Championship-chasing Elfyn Evans lost ground to title rival Sebastien Ogier on Friday's second day of Rally Japan as Kalle Rovanpera's hopes of a third world crown took a hit.

Welshman Evans went into the penultimate rally of the season with a 13-point lead over his Toyota teammates Ogier and Rovanpera and can wrap up his first world title in Japan if he outscores both by 23 points.

Evans was in third place after Friday's action, 10.2 seconds behind leader and eight-time world champion Ogier.

"Seb's pulled the pin out a bit this afternoon, and I haven't had the pace to follow him," said Evans, a four-time championship runner-up.

"That's the case but there's a long way to go in this rally, and we'll keep trying."

If Evans does not win the title this weekend, the championship will be decided at the season-ending Rally Saudi Arabia later this month.

Japan's Takamoto Katsuta finished the day in second, 7.9 seconds behind Frenchman Ogier.

Ogier won three of the day's six stages on the twisting, leaf-strewn asphalt roads of the Japanese course in dry, sunny conditions.

The 41-year-old was back to his best after a crash at last month's Central European Rally put a dent in his title hopes.

"It's been a good day, happy with that, I think we did what we had to do today," said Ogier, who would equal countryman Sebastien Loeb's record if he wins his ninth world title.

"It's nice to be there, still a long way to go but we'll try to leave our chances alive until the last rally."

Elfyn Evans wins Rally Japan SS4 but Sébastien Ogier still leads the rally – only a second separates the WRC title contenders! 😯 pic.twitter.com/0ZS91Ogu8I

— DirtFish (@DirtFishRally) November 7, 2025

Rovanpera saw his championship hopes fade after clipping a barrier on the third stage.

The collision damaged the Finn's suspension and forced him to use a spanner as a makeshift brace until he could get his car in for repairs.

He finished the day a full 5 minutes 42.2 seconds behind Ogier's leading time.

"We just went a bit too fast in one corner, probably had a bit too optimistic pace note for it," said Rovanpera, who will leave rallying at the end of the season to join the Japanese Super Formula Championship.

"Always when you need to fix something, you need to try to create something with what works."

What a fantastic welcome 🎌🔥

It’s always such an amazing atmosphere here, thank you to everyone who came to Toyota City tonight!

We are looking forward to getting started in the morning 🙌🏻
#EE33 #RallyJapan #ToyotaGAZOORacing pic.twitter.com/POA1r4Xxnj

— Elfyn Evans (@ElfynEvans) November 6, 2025

 

Championship leader Elfyn Evans lost out to title rivals Kalle Rovanpera and Sebastien Ogier in Thursday's first stage of Rally Japan as the Welshman looks to clinch his first world crown.

Evans leads his Toyota teammates Rovanpera and Ogier by 13 points each in the overall standings heading into the penultimate rally of the season and can wrap up the title if he outscores both by 23 points.

If not, the championship will be decided at the season-ending Rally Saudi Arabia later this month.

Evans got his title bid off to a cautious start as he clocked the sixth-fastest time in the opening super special stage behind Finland's Rovanpera, who was first.

France's Ogier, who is challenging for a record-equalling ninth world title, was fourth behind second-place Ott Tanak of Estonia and third-place Takamoto Katsuta of Japan.

Evans, a four-time championship runner-up, said he and co-driver Scott Martin were "just trying to do the best we can".

"It wasn't the cleanest run in there with the grip changing," said the 36-year-old. "You expect it to be so much better everywhere but there were still some tricky places."

The opening stage took the drivers through a twisting 2.75-kilometre asphalt course.

Rovanpera, a double world champion, said he was not satisfied despite finishing on top of the timesheets, 0.1 seconds ahead of Tanak.

"It wasn't the best feeling today on this short stage with the car," said Rovanpera, who won last month's Central European Rally. "Hopefully it gets better tomorrow with a bit more open roads."

Two-time title-holder Kalle Rovanpera announced his retirement from the world rally championship on Thursday aged just 25 "to pursue my next dreams".

The Finn made history when becoming the youngest ever driver at 22 to seal the WRC crown in 2022 with six wins.

