Rally Sweden 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans held onto the event lead to take his first win of the season.
Super Sunday (Stages 16-18)
Elfyn Evans held onto the event lead during the final three stages of the event. The Welshman did temporarily lose it after SS16, as Takamoto Katsuta took the lead. However, Evans was quick to regain the lead as he once again took the lead on SS17. Evans ended the event with a win on the Powerstage. Evans ended the event with a 3.8-second advantage over Takamoto Katsuta. Thierry Neuville finished third, 11.9 seconds behind Evans.
Quotes
Toyota
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman)
“The top five within a 25-second gap, and there are three GR Yaris Rally1s among them. The top two are Elfyn and Takamoto, with only a 3-second difference between them, and following them were three previous WRC champions including Kalle. This year’s Rally Sweden was really exhilarating as we started the morning of the final day with this situation.
Congratulations to Elfyn and Scott for winning the rally! They have faced disappointing results in Sweden over the past few years, so it’s truly great that they finally won there again. Congratulations also to Takamoto and Aaron for finishing in second place! I assume Taka still has some frustration, but I hope this rally helped change something within him. Next up is the Safari Rally, and I’m counting on him to showcase his spirit of ‘returning to the finish line no matter what’.
Both Elfyn and Takamoto delivered fantastic performances during the Power Stage. I was really excited. It was an amazing drive from both. Thank you for the perfect one-two finish! I also thank everyone in the team for building cars that allowed the drivers to compete comfortably until the end!
For the next rounds, Jari-Matti will step away to temporarily return to driving in the FIA European Historic Rally Championship that starts next month, and I look forward to seeing his stories with the Celica. Juha Kankkunen will take over in his role as Deputy Team Principal, and his first event is one he has a strong connection with, having won it three times. I’m confident that Juha will take good care of the team and I’m also sure that the team will also support him.”
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“This has been an incredibly close Rally Sweden and it’s been a nerve-wracking final day for us, watching two of our drivers fighting for the win. I’m really proud of both Elfyn and Takamoto for the way that they fought, and for how strong they have been mentally. We saw that from Elfyn and the way that he responded on the penultimate stage of the rally after losing the lead, and Taka has shown that he is ready to win and able to maintain a great performance under pressure without making mistakes. There were only a few seconds between the top drivers for the whole rally, and to fight like this for three days is remarkable. For our team to have scored the maximum 120 points from the first two rallies, we literally cannot have asked for a better start to the season and we are looking forward to Safari Rally Kenya.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s been an amazing weekend. We led for a lot of the rally but the margins were always tight and it was never really comfortable. This morning I got caught napping a bit in the first stage by Taka, who really made me fight for it, and thankfully we managed to turn it around and unlock good pace on the next stage. I’m very happy with the end result and to have won the Power Stage as well. It’s been a very good start to the season for us and we couldn’t really have dreamed of much better. Usually after a good Rallye Monte-Carlo it’s hard to score well in Sweden but the good conditions gave us a chance and I feel we made the most of it.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“Overall it’s been a difficult weekend for me. We were trying to push hard but we could not have the pace or the performance that we wanted, even on this final day. It’s a big disappointment but this is the only snow rally in the season and now we need to focus on the next rally on gravel with a completely different tyre and work to be stronger there. I’ve been closely following the battle at the front and I’m really glad that both drivers could bring home the one-two and the maximum points for the team: well done to Elfyn who’s done a really good job, and I’m proud of my friend Taka also.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s been a really nice fight with Elfyn and with the Hyundai drivers not far behind us as well. It’s been a really intense battle for the whole rally and there was some pressure throughout but I enjoyed it a lot. At the end, I’m happy to have done a good job for the team, to bring the car to the finish and score some good points. Well done to the team for this result and hats off to Elfyn, who did an amazing drive on the penultimate stage. Next time I will be ready to push more to try and take that victory. I was able to manage the speed through the whole weekend and this is giving me more confidence for the future and a good feeling for Kenya.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Overall it has been a really enjoyable rally and it’s good to reach the finish without any big mistakes. It’s still quite disappointing what happened on Friday morning when the tyre came off the rim and we lost quite a lot of time, which then maybe gave us not such a good starting position for the next days. Still, I think we had some nice pace and some good moments, including some top-three stage times, and the feeling has been good. It’s been valuable learning and I’m grateful to the team for the support.”
Hyundai
Thierry Neuville
“We are happy to be on the podium, but nevertheless we are disappointed that we weren’t able to score the big points. We were still struggling today with the balance and tyre degradation. The feeling wasn’t there 100% even though we were improving, and it seems it has been better for our competitors than for us. Our first event in the upgraded car felt good, overall the performance was there. It’s hard to really analyse everything as we saw the variation based on road position was crazy this weekend. You could be in the middle of the group and have the best conditions at some points or have the worst. We were in the game this weekend and that’s what counts. ”
Ott Tänak
“Friday was not the greatest day but we were still very much fighting for the victory. On Saturday, we lost some time driving in a safer mode through the stages. This morning we tried to catch the leaders, but on the second loop the road conditions were still cleaning so much. I’m not sure we got the best out of the new car this weekend, but I would say when the car is working it’s nice to drive and we just have to put the package together now. Toyota has been very strong, they are doing a good job and it’s something we need to catch up with.”
Adrien Fourmaux
“We have been competitive all weekend so I would say the positive thing is we have the pace, but we need to avoid the mistakes and go from there. I am happy we could score at least one point in the Power Stage; it’s the bare minimum but it’s something so we didn’t come back with nothing. We are focused on the future – there are still12 events and a lot to be done, so I will keep my head on my shoulders. Yesterday’s mistake will not happen again. Kenya is next and anything can happen, so I will be working a lot with the team to make it successful.”
