was also visible. He was genuinely in Saudi Arabia to chase a top result, not just to learn. A good foundation for the next season.
Takamoto Katsuta 6
Rolled his car badly in the closing stages of the rally and at the same time lost the chance to fight for a top result. Before that, he was driving very well and consistently. Katsuta will surely hope for more stable performances next season, as a certain error-proneness still troubles him.
Elfyn Evans 7
A reasonably good performance, even though the first championship slipped away by a narrow margin. He suffered throughout the rally from his starting position compared with the other drivers fighting for the world title, and in many ways found himself in an unfair situation. On the final day, an almost miraculous effort would have been required for the championship, and the Welshman did not exactly perform badly under the immense pressure. At the very least, it was a fair performance amid enormous pressure.
Kalle Rovanperä 6
Thank you, Kalle and Jonne, for everything! A wonderful career in the WRC ended emotionally, but in the end the pair were no longer able to challenge Ogier and Evans in the title fight. The Finn would have needed an extraordinary performance in Saudi Arabia to become champion – and at the same time, Ogier and Evans would have needed to falter. The starting point was already difficult, and he suffered from the road position just like Ogier and Evans. Still, it must be said he was the weakest performer of the three title contenders. World championship bronze and off to Super Formula!
Gregoire Munster 5
He drove the rally to the finish, but that was basically it. Once again. It will be interesting to see how Munster’s career progresses next – or whether it progresses at all.
Josh McErlean 5
Punctures, technical issues and lacklustre driving. At least he showed up, the Irishman might say. His performances did not stand out in any particular way. And unfortunately, that has been something of the story of the Irishman’s season.
Ott Tänak 5
Broke his car and had to retire. It is very difficult to give a good mark in such circumstances, even if everyone suffered punctures in Saudi Arabia. Thanks also to Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja. Hopefully the Estonian pair will be seen again in the WRC!
Martins Sesks 5
A difficult one to assess. He was on course for a perfect drive and the best result of his career, even fighting for the rally win for a long time. Then the punctures came – one too many in quick succession. In the end he retired on a road section due to a technical fault. He showed his speed – albeit from a very favourable starting position. But the final outcome decides: he could have scored a perfect ten, but now receives a five due to the retirement.