He defended the title, again at the wheel of a Toyota and with co-driver Jonne Halttunen alongside, the following year.

After a fine success in the Canary Islands and an emotional home win in Finland he is still in the hunt to leave the WRC stage in style with a third title.

 

Thank you! pic.twitter.com/AxAghljuE9

— Kalle Rovanperä (@KalleRovanpera) October 9, 2025

 

He is leaving the world of rallying to try a new venture, still with Toyota, in the Japanese Super Formula Championship.

"This decision has not been an easy one, but it's one that I have been thinking about for a while," Rovanpera told wrc.com.

"Having already achieved so much in rallying at this age, I started to think about what other possibilities I might have and what other challenges I would like to take on. It has been a tough decision, but it feels like the right one to pursue my next dreams and challenges."

He added: "We still have three rallies to go this year and we will give it everything and keep pushing until the end."

 

Kalle Rovanperä will call time on his WRC career at the conclusion of the 2025 season, ending a spell that has so far delivered two world titles, 17 rally wins and a string of youngest-ever records.

More: https://t.co/i1aDDED9dX pic.twitter.com/AvZstGUDBb

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) October 9, 2025

 

Finland's Kalle Rovanpera boosted his bid for a third world rally championship title with a dominant win in front of his home fans in the Rally of Finland on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Toyota driver, world champion in 2022/23, competing in his birthplace swept the points, securing 35, having also won the 'Power Stage' and the 'Super Sunday' to move into second place, just three points off series leader Elfyn Evans.

Rovanpera, winning his home rally for the first time, recorded his 17th career win, second this term, beating two other Toyota drivers Japan's Takamoto Katsuta and Sebastien Ogier of France.

Ogier lies in third place overall, 13 points adrift of Evans, who finished fourth and replaced Ott Tanak on top of the title standings as the Estonian endured a nightmare race and finished 10th.

The Hyundai driver's hopes of victory had disappeared when he was slapped with a five-minute penalty after an incident on Friday.

Tanak left the control zone after tyre scanning before receiving permission from a scrutineer and struck the official with his front bumper resulting in minor injuries.

His sanction also carries a suspended penalty of 35 championship points.

The title race looks set to go down to the wire with just five races remaining, though, defending champion Thierry Neuville's hopes of defending his crown dimmed further as he finished sixth.

The drivers move on to the Rally of Paraguay, which runs from August 28-31.

 

RESULTS FROM THE RALLY OF FINLAND

1. Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (FIN/Toyota) 2hr 01min 28.8sec,

 2. Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (JPN-IRL/Toyota) +39.2sec,

3. Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (FRA/Toyota) +45.1,

4. Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (GBR/Toyota) +48.1,

5. Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (FIN/Toyota) +1:18.8,

6. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL/Hyundai) +2:01.5

Double world champion Kalle Rovanpera made a solid start to his bid for a first home WRC win in Finland as the Toyota driver ended Friday's opening leg 4.9 seconds clear of Hyundai's Thierry Neuville.

A mere 15.7 seconds separated the top five, with Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux third and 2.8 seconds adrift of his Belgian teammate after 10 of the gravel stages through the Finnish forests.

Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta was fourth and Finnish teammate Sami Pajari fifth.

Rovanpera had not led a gravel rally this season before Friday but he hit the front after the second stage and was fastest in three of the day's nine stages.

It's a Finn on top after Friday 💪#WRC | #SectoRallyFinland 🇫🇮 pic.twitter.com/hX23Vg8spe

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) August 1, 2025

"It was a nice day, but not easy by any means. I am not really in my comfort zone at the moment, but we are pushing hard," he said.

Both Rovanpera and reigning world champion Neuville agreed the stages had been too fast for comfort.

"All flat-out and just taking risks – not at all what I like," said the Hyundai driver.

Hyundai's championship leader Ott Tanak hit a tree on the seventh stage and was 10th.

Toyota title rival Elfyn Evans, who is a single point behind, was seventh with teammate Sebastien Ogier in sixth.

Ott Tanak built on his overnight lead by taking five of Saturday's six stages in the Acropolis Rally.