Cyril Abiteboul – Team Principal
“Like in Monte Carlo, it’s been tight all weekend here in Sweden, but unfortunately not on the right end. Thierry has been impressive after starting pretty slowly, but he built on his confidence and his pace to fight his way to the podium, which is definitely a sign of the strong things to come from him and his team-mates. Overall, this result means that the championship is not starting in the right way for us, however, it is clear that we do not need big improvements to turn things around. We need to focus on having clean rally, starting in Safari Rally Kenya, which will be a great opportunity to do better than the previous years there.”
The third day of Rally Sweden 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans retains the event lead after the days seven stages.
Morning Loop (Stages 9-11)
Elfyn Evans expanded his lead by 2.2 seconds on the morning loop. With the Welshman now having a 2.8-second lead over Takamoto Katsuta. Thierry Neuville jumped up to third overall after Ott Tänak suffered an issue on SS11 that caused oil to go on his windscreen. Adrien Fourmaux also had an issue on SS11. However, it wasn’t to do with the car. As it seemed like Fourmaux forgot to fasten his helmet correctly and forgot to put a glove on. Therefore he has to stop to fix these issues. Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Thierry Neuville each took a stage win during the loop.
Afternoon Loop (Stages 12-15)
Elfyn Evans held onto the event lead after the final stages of the Rally Sweden 2025 day three. Evans heads into the final day with a three-second advantage over Takamoto Katsuta. Thierry Neuville took two stage wins during the loop. While Adrien Fourmaux and Elfyn Evans each took one. Fourmaux got stuck in a snowbank on SS13, which forced the Frenchman to retire for the day. Evans stalled temporarily on SS15 which cost him a handful of seconds.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It has been another very close and exciting day. It was not so easy to watch this last stage of the day with a very icy road and worn tyres, because it’s easy for the drivers to make a mistake there, and unfortunately Elfyn lost some valuable seconds. Still, both Elfyn and Taka have been driving well overall and remain one-two tonight, which is great. But the gaps are very small, also to Neuville behind, so I think the final day is going to be really exciting for everybody to watch. It will be important to push hard but also to manage the level of risk carefully, because the points are valuable for the championship.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“Overall today has been pretty good. It’s a close fight and I think there have been ups and downs for almost everybody at some point. There were just a couple of small mistakes in the last two stages which were quite costly: when the times are so tight there’s not much margin for error. On the penultimate stage I just lost the line ever so slightly, and in the last one the rear stepped out under braking, I locked the wheels and stalled. We need to try and avoid such mistakes tomorrow. Everything is to play for and it should be an exciting day.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“Today was definitely much better than yesterday. We did a lot of work with the setup last night, and it felt pretty good on the first stage this morning which was narrow and technical. There we could feel comfortable and have some pace. When the stages are wider with long and fast corners, I’m still looking for some more precision. For tomorrow we’ll try to put everything we have learned this weekend together and aim to score some good points.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It has been a challenging day but quite a strong day I think. This morning I was not completely happy with the feeling in the car and this afternoon I was struggling a bit with the conditions. I had an overshoot and had to reverse, but I think we managed to gain some time back afterwards. The gap is not big in front or behind but it feels good for me to be in this position. Tomorrow will be interesting but I will just try to continue what I’ve been doing the whole weekend and see what happens.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“It has been quite a solid day today. The morning especially was really nice and enjoyable for us. There were some stages where I felt I left some margin and some room to improve but still the times were OK. This afternoon there were some trickier conditions on the second pass and I felt I was struggling a bit more there. But overall it has been a good clean day full of learning in different conditions, so there are a lot of good things to take into tomorrow.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Thierry Neuville
“The target of the day was to get closer to the lead and finally we achieved that. I’ve been satisfied with our performance; step by step we’ve been able to increase the speed. We’re still fighting a bit with mid-stage sections, but overall I think we went in the right direction and we know now what to do. There are extra points to take tomorrow, so in such a close battle everyone will be flat out. Let’s cross our fingers that everything will go our way tomorrow, and we will see. ”
Ott Tänak
“This morning I had a better feeling chassis-wise, and it only improved from there. The first stage was positive, but then after this we lost some speed. The rest of the day we had to maximise everything we could. Some stages were bad, some were good, but that’s just the way it’s been. I think with the pace we’ve had this afternoon, a fight for the win tomorrow doesn’t look too promising. When it’s icy, the new tyres are consistent and tyre wear is not too bad, but we will see what the conditions are like tomorrow. ”
Adrien Fourmaux
“Today was not my day definitely, on SS11 I had to stop to tighten my helmet and lost more than 20 seconds, and then this afternoon I get trapped in a really soft snowbank. The car was in the snowbank on the outside and it pushed the front into it after that, so for 60 metres we were forced along it. At some point it caught the front and then we got stuck in the really fresh snow; it was really deep and there were no spectators. A difficult day, but I just want to refocus on tomorrow and try to get some points for the championship where we can. ”
Hyundai Motorsport WRC Chief Engineer Gerard-Jan de Jongh
“Today was challenging but we are still in a close battle for a strong result going into the final day of Rally Sweden. Thierry’s performance was encouraging, and paired with the performance of the car on the second pass we have a lot of confidence for tomorrow. We obviously had some worries with Ott’s coolant reservoir issue which was influencing his performance, which was a shame as he lost touch with the lead of the rally, but he still remains in contention for the podium positions. With Adrien’s helmet mistake and his frustrations around that, he was probably trying too hard to compensate for the mistake and unfortunