Adrien Fourmaux leads Rally Saudi Arabia as Sébastien Ogier moves one point ahead in the WRC title fight after a dramatic opening day in the desert.
Adrien Fourmaux ended Thursday at the top of the Rally Saudi Arabia leaderboard after a turbulent opening leg in the desert, while Sébastien Ogier moved into a provisional one-point lead in the FIA World Rally Championship standings.
The Frenchman survived a dramatic afternoon loop in which punctures, delaminations and inconsistent grip reshuffled the order multiple times. Fourmaux kept his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 clear of trouble across all seven stages to hold a 6.0-second lead over Toyota’s Sami Pajari, with early pacesetter Mārtiņš Sesks just 0.9 seconds further back in third.
A Day of Lead Changes and Heavy Attrition
The top position changed hands repeatedly throughout the leg. Sesks dominated the morning with two stage wins and built a strong gap, only to lose more than 15 seconds after a right-rear puncture on the second pass of Moon Stage. Pajari then briefly moved ahead after winning SS6, but a front-right delamination on the final test dropped him back behind Fourmaux.
Both drivers, however, remain well within the fight heading into Friday’s long stages.
Fourmaux said he was “really pleased” with his day but admitted the balance between pace and tyre preservation was delicate:
“We could always push a bit more, but with this surface it’s about playing safe with the car and tyres. The gaps are small, so nothing is done yet. Finishing the day with a good road position is positive for tomorrow.”
Ogier Gains Critical Ground in the Title Battle
Behind the lead trio, the championship narrative shifted dramatically.
Title leader Elfyn Evans, opening the road, struggled for traction all day as he swept loose sand and rocks for those behind him. A small overshoot in the morning compounded his losses, and a tough afternoon left him ninth overall, more than a minute adrift.
Ogier, meanwhile, handled the conditions calmly and avoided the issues that delayed others. The Frenchman ended the day seventh, enough to overturn his three-point deficit to Evans and take a provisional one-point lead into Friday.
“My main targets are Elfyn and Kalle,” Ogier said. “On that side, we did what we needed to do we are in front of them.”
Rovanperä’s Title Hopes Narrow Further
Toyota star Kalle Rovanperä suffered two punctures that restricted him to eighth, slotting him between Ogier and Evans. The reigning double champion faces an uphill battle to stay mathematically in contention.
Tänak, Neuville and Katsuta Complete the Top Six
- Ott Tänak sits fourth after winning the penultimate stage, despite reporting possible suspension damage.
- Thierry Neuville is fifth after a day marked by a cracked windscreen and a slow puncture.
- Takamoto Katsuta holds sixth following a conservative, tyre-saving approach.
Behind them, Grégoire Munster and Oliver Solberg completed the upper midfield, while Munster’s team-mates Josh McErlean and Nasser Al-Attiyah lost significant time through tyre deflations, with Al-Attiyah delayed over seven minutes due to a stuck jack.
Friday: The Rally’s Longest and Most Demanding Leg
The rally’s decisive phase begins Friday, featuring more than 130 km of competitive running across six abrasive desert stages. With the championship hanging by a thread, tyre strategy and road order are expected to play major roles.
Standings After Thursday – SS8/17
- A. Fourmaux / A. Coria — Hyundai i20 N Rally1 — 1h 18m 45.3s
- S. Pajari / M. Salminen — Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 — +6.0s
- M. Sesks / R. Francis — Ford Puma Rally1 — +6.9s
- O. Tänak / M. Järveoja — Hyundai i20 N Rally1 — +13.7s
- T. Neuville / M. Wydaeghe — Hyundai i20 N Rally1 — +14.9s
- T. Katsuta / A. Johnston — Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 — +22.9s
PistonKafalar Global Comment
The opening leg in Saudi Arabia delivered exactly what a championship decider should: unpredictable surface changes, tyre drama and a major shift in points momentum. Fourmaux’s clean execution puts him in a strong overnight position, but the real story is Ogier versus Evans. With road order swinging in Ogier’s favour for Friday, the title fight may tilt even further unless Evans can reclaim time on the long desert sections. Expect strategy, tyre choices and dust to define the next phase.