Tanak started the day just three seconds ahead of Hyundai team-mate Adrien Fourmaux and finished it 43.6 seconds ahead of Toyota's French driver Sebastien Ogier.

Frenchman Fourmaux dropped to third, at 1min 24.4sec, after hitting a rock in the final stage.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans was fourth overall, more than three minutes behind Tanak.

The gravel roads took their toll down the field. Both Finn Kalle Rovanpera, the 2022 and 2023 world champion, and his Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta crashed out on the fourth stage of the day.

"It's Greece," said Tanak. "You need your eyes wide open all the time. You never know what's coming."

The rally concludes on Sunday with four more stages, at the end of which Tanak could secure Hyundai its first victory of the season.

Ott Tanak led the Acropolis Rally on Friday after an attritional day's driving in the Greek mountains.

With the sun beating down, the Estonian, world champion in 2019, reached the end of the second day with a slim three second lead over his Hyundai teammate Adrien Fourmaux.

Eight-time former champion Sebastien Ogier was placed third at almost 17 seconds.

Ogier's Toyota teammate and championship leader Elfyn Evans was in fourth, almost one-and-a-half minutes adrift of Tanak.

Leaders after Friday 💪#WRC | #AcropolisRally 🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/w2QkJg8fFE

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) June 27, 2025

"It was a typical day in the Acropolis Rally, very difficult," said Welshman Evans.

"Seb (Ogier) put in incredible times, but we weren't able to match that," Evans added.

World champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) was one of the drivers who struggled, ending the day over two minutes off the lead.

The Belgian lost a chunk of time due to a brace of punctures.

In the overall standings, Evans holds a 19 point lead over Ogier, who is only competing part-time this season.

Sebastien Ogier and Ott Tanak shared the spoils in the opening stage of the Acropolis Rally after posting the exact same time in Athens on Thursday.

The 1.5km super special stage in the heart of the Greek capital resulted in eight-time world champion Ogier and 2019 champion Tanak crossing the line in 1min 18.1sec to share the early lead.

Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta was placed third, just 0.9sec off the leading pair.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota) and two-time champion Kalle Rovanpera (also Toyota) posted identical times to sit joint sixth, both 1.5sec down.

Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier picked up his third win of the season with victory in the Rally of Sardinia on Sunday.

The Toyota driver, who is not competing in the full 14 rounds of the WRC, began the day 17 seconds ahead of Ott Tanak (Hyundai), enabling him to control the rally from the front until a late error almost cost him the win.

On the final stage, Ogier failed to turn into a tight corner carved with deep ruts and was forced to stop and reverse before restarting.

"In the ruts, I just couldn't turn the car," said Ogier.

"There was no speed at all, so I didn't try to force it and hit it. I preferred to stop and reverse. Not ideal. Still, it was enough to win."

Ogier's fifth win in Sardinia and his 64th career victory lifts him to second in the title race, 19 points behind leader Elfyn Evans, who could only finish fourth in his Toyota.

"We have to be satisfied with this weekend," said a positive Evans who lost time with a wheel change on Saturday.

"We didn't have any major problems and we're in the championship battle with these guys (who finished ahead of him). They were very fast."

The Estonian Tanak closed the gap to Ogier to 8sec but had to settle for second ahead of another Toyota driver, Finland's Kalle Rovanpera who came in 50sec off the lead and drops to third in the title race, a point behind Ogier.

It was Toyota's sixth victory in six rallies this season and meant the same podium for the second rally running following Portugal in mid-May.

Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) rounded out the top five while reigning world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) went off the road on Friday's fifth stage and finished outside the points in 19th position.

The next round of the WRC is the Acropolis Rally which takes place in Greece at the end of June.

Frenchman Sebastien Ogier took the lead of Rally Portugal on Saturday, after overnight leader Ott Tanak suffered a power steering failure late in the day's action.

The 2019 world champion encountered the problem on the penultimate stage of the day (SS17) and conceded 45 seconds to Ogier, which will likely cost him overall victory.

"It's not the way you want to win any fight," said Ogier.

"We were both pushing really hard –- that's the game. We tried to keep the pressure on, even if he (Tanak) was a bit quicker.

