The 41-year-old was imperious throughout the WRC finale. Arriving in Saudi Arabia three points behind his team-mate Elfyn Evans (and co-driver Scott Martin), Ogier finished third overall and capitalized on the bonus points available on the final day to seal the championship by four points from the Welshman. Despite missing three rallies, he’s taken six wins across the year to seal his place in rallying history. He was generous in his praise of Evans’ challenge across the year-long campaign. “What a season! What a fight with Elfyn and Scott,” said Ogier, who celebrated his crown by climbing onto the roof of his Yaris alongside co-driver Vincent Landais. “You’re only a great champion when you have great opponents, and they have been super strong, pushing us to the limit up to the very last stage of the year. Well done to those guys and the whole Toyota Gazoo Racing team. It’s been such a successful season, and I’m very proud and happy to be part of this family.” Across the 17 stages — held in the remote sandy deserts and rugged mountains outside the host city of Jeddah — Ogier drove superbly to improve his road position each day and stay clear of trouble, while his rivals battled tire issues. He pushed when required and was particularly dominant on the rally’s longest test on Saturday morning, the 33.28km Asfan stage, where he climbed from sixth to third in the overall classification. He was then second-quickest on the Wolff Power Stage, the second pass through the 16.29km Thahban, to put the title beyond doubt. Evans finished runner-up in the points battle for a fifth time despite giving everything on the final stage, where he secured the five bonus points for the fastest time — 7.2 seconds faster than Ogier. The Welshman ultimately finished Rally Saudi Arabia sixth overall and was magnanimous in defeat. “We did what we could, but the puncture we suffered on Friday morning didn’t help,” said the Toyota driver. “Everyone has had their fair share of issues in this rally though. It’s been a good season, and I’ve had a fantastic team behind us, pushing us all the way. TGR have done an amazing job, so thank you guys.”

It hasn’t been the easiest season for the reigning champion, but Thierry Neuville was delighted to become the first winner of the new Rally Saudi Arabia. The Belgian claimed his first victory of the year and led a Hyundai 1-2, with team-mate Adrien Fourmaux finishing runner-up — his best-ever result and an impressive drive on this thrilling debut event, despite falling foul of a time penalty on Friday. Neuville is now level with Ott Tänak on 22 career wins. He was congratulated at the finish by his family, ending the 17 stages — alongside his i20 N Rally1 co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe — in a time of 3 hours 21 minutes 17.3 seconds, and 54.7 seconds ahead of Fourmaux. “This feels very special,” said Neuville. “It’s been a super tough season, but to finish with an unexpected victory is a great feeling. I’m super happy my family was here to support me too. Next season arrives fast and we have a lot of work in front of us to be best prepared for next year.” Neuville, who revealed he had been struggling with a damper issue, took over the lead of Rally Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning after outpacing overnight leader, Mārtiņš Sesks on the first run of Thahban. But with the Latvian only two seconds behind, he remained firmly in contention for the win — until disaster struck on SS16. On the long, fast, and flat-out Asfan stage, where average speeds reached 125km/h, Sesks was forced to stop and change a wheel just 9km in, costing him eight minutes. It was a devastating blow for the Latvian and his M-Sport team, effectively ending his hopes of a maiden win. Drama continued elsewhere on the stage: Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä suffered a puncture and ultimately finished seventh in his final WRC event before he switches disciplines to focus on single-seater racing. There was further incident for Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta, who rolled his GR Yaris Rally1 late in the stage and severely damaged his windscreen. He was forced to tackle the final run without a front windscreen, with him and co-driver Aaron Johnston wearing goggles to keep out the sand. When the dust finally settled, the podium celebrations began to bring the curtain down on an exciting rally and an epic championship year. Ogier and Landais received Champion Celebration Plates from HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation & Saudi Motorsport Company. Alongside Neuville, trophies were also awarded to class winners Gus Greensmith (WRC2) and Matteo Fontana (WRC3). Saudi Arabia became the first Middle Eastern nation to host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship since Jordan 14 years ago. The Kingdom is now the 39th country to stage a WRC event. The rally began with a spectacular Opening Ceremony and the Jameel Motorsport Super Special Stage on Wednesday night. With the Service Park located at the home of the Formula 1 Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Rally Saudi Arabia featured 17 dramatic stages across 320km of competitive running in a stunning landscape — from barren desert to mountainous, rocky terrain, on the outskirts of the Red Sea city.