[2025 WRC R14] Hyundai Motorsport Caps the Season With a 1–2 Finish in the Saudi Arabia Finale
- Hyundai Motorsport Team
- 2025.12.30
- 분량17min
- 조회수 1,184Views
The 2025 WRC season finale—Rally Saudi Arabia—was a straight-up survival test, with brutal stages made up of desert sand and razor-edged gravel punishing every crew. Hyundai Motorsport closed out the year on a high, finishing Thierry Neuville in P1 and Adrien Fourmaux in P2 to end the season with a statement.
The 2025 WRC season wrapped up with its final round in Saudi Arabia from November 25–29, deep in the Middle East. Recently, several Middle Eastern countries have been using oil wealth to bring in major international sporting events—part of a broader push to reduce overdependence on petroleum and build for the future. Motorsports has followed that same trend, with the region now hosting everything from F1 to WEC, WRC, Formula E, and TCR.
This season’s F1 calendar alone featured four different regions—Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. In the WRC, Saudi Arabia emerged as a new Middle East host for the first time in years, following the Jordan Rally in 2010–11. The country currently runs the FIA MERC (Middle East Rally Championship), and as a warm-up for WRC hosting duties, Saudi Arabia successfully staged MERC Round 3 (Saudi MERC Rally) in the first week of May.
Rally Saudi Arabia made the event tougher with constantly changing conditions—sand, gravel, dust, ruts, and holes. Video: WRC (http://www.wrc.com)
The Middle East’s unique terrain shows up exactly as you’d expect in rally stages. The desert can change shape by the minute depending on traffic and wind, while tire-threatening gravel roads and harsh terrain put drivers and rally cars in danger at every turn. The barren, rugged scenery can feel like something out of a sci-fi film—like you’re racing across an alien planet. With most crews seeing these roads for the first time, careful pace-note writing is crucial, but so is the ability to adapt as the surface shifts without warning. After enjoying a brief breather in cooler fall weather, competitors had to deal with heat again, enduring temperatures above 30°C (86°F).
For the finale, Hyundai Motorsport again ran its three-car lineup: Ott Tänak, Thierry Neuville, and Adrien Fourmaux. There was hope for a late Tänak surge, but failing to reach the podium in Japan pushed him out of the title fight. Tänak then shocked the paddock by announcing right after Rally Japan that he would be taking a break from full-time WRC competition.
Born in 1987, Tänak debuted in the WRC in 2009, raced across multiple top teams, and spent five seasons with Hyundai. A 2019 world champion with 22 career wins, Tänak is stepping away from a full-season program for now—aiming to spend more time with family and pursue various business ventures back home in Estonia. Tänak said he’s proud of everything he built with Hyundai and expressed deep gratitude for the trust and support the team showed him. He also said he still loves rallying and won’t let go of it—whatever form that takes going forward.
Neuville finally captured the drivers’ championship he’d long chased last year, but in 2025 he hadn’t managed a single win. His best results so far were four third-place finishes. If he wanted to protect the pride of a defending champion, a Saudi Arabia victory felt non-negotiable.
Meanwhile, Fourmaux—who had shown strong pace late in the season—looked to the finale with real optimism. He said a new event is exciting because everyone experiences it on an even playing field. Ultimately, he emphasized that pace notes would be the key, and he pointed out how difficult it is to find a perfect setup when the route is rough, packed with sand and rocks, and—depending on the location—includes genuinely high-speed sections. Add in a cockpit that feels like an oven and the need for tire management, and the challenge only grows. Personally, Fourmaux said he wanted to end the season on a positive note; there had been plenty of times when the performance was strong but the results didn’t follow, and he hoped the finale could finally deliver his first win.
“Rally Saudi Arabia is a new and demanding event to close the season. It’s always a step into the unknown with a brand-new rally, so our pre-event preparations will be key,” says Hyundai’s WRC team sporting director Andrew Wheatley. “This has been a challenging season for the team – we have to admit that our performance on the stages has not met the team’s usual high standards. However, we’re aiming to bring all three cars home to finish the season on a positive note, and we are also readying ourselves to come back fighting in 2026.”
