Ogier Wins Ninth WRC Title in Dramatic Rally Saudi Finale
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team driver Sébastien Ogier has secured a record-equalling ninth FIA World Rally Championship title after he and co-driver Vincent Landais prevailed in a dramatic final-day decider at Rally Saudi Arabia.
Ogier went head-to-head with team-mates Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä to claim the world crown at the brand-new season-ending event. Rally Saudi Arabia tested the field with soft, sandy desert tracks, rough, rocky mountain roads and high temperatures, making tyre management and pace judgement crucial across the weekend.
A strong road-cleaning effect on the loose surface kept the title contenders out of the fight for the outright rally win, while the abrasive stages exposed them to a high risk of punctures and time loss. Evans arrived with a three-point lead over Ogier but had to stop and change a tyre on Friday morning, conceding 1m40s. Ogier then lost time with a drop in tyre pressure that afternoon. He still held just two positions over Evans and effectively a one-point cushion into the final day, when drivers could earn 10 bonus points across the day and the rally-ending Power Stage.
Only 0.1s separated Ogier and Evans in the morning’s opening stage, but the most extended test of the rally, the 33.28-kilometre Asfan stage, proved decisive. Ogier went 7.9s faster than Evans and climbed to third overall as other drivers hit trouble. That swing opened a four-place gap between the championship rivals.
Evans delivered everything he had in the Power Stage and set the fastest time by 7.2s. Ogier, however, stayed ahead in the Super Saturday classification and won it by 0.8s. He also sealed his 10th podium from 11 starts this season, a campaign that has included six rally wins.
Ogier now equals fellow Frenchman Sébastien Loeb with nine WRC titles, achieving the milestone four years after his last championship and after stepping away from full-time competition. This result gives him a third title with TGR-WRT and hands Landais his first championship.
The success marks the sixth time in seven years that a TGR-WRT crew has taken the drivers’ crown. The team has also secured all three championships for the fourth time in five years, having already clinched the manufacturers’ title at October’s Central European Rally. In total, Toyota has now achieved a joint record 10 drivers’ titles, matching Lancia.
Evans and co-driver Scott Martin finished as championship runners-up after building a season defined by consistency. They placed in the top six in all 14 rallies, combining for two wins and six other podiums.
Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen still carried an outside chance of a third world title, needing to overturn a 24-point deficit in the final round. Early tyre damage on Thursday morning dented that push, though they recovered to start the final day in fifth, just 0.2s in front of Ogier on the road order.
On his last day of WRC competition before he makes a high-profile switch to single-seater circuit racing next year with TGR support, Rovanperä attacked in trademark style. He then suffered tyre damage in the penultimate test and finished seventh.
Sami Pajari completed his first full season of Rally1 competition with one of his strongest performances to date. After a maiden podium in Japan, he won two stages on Thursday and stayed in a tight battle for the lead until a Friday afternoon tyre change cost him two minutes. Pajari and co-driver Marko Salminen fought back on the final day and climbed from seventh to fourth overall.
Takamoto Katsuta began the final day in third after a largely trouble-free run. As he tried to hold off Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, he rolled in the penultimate stage but still reached the finish in fifth.
Already crowned WRC2 champions, Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson led the Rally2 field for the ninth time this season, and for the fifth rally in a row, in their GR Yaris Rally2 run by Printsport. The pair will step up to join TGR-WRT’s Rally1 line-up in 2026.
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman) said, “Wow! He is surely strong! When I watch Seb, that’s the thought that comes to mind. Congratulations on the ninth championship, and congratulations to Vincent on his first title as well!
I’m not sure if it’s OK to say congratulations on another silver medal, but Elfyn’s consistent driving is truly valuable to the team. And we will be counting on him to bring our GR YARIS safely to the finish line next year as well. If he does so, I’m sure great things will happen.
The youngest WRC winner, breaking Jari-Matti’s record, the youngest champion at 22 years and one day old, winning a rally as a late substitute for Seb, finally achieving a victory in his home country,
Finland, and then a new challenge in circuit racing... I really enjoyed being on the same team with Kalle, and I'm looking forward to seeing him at a circuit in Japan next year.
“I’ll come back stronger next season.” I believe in Takamoto’s words after today’s Power Stage. Also, I want to see Sami on the podium again next year. I’m looking forward to seeing him even higher up!
Juha, Jari-Matti, and everyone in the team, thank you so much for the hard work this season and for bringing the manufacturers’ championship. I hope everybody takes a good rest for a while. Merry Christmas! P.S. Ott, thank you as well!”
Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal) added, “This was an incredibly close fight between Seb and Elfyn that went right down to the last stage of the last rally of the season. I think Seb has shown that he is the best driver in the world at the moment, and maybe even of all time: he has equalled the record by winning a ninth title, and he’s done it with three different manufacturers. I also won with three teams – but I only won four titles! Elfyn has done a fantastic job as well. He didn’t make any mistakes; he had to be first car on the road for most of the season, and he was so consistent. It will be great to have him with us and try again next year. Kalle also tried his best, even though it wasn’t really in his hands this time. We will miss him, but we look forward to following his new challenge, and with fast youngsters like Sami and Oliver coming through, I’m sure we can have another strong season in 2026.”
Evans reflected on the weekend, saying, “I think we did what we could this weekend. The tyre change on Friday didn’t help, but that’s been the name of the game this week, and everyone’s had their fair share of issues. I didn’t have a great run through the middle stage – I’ve been struggling a bit in the more sandy sections this weekend – and many others had problems, which promoted Seb up the leaderboard. It wasn’t to be for us, but Seb and Vincent have been amazing all year and deserve this title. I’m a competitor, and I always want more, but it’s been a good season with a fantastic team behind us, pushing us all the way: thank you to everyone for the amazing job.”
Rovanperä said, “Congratulations to Seb and Vincent on the title: they fully deserve it, they have been perfect this year. For us, it wasn't really the last rally we wanted, but we knew it would be tough. Still, the feeling is good. Of course, it’s sad to be leaving the sport and the people who have been the biggest part of my life, but I can also be super proud of what we’ve achieved: it has been quite amazing. I have so many people to thank, but first of all, to Jonne, we’ve had such good times together; great results, but also a lot of fun. And a special thanks to Toyota and everyone in the team for these great years together.”
Ogier captured the intensity of the title duel, saying, “What a fight it’s been with Elfyn and Scott. A great champion needs great opponents, and they have been super strong, pushing us to the limit until the very last stage of the year. Well done to them, to Kalle and Jonne also, and to the whole team. It’s been such a successful season, and I’m proud and happy to be part of this family. I never thought that this moment of a ninth title would come after I decided to make a change and spend more time with my family. It’s thanks to the chance to work with this fantastic team and to finding a young co-driver, Vincent, who’s doing an amazing job alongside me, bringing such positive energy and making me feel younger. Together we’ve achieved great things, and I’m thrilled to welcome him to the world champions’ club.”
Katsuta summed up his final day, saying, “It was good to reach the finish of this rally, but today could have been better. We were fighting for the podium until one slightly optimistic pacenote in the penultimate stage. We went off and, when trying to get back onto the road, we dug into the very soft sand, which caused us to roll. It’s such a pity because we were being patient all weekend and then made this small mistake, but this is rallying. I’m sorry to the tea, but I want to thank them for the massive support they gave me this year, and I will work hard to come back stronger.”
Pajari looked ahead with optimism, saying, “We came here with a mission to take the first win, and it was going really well for a lot of the rally. It’s disappointing what happened yesterday afternoon, which meant we couldn’t achieve an even better result, but I’m super happy with the performance we had here this week on a new and difficult rally. After the podium in Japan, we end this first season with quite a nice feeling, and I’m really grateful to the team for the great job they are doing to help us get faster and stronger. It feels promising for next yea,r and I’m looking forward to that.”