"I'm not happy.

"I don't want to celebrate this way. I just hope he can still recover as many points as possible -– it's not over. Tomorrow is a long day," he added.

Ogier goes into the final day of racing with a comfortable lead over his Toyota teammate Kalle Rovanpera.

The eight-time world champion is very well placed to win, holding a 27.6sec lead over the second-placed Finn with Hyundai's Tanak a further 8.5sec back in third.

"It's part of the game, I guess. Very unfortunate, but we gave everything from our side," said Tanak.

Victory would be Ogier's seventh in Portugal, as well as a third podium in three races this season after his victory at the end of January in Monte Carlo and his second place in the Canaries last month.

Rovanpera, who was untouchable in the Spanish archipelago with 15 out of 18 special stages won, could be the weekend's big winner as he has the chance to reduce the gap in the championship to Welshman Elfyn Evans, who currently lounges in seventh place in Portugal.

Reigning Belgian world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) sits in fourth place ahead of Japan's Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota).

The rally finishes on Sunday with six special stages totalling 72.16km of timed action.

Welshman Elfyn Evans extended his lead at the top of the World Rally Championship with victory at the demanding Safari Rally Kenya on Sunday.

The Toyota driver made it back-to-back wins, having won the last round in Sweden and now, after three of the 14 rounds, holds a 36-point lead over defending champion Thierry Neuville in the title race.

23 years on from Colin McRae's success, Elfyn Evans becomes the third UK driver to win a Safari 🇬🇧#WRC | #SafariRallyKenya 🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/K6UZLOE12D

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) March 23, 2025

Two-time champion Kalle Rovanpera is 57 points adrift, after being forced to retire on Sunday morning with an electrical issue on his Toyota.

Evans, who has finished runner-up in the championship on four occasions, drove a controlled race, avoiding the many pitfalls of the Safari Rally, as he completed the 21st and final special stage with a 1-minute-9-second lead over Hyundai's Ott Tanak.

The Estonian's Belgian teammate Neuville finished third at 3min 32sec.

A special win 🇰🇪#WRC | #SafariRallyKenya pic.twitter.com/raMlwwry7R

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) March 23, 2025

"A huge well done to the team," said Evans. "They did a great job and I'm proud to be a very small part of Toyota's history at this special rally."

Finland's Sami Pajari (Toyota) took fourth place, ahead of his Japanese teammate Takamoto Katsuta, who rolled his Toyota on the final stage as he pressed for bonus points.

That he was able to finish and collect 10 precious points was thanks to nearby spectators who helped get the car back on its wheels.

"I don't know what happened," said Katsuta who had been heading for fourth. "Just sorry for the team, nothing else."

The next stage of the WRC World Championship will take place at the end of April with the Rally of the Canary Islands.

Ott Tanak took command of Safari Rally Kenya on Thursday when he won the second of the opening day's two stages but competitors remained largely silent in protest after French driver Adrien Fourmaux was fined for swearing.

Under the International Automobile Federation's (FIA) rules on foul language, Fourmaux was fined €10 000 for using an English four-letter-word on live TV to describe a mistake in Rally Sweden.

Drivers responded on Thursday by refusing to give interviews, or speaking only a few words in their mother tongues.

The rules caused tensions in Formula One last season after Red Bull's Max Verstappen was ordered to do community service for swearing in a press conference and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fined €10 000 for a similar offence.

On Thursday, Welshman Elfyn Evans, the championship leader after two rounds, won the opening stage in his Toyota by 1.5sec from Belgian Thierry Neuville in a Hyundai, with Tanak fourth.

The Estonian then edged Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta by 1.1sec to take the second stage, with Evans fifth and Neuville 11th after a crash.

After the first 12.91 kilometres of timed sections, Tanak, the 2019 world champion, led Katsuta, in a Toyota, by 2.4sec with Gregoire Munster, a Luxembourger with Ford, third.

Off to the perfect start 💪#WRC | #SafariRallyKenya 🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/Cj35mZFDBr

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) March 20, 2025

"For me, it was all fine," Tanak said.

The Estonian saved the day for Hyundai, which had a series of setbacks.