Toyota—already confirmed as manufacturers’ champions—entered five GR Yaris Rally1 cars: title contenders Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier, plus Kalle Rovanperä, Takamoto Katsuta, and Sami Pajari.
With Ogier winning Rally Japan, the points gap between leader Evans and Ogier was just three points. Rovanperä sat 24 points back from Evans, making his chances slim unless both frontrunners completely imploded. Toyota repainted its cars back to silver to help cope with the desert’s intense sun.
M-Sport Ford arrived with four cars for the first time in a while. Full-season drivers Grégoire Munster and Josh McErlean were joined by part-timer Mārtiņš Sesks, returning for the first time since Finland. And Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah, a five-time Dakar Rally winner, was set to drive the fourth Puma Rally1.
From Wednesday through Saturday, the season’s final fight played out across 17 stages (SS) totaling 319.44 km (198.49 miles). On Wednesday, November 26, the opening SSS1 Jameel Motorsport Super Special was a spectator-friendly temporary course built using the wide parking-lot space at the Jeddah Corniche circuit, where the F1 Grand Prix is held.
It was a side-by-side start format with two cars launching at once, and at 5.22 km (3.24 miles) it was sizable for a super special. Aside from the crossover section, the layout was designed so the two cars could run nearly the entire distance alongside each other, cranking up the crowd energy. On the opening stage, Tänak—running a gravel setup on pavement—was the quickest. Title contenders Evans and Ogier went head-to-head, with Ogier taking the win by 0.9 seconds.
With the rally now fully into gravel territory, the day began with SS2 Al Faisaliyah (19.36 km / 12.03 miles), followed by SS3 Moon Stage (20.12 km / 12.50 miles) and SS4 Khulais (11.33 km / 7.04 miles). Those three stages were run in the morning and repeated in the afternoon, with the day ending back at the Jameel Motorsport Super Special. The combined distance from SS2 to SSS8 totaled 106.84 km (66.39 miles).
Because the WRC runs on public roads rather than a controlled circuit, organizers typically need a prior event to test spectator control and event flow. That’s why WRC rounds are often built around a local rally held in the same area. Al Faisaliyah—used here despite not being part of the MERC prep rally—runs roughly 5 km (3.11 miles) down a narrow, fast road before diving into the desert. It then cuts through gentle dunes and ridgelines into a high-speed section, and from 14.7 km (9.13 miles) onward, a long downhill through harsh rock terrain appears.
Adrien Fourmaux found his rhythm early and moved into the lead group. Video: WRC (http://www.wrc.com)
On an opening stage where road position mattered a lot, Sesks—starting 11th—set the fastest time and jumped into the overall lead. Pajari was second-quickest and moved into third overall behind Ogier, with Fourmaux and Neuville following. Evans, however, was 14.4 seconds slower than Sesks, and McErlean lost 2 minutes 30 seconds due to a puncture. In WRC2, Alejandro Cachón took a heavy impact on a jump landing and was transported to hospital.
SS3 Moon Stage was also a brand-new route not used in the pre-event rally, and it was expected to be among the toughest tests of the entire weekend. Having to write pace notes with zero prior information put challengers in a difficult spot. True to its name, the stage was barren and brutal—evoking the surface of the moon. Sand-covered hills were hard to read, the sand shifted constantly, and grip changed frequently. The stage also included tight, technical sections with hairpins.
This stage, loaded with loose gravel, again favored later starters. Sesks set the fastest time, Fourmaux was second, and Tänak—who struggled in the opener—went third-quickest. Neuville, who finished 15.2 seconds off the lead, said he’d been running quite well but suffered a slow puncture with 5 km (3.11 miles) remaining. Tänak, who jumped both Katsuta and Neuville to move into fourth overall, still threw everything at it—despite heading into a break from full-time competition next year.