Fourmaux was unable to reach the start of the second stage after his battery died on his way from the stage one finish to the start of the next stage.

"It's the type of rally where we can still score some points, even after retiring on the first day," he said. "It's not ideal, but we are going to try to get the best that we can."

Neuville, the third Hyundai driver, almost lost everything on stage two, ending up on two wheels and damaging his car. The Belgian managed to finish the stage, but lost almost 20 seconds.

Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera was fourth overall, 3sec behind Tanak, and just ahead of teammate Evans.

A much tougher day awaits the drivers on Friday, with eight stages covering a total of 159.06 kilometres near Naivasha, some 100 kilometres north-west of the capital, Nairobi.

The day opens with a 32.2 kilometre run along the cliffs of the Great Rift Valley.

"I think the first stage tomorrow will show quite a lot," said Tanak. "It's super tricky, very demanding and long at the same time. I think the whole day will be quite a big show."

The best fans 🤩#WRC | #SafariRallyKenya 🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/LcjO8sRmTt

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) March 20, 2025

Elfyn Evans conquered the driving snow of Rally Sweden on Friday to edge ahead of a group of five drivers separated by less than 10 seconds.

Evans, the 2024 world championship runner-up, led in his Toyota from Japanese teammate Takamoto Katsuta and Estonia's 2019 champion Ott Tanak of Hyundai.

The lead changes hands again 🔁

Evans leads by 0.6sec from Katsuta overnight. Tänak is third, 1.9sec further back.#WRC | #RallySweden 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/rc9FdTPcFt

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) February 14, 2025

Defending world champion Thierry Neuville of Hyundai was fifth just behind French driver Adrien Fourmaux in another Hyundai.

Welsh star Evans was in the lead for a long time on Friday before Katsuta briefly grabbed the advantage on stage five.

Evans and Tanak then took over top spot before the Toyota man ended the day back in prime position.

Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera, in another Toyota, endured a testing day.

The Finnish driver ended up more than 25 seconds off the pace.

French driver Sebastien Ogier said he followed "my lucky star" to a record-extending 10th Monte Carlo Rally on Sunday.

The 41-year-old, locally-born, eight-time former world champion took the season-opener he first won in 2009 with his Welsh Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans in second.

Ogier, who once again is only competing part-time this season, took the lead in the event steeped in motorsport history on Friday afternoon.

On the roads he knows like the back of his hand, Ogier completed his perfect 10 with a near 20sec cushion over Evans to cement his status as the master of Monte Carlo.

"I don't know where to start, what a weekend!" Ogier said.

"I think I have my lucky star with me this weekend. It was my uncle who we lost one year ago.

"I am sure he was bringing me everything and this one is for him."

Ogier said he was unsure whether he would be back in 2026 to try and notch up an 11th win in the foothills of the Alps.

"I have no idea if it is my last one now. It would be a good place to stop."

Ogier's countryman Adrien Fourmaux, behind the wheel of a Hyundai, completed the podium.

The WRC season moves on to Sweden next month with Ogier topping the fledgling standings on 33 points from Evans on 26 and Fourmaux six points further adrift.

'REMEMBER HOW TO DRIVE'

Defending world champion Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) made a quiet start to the defence of his title, finishing sixth on Sunday, his hopes harpooned by an early crash, a deflated tyre, and an electrical issue.

"It is what it is. We're gonna learn from it and look forward to Sweden," said the bespectacled Belgian.

Kalle Rovanpera, champion in 2022 and 2023, took a semi-sabbatical last season, although he still won four of the seven rallies he took part in.

"Disappointing weekend for sure, not the result we wanted," shrugged the Finn who came in fourth.

"Let's see in Sweden if we can remember how to drive a rally car or not," he added.

Ogier held onto his overnight lead, achieved despite failing to win any of Saturday's five stages.

But wins on stage 16 and the closing power stage lifted him across the line 18.5sec clear of Evans.

Third-placed Fourmaux, the stage 17 winner, could reflect on an encouraging first outing for new team Hyundai.

"Really positive for the beginning of the season. It's a shame we didn't make this last day, but it's Monte so you never know. I'm really happy to start my first rally with Hyundai by getting a podium," said the Frenchman.

The 2025 WRC calendar is expanded to 14 legs with the arrival of new venue Saudi Arabia which hosts the season-finale in November.

Africa keeps its event with the Rally Safari Kenya in March.

Estonia returns to the calendar while the Canary Islands and Paraguay make their first appearance. Croatia and Poland have been dropped.

The usually snow-covered roads of Sweden host the next round from February 13 to 16.

French veteran Sebastien Ogier roared back into the lead in the Monte Carlo Rally on Friday with world champion Thierry Neuville slumping to ninth.

Eight-time world champion Ogier, who hails from nearby Gap, jumped from third to first overall as Belgian Neuville and Welsh driver Elfyn Evans struggled on the slippery Alpine roads.

"It's a good end to the day," said Ogier.

"I had to fight for that. Earlier today I didn't have a mega feeling, I was really on the back foot and I couldn't find the perfect rhythm, but the last two stages were good for me."

Rally leaders after SS9/18 💪@SebOgier @vinzzlandais @TGR_WRC @Hankook_Sport #WRC | #RallyeMonteCarlo 🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/B5Gl0h2QDp

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) January 24, 2025

Chasing an unprecedented 10th Monte Carlo triumph in the season-opening rally, Ogier had paid for errors on Thursday.

But by Friday evening, the 41-year-old was back in control, finishing 12.6sec ahead of fellow Toyota driver Evans with France's Adrien Fourmaux 14.2sec off the pace for Hyundai.

Evans, a four-time runner-up in the drivers' championship, had pulled ahead of Neuville early with the Belgian then damaging his suspension on a downhill hairpin.

Evans's lead was cut to 1.5sec by midday and a spin on an icy patch handed the advantage back to Ogier.

"I was proper steady, it just started to go and I couldn't recover, I was on the ice," said Evans after the eighth stage.

"It's like that. It's Bambi on ice! A half spin and we lost some time."

Ott Tänak damaged his car after hitting a telegraph pole on SS6, with fellow Hyundai driver Fourmaux impressing in his first WRC outing with the team, with a stage win and two second-fastest times.

Kalle Rovanpera, also with Toyota, won the world championship in 2022 and 2023, and is making a comeback after only competing part-time last year.

The Finn won the morning's opening stage and climbed from sixth to fourth.

He ended the day 24.3sec behind Fourmaux but held an 8.8sec cushion over Tänak.

Neuville, leader after Thursday's three night-time stages, now occupies provisional ninth place, almost four minutes behind the leader.

The Hyundai driver lost almost two minutes after going off the road late on SS6.

Saturday is the rally's longest day and includes with eight special stages totalling 131.4km with the race finishing on Sunday.

The 2025 World Rally Championship gets its wheels spinning with freshly-crowned champion Thierry Neuville beginning the defence of his title at the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally which begins on Thursday. AFP Sport picks out five things about Monte Carlo and the coming season.

NEUVILLE 'SHOULD BE UP THERE'

After five times finishing as runner-up, the bespectacled Belgian finally took a step up in 2024 to claim the title at the season-ending rally in Japan alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe.

At 36, Neuville is no spring chicken but he claims to be as hungry for a second title as he was for the first.

"Definitely. Once you taste it you want more," he told Motorsport.com.

"It is always like this with everything. For sure, what I want to do is give it everything like we have done in the other years. If everything comes together we should be up there.

"The pressure to perform, the pressure to deliver for the team and the pressure to be the best is still the same."

Neuville remains with Hyundai who will be looking to rest the manufacturers' title from Toyota.

ROVANPERA RETURNS

After winning two successive titles, Kalle Rovanpera took a semi-sabbatical last season, although he still won four of the seven rallies he took part in.

But the 24-year-old Finn, who became the youngest ever world champion when he won the title in 2022 at the age of 22 years and 1 day, is back with Toyota for a full season and eager to reclaim his crown.

"If I’m lining up, it's to win and bring points to the team," he said. "My ambition hasn't changed. I'm here to win the world championship title."