SS4 Khulais was shorter than the others, but its narrow road and constant corners demanded even more concentration. It starts with a winding downhill before quickly transitioning into a steep climb. From around 6.5 km (4.04 miles) onward, it becomes a technical downhill with a hairpin section and continues to the finish. With steep cliffs lining the roadside, it was a high-difficulty stage in every sense.
Rovanperä triggered a warning light early due to a puncture but chose not to change the tire and continued. He made it to the end, but lost nearly 50 seconds. Evans and Sesks lost time after going the wrong way, while Ogier fought through a tough run due to an early start position. After finishing second again—just 1.3 seconds behind Sesks—Fourmaux held second overall and kept charging toward a first career win.
Fourmaux, Hyundai’s leading driver at the time, described Rally Saudi Arabia like this: “From the outside it might not look that bad, but from inside the car it’s seriously rough. Every corner has big rocks, and the road is full of countless holes. The risk of a puncture or damage to the car was huge. Even after just one car goes through, the road surface changes. On a course that keeps switching through different conditions like this, trying to attack every corner flat-out on the exit is actually difficult and risky. You have to stay calm and focused, sometimes pushing hard and sometimes backing it off, constantly searching for the right balance. The most important thing is getting through the whole afternoon without any problems.”
Meanwhile, Neuville lost power in the morning when an intercooler fan failed to operate, and he also dropped time due to a slow puncture.
Back on Al Faisaliyah for SS5, Sesks once again set the fastest time, with Pajari following and moving into second overall. Title contenders Ogier and Evans ran seventh and eighth overall, separated by 30 seconds. Sesks looked set to control SS6 as well, but a tire started losing air late in the stage and his pace fell off.
Pajari moved into the overall lead, and Fourmaux also passed Sesks to reclaim second overall. Tänak and Neuville closed in behind them, boosting Hyundai’s momentum. On the second run of Khulais (SS7), Tänak set the fastest time again while Sesks and Pajari struggled. Fourmaux drove cautiously to avoid tire trouble, yet still managed to move into the overall lead.
After sunset at 8:30 p.m., the super special stage began in the darkened Jeddah Corniche parking-lot venue to close out Thursday. Ogier and Sesks posted identical times to share P1 on the stage, followed by Tänak, Neuville, and Rovanperä. Overall, Fourmaux stayed in front, with Pajari second just 6 seconds back, followed by Sesks, Tänak, and Neuville. Among the title contenders, Ogier was best placed in seventh overall. But with Rovanperä and Evans also within 40 seconds, the championship outcome still wasn’t decided.
Friday was tougher still, built around longer stages than the day before. Starting with SS9 Alghulah, the schedule included the 30+ km SS10 Um Al Jerem and the 28.59 km (17.77 miles) SS11 Wadi Almatwi, each run morning and afternoon. The day opened with six stages (SS9–SS14) totaling 141.72 km (88.06 miles).
SS9 Alghulah was the shortest of the day at 11.69 km (7.26 miles), but its technical layout and harsh design punished the field. The route blends desert and narrow mountain roads, starting with a high-speed uphill before dropping into a downhill with consecutive hairpins. After crossing a flat desert section, it finishes with a steep mountain climb.
Fourmaux, who reinforced his lead with the fastest time on SS9, said loose gravel everywhere caused tire grip to change constantly, making it hard to drive straight. He ad-ded that his starting position helped because the road hadn’t been dug up yet. Pajari, Sesks, Tänak, and Neuville followed, and the gap from Fourmaux in P1 to Neuville in P5 was just 19.9 seconds.
SS10 Um Al Jerem, the second-longest stage at 30.58 km (19.00 miles), tested driver endurance and pace-note accuracy while pushing the car and tires toward their limits. Desert terrain was included, and tire management was essential. Starting on a flat road between two mountains, it runs through a blend of high- and medium-speed corners into a steep climb. After crossing an open plateau, a steep downhill waited on the other side. On SS10, Tänak was quickest and tightened the fight, while Sesks went second-fastest and bumped Pajari to move into second overall.
Elfyn Evans lost time replacing a problematic tire and was ultimately forced further away from the championship fight. Video: WRC (http://www.wrc.com)
SS11 Wadi Almatwi was slightly shorter than Um Al Jerem but still a long stage. As the name “Wadi” (valley) suggests, it was twisting and boxed in on both sides—high risk and nowhere to hide. It runs through about 4 km (2.49 miles) of desert early, transitions into mountain roads, returns to desert terrain, and then finishes with another difficult uphill mountain section. The contrast between high-speed and technical portions was stark. Organizers shortened the stage by 3.6 km (2.24 miles) after deciding a steep cliff section in the final mountain portion was too dangerous.
Tänak and Sesks again went first-second on the stage to pressure Fourmaux. Fourmaux and Sesks were now separated by 2.9 seconds, and Tänak—fourth overall—was only 9.2 seconds off the lead. In the championship fight, Evans fell into trouble. It was a slow puncture, but because it was a long stage he had to change the tire, losing roughly 1 minute 30 seconds.
As trouble hit some of the front-runners, a steady Neuville moved into contention. Video: WRC (http://www.wrc.com)\
In the afternoon repeat of Alghulah (SS12), even Ogier—who had managed to avoid punctures so far—couldn’t escape this time. Fortunately, it was a slow puncture, so the time loss was limited. Tänak set his second fastest time of the day, and Sesks went second-quickest to keep Fourmaux under pressure. The gap between Fourmaux and Sesks shrank to 1.9 seconds, and the margin to Pajari and Tänak was 6.3 seconds.
On SS13 Um Al Jerem, two major win contenders collapsed. In his final full-season event, Tänak suffered a blowout with 10 km (6.21 miles) to go, and Pajari had to change a tire in a similar area. Then the nightmare found Fourmaux too—he went the wrong way and handed the overall lead to Sesks. After the stage, Fourmaux said he missed the corner because visibility at the intersection was poor inside the dust cloud kicked up by Pajari, adding that the dust was so thick he couldn’t see properly. With the front shaken up, Neuville moved into third overall, Katsuta climbed to fourth, and Ogier advanced to sixth.
Even Fourmaux—who had been managing the rally steadily—suffered a puncture. More bad luck followed, including a penalty for an error while returning after the stage. Video: Rally TV (https://www.rally.tv)
More trouble battered the leaders on SS14 as well. Tänak suffered drivetrain issues that pushed him further from a final full-season victory chance. Overall leader Sesks lost nearly a minute to a puncture. Neuville also had tire trouble but still went second-fastest, 7.2 seconds behind stage winner Rovanperä. Fourmaux also blew a tire, but because his damage was less severe than Sesks’, he was able to return to the overall lead.
Then, from the last place you’d expect, Fourmaux got hit again. After finishing the stage, he arrived one minute early at the final time control (TC), earning a one-minute penalty. Under pressure, Fourmaux said he was satisfied with his performance that day and that he’d enjoyed fighting with the younger drivers—ready to come back swinging again tomorrow. But with the early check-in penalty dropping him to fourth, he admitted he didn’t fully understand exactly what happened and said he needed to focus on what he could do now. He ad-ded that he trusted the team would investigate the issue in detail.
Saturday started with SS15 Thahban, then headed into the ultra-long 32.88 km (20.43 miles) Asfan, and the season ended with SS17, a repeat of the opening stage. The 16.29 km (10.12 miles) Thahban opener begins on a desert road full of undulations and bumps before heading into a flatter area lined with rocks. After passing a jump at 8.45 km (5.25 miles), a high-speed section with continuous climbs and descents begins from 11 km (6.84 miles), and the stage ends with a tricky sequence of consecutive hairpins.
Fourmaux, looking to shake off the frustration of the day before, ran the fastest pace. Neuville—third-quickest on the stage—beat Sesks by 2 seconds and moved into the overall lead. Katsuta and Fourmaux battled for the final podium spot, separated by 6 seconds.
The drivers’ sincerity in the final fight shined out on the desert surface. Video: Rally TV (https://www.rally.tv)
At 33.28 km (20.68 miles), Asfan was not only the longest stage of Rally Saudi Arabia—it was the longest stage of the entire season. And it wasn’t just long: unfamiliar terrain, constantly changing surface shapes, and shifting grip piled immense pressure onto both driver and rally car. Run mostly in desert conditions, Asfan becomes increasingly narrow after a 10.6 km (6.59 miles) intersection as it climbs toward a plateau, making it more difficult as it goes. Late in the stage, it crests a steep climb before turning into a short downhill right before the finish.
On this stage, the drivers’ championship fight was nearly settled. Rovanperä, running fifth overall, dropped back after a puncture, while Ogier set the stage fastest time and increased his gap to Evans. Fourmaux struggled in the dust cloud thrown up by Sesks ahead, but Katsuta’s situation was worse. Katsuta suffered a major rollover on soft sand, but limited the loss to about a minute. Even so, it allowed Fourmaux to move up into second overall.
SS17—the second run through Thahban—got underway, and Thierry Neuville kept it clean and controlled to the finish, sealing both the final stage and the Power Stage and becoming the inaugural winner of Rally Saudi Arabia. Adrien Fourmaux held onto P2, finishing 54.7 seconds back and just 8.6 seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier in third, locking in a season-ending Hyundai 1–2. Elfyn Evans grabbed the stage win to put an exclamation point on the finale, but the championship crown ultimately went to Ogier—who matched fellow French legend Sébastien Loeb with a record-tying ninth career title, writing yet another chapter in WRC history.
By lifting his first trophy of the season in the finale, Neuville reminded everyone what a reigning champion looks like. Video: Rally TV (https://www.rally.tv)
Neuville went the entire season without a win—his best results being four third-place finishes—but grabbing the trophy in the finale let the defending champ leave 2025 with his pride intact. Fourmaux looked like a winner-in-waiting all rally long, only to have that one-minute penalty ultimately slam the door. Still, P2 marked his best-ever result since stepping up to Rally1, and it’s the kind of breakthrough that makes 2026 look seriously promising.
Hyundai didn’t have the smoothest season overall, but a 1–2 finish in Saudi Arabia was the perfect mic-drop to end the year on a high. Just as important, the team made its intentions clear: it’s going all-in in 2026, with a full-force push for top results—and the championship. After a short break, the WRC fires back up on January 22, 2026, with Rally Monte Carlo, launching a 14-round season that runs all the way through Rally Saudi Arabia.
The 2026 season is expected to serve as the final chapter of the Rally1 era, with a major rules overhaul looming for 2027. Starting in 2027, the WRC aims to dial back complexity and slash costs—headlined by a hard cost cap of €345,000 (base specification) per car, a cut of more than 60% compared with today’s Rally1 machines, which are widely reported to cost around €1 million apiece to build.
To get there, the sport will move to a shared, jointly developed Rally1 Chassis Safety Cell, with teams essentially building around that common core and fitting it with production-based bodywork. On top of that, the rulebook targets team budgets through tighter limits on personnel, reduced logistics and shipping costs, greater use of local facilities, and stronger data connectivity to support remote engineering. Powertrain-wise, the plan starts with internal-combustion engines running on sustainable fuels, with the regulations designed to leave the door open for a future shift to hybrid or even full EV.
By Soo-jin Lee
In 1991, Lee’s passion for cars led him to enthusiastically write letters to the newly launched Korean car magazine <Car Vision>. This unexpected connection led him to start his career as an automotive journalist. He has served as editor and editorial board member for <Car Vision> and <Car Life>, and now works as an automotive critic. While eagerly covering the latest trends like electric vehicles, connected cars, and autonomous driving technology, he is also a car enthusiast who secretly hopes that the smell of gasoline engines will never disappear.