The other main contenders will likely be fellow Toyota driver Elfyn Evans and Neuville's Hyundai teammates Ott Tanak, the 2019 champion, and, possibly, Adrien Fourmaux.

OGIER CHALLENGE'

Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier will again be competing for Toyota on a part-time basis which rules out his hopes of a ninth title but leaves him as a dangerous outlier in every event he's involved in.

This weekend Ogier, who hails from nearby Gap, will take part in his 16th Monte Carlo Rally where he is a record nine-time winner, although only eight of those came in the WRC.

"Even after many starts, this rally never gets any easier," the 41-year-old told Auto Hebdo.

"I always approach it with respect for the challenge and, in a way, with a bit of fear, because you know you'll be facing unpredictable conditions. It's about trying to manage the risk, even more so than on other rallies."

SAUDI DEBUT

The WRC becomes the latest sporting event to reach into the deep pockets of Saudi Arabia as the calendar expands by one race to 14 in 2025. Saudi Arabia, which already hosts the annual Dakar Rally at the start of the year, will hold the season finale at the end of November.

Africa keeps its event with the Rally Safari Kenya in March.

Estonia returns to the calendar while Canary Islands and Paraguay make their first appearance. Croatia and Poland have been dropped.

MONTE CARLO OR BUST

It all starts on Thursday in Monte Carlo which is the oldest event on the schedule having first been run in 1911 when 23 cars set off from 11 different locations in Europe to converge on the principality.

Frenchman Henri Rougier, a pioneering aviator, won the event in a Turcat-Mery 25 HP, although victory depended not just on speed but also on items such as passenger comfort, the look of the car and the state in which it arrived in Monte Carlo.

The controversy that followed was nothing compared to the howls of discontent that followed in 1966 when the first four finishers, who included Timo Makinen and Paddy Hopkirk, who had won the previous two editions, and Rauno Aaltonen who would win in 1967, were all disqualified. The reason? Their Mini-Coopers were fitted with the incorrect non-dipping headlamps.

The early years of the rally were set on celluloid in Ken Annakin's 1969 comedy 'Monte Carlo or Bust' starring Tony Curtis, Susan Hampshire and Terry-Thomas.

Two-time world rally champion Kalle Rovanpera will return to the circuit fulltime next season, his Toyota team announced on Monday.

The Finn only competed in seven rallies this year after lifting the title in 2022 and 2023, winning four.

"It's been a nice year, but it's also given me a lot of motivation to return for the full season," said Rovanpera.

Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, an eight-time world champion, will continue racing for Toyota on a part-time basis.

The 2025 season gets under way in Monte Carlo on January 23, with Belgium's Thierry Neuville the reigning champion.

Ott Tanak won the Central European Rally on Sunday to leave his title aspirations alive going into the season finale in Japan next month.

Tanak's Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville leads the 2024 championship by 25 points after crossing the line in third place.

The Belgian, a five-time world rally runner-up, was hoping to tie up his maiden WRC crown with one rally to spare.

But the 36-year-old lost valuable time when his car spun into a ditch on Saturday.

He was not the only driver to make a mistake in this penultimate leg, spread over three countries, with eight-time former champion Sebastien Ogier crashing his Toyota into an electricity pole in Sunday's 17th stage whilst trailing Tanak by only 1.5sec.

That left Tanak in control, the 2019 world champion notching up his second win of the season after Sardinia back in June.

The Estonian moved on to 200 points for the year, with Neuville is in the driving seat on 225.

"Let's see (for the title). We took care to have a clean stage (after Ogier's crash) and bring the points home," Tanak said.

Neuville described the weekend in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria, as "challenging".

"We wanted to bring home the title this weekend, but not at any price.

"For Japan we've got a comfortable lead. I'd like to say thanks to my team and  sorry for mistake, but even world champions make mistakes!"

Thierry Neuville's hopes of wrapping up a maiden world title with a race to spare were dashed Saturday when an error-plagued drive at the Central European Rally ended up with the Belgian in a ditch.

Neuville, behind the wheel of a Hyundai, had led overnight but his lead was whittled down over the early stages in Germany and Austria where the asphalt surfaces were made tricky by rain.

Huge drama on stage 11 of the Central European Rally as our championship leader @thierryneuville spins not once, but twice in quick succession.

The Belgian lost over 30 seconds 😱 #WRC | #CER2024 🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/Yy5XvnKl4G

— Red Bull Motorsports (@redbullmotors) October 19, 2024

On the third stage of the day, his car spun which sent him into a concrete drainage ditch.

As he struggled to get back on the road, Neuville lost 40 seconds and fell into fourth place.

By the end of the day, Neuville was 39.8 seconds adrift of new leader, former world champion Sebastien Ogier in a Toyota.

Hyundai's Ott Tanak was in second at 5.2 seconds off the lead.

CHAMPIONSHIP IMPLICATIONS!

Current overall rally leader & championship favorite Thierry Neuville went off-track twice, the second one here where he momentarily stuck on a ditch.#WRC #CER2024 pic.twitter.com/aJmmsvmqyf

— D A N N Y (@Danny10_DotCom) October 19, 2024

Neuville needs to score two more points than Tanak this weekend to wrap up the title before the final round in Japan next month.

"Of course we are disappointed but the rally is not over and tomorrow will be an interesting day," said Neuville who hinted that he and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe misread the conditions, expecting dry and not wet roads.

"We paid the price for our mistake during the reconnaissance on our notes...it's disappointing but that's how it is."

Top five standings after Saturday's stages:

1. Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (FRA/Toyota) 2:10:12.7, 2. Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveola (EST/Hyundai) at 5.2sec, 3. Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (GBR/Toyota) at 14, 4. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL/Hyundai) at 39.8, 5. Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (JPN-IRL/Toyota) at 1:31.8

Stage winners: Sebastien Ogier (SS1, SS3, SS8, SS11, SS13, SS14), Ott Tänak (SS5, SS9, SS12), Thierry Neuville (SS2, SS7), Elfyn Evans (SS4, SS10), Takamoto Katsuta (SS6)

Thierry Neuville moved closer to claiming his first World Rally title on Friday by taking the lead in the Central European Rally.

Hyundai's Belgian driver ended the second day on greasy leaf-covered asphalt roads in the Czech Republic over six seconds clear of Sebastien Ogier, and more importantly 7.8s clear of third-placed Ott Tanak.

Neuville has a 29-point lead over teammate Tanak in the title race and needs to outscore the Estonian by at least two points this weekend to secure a maiden championship with one round to spare.

Neuville, with co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe, suffered a minor scare on Thursday when colliding with a bale of straw, but the pair avoided any similar dramas on the second day.

One step closer to the title 🏆#WRC | #CER2024 🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/U9MdusSe0p

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) October 18, 2024

Placed second to Ogier overnight, Neuville took command of this 12th leg of the season by the fifth special, and remained at the top of the times by the closing eighth stage.

"I'm happy to be at the end of the day. It's easy to make a mistake and the only thing that's important for us is to make the finish line," said Neuville, a five-time runner-up in the world championship.

"The rain began to fall towards the end and it was pretty greasy in some areas so we played it safe and came through," added the 36-year-old.

The weather could yet be a factor in the destination of the 2024 title, with the forecast for more intense rain on Saturday when the drivers cross over the Czech border to Germany and then Austria.

The third day consists of six stages, with a further four to come on Sunday.

While Tanak is Neuville's main obstacle to his first ever title, mathematically Ogier, an eight-time champion, and the Frenchman's Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans, could still force the battle to go the closing rally in Japan should the Belgian come a cropper over the weekend.

TOP FIVE AFTER THE SECOND DAY

1. 1. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL/Hyundai) 1hr 04min 40.0sec
2. 2. Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (FRA/Toyota) at 6.4s
3.  3. Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveola (EST/Hyundai) 7.8
4.  4.Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (GBR/Toyota) 15.1
5.  5. Takamoto Tatsuta/Aaron Johnston (JPN-IRL/Toyota) 38.6

Special stage winners: Sebastien Ogier (SS1, SS3, SS8), Thierry Neuville (SS2, SS7), Elfyn Evans (SS4), Ott Tanak (SS5). Takamoto Katsuta (ES6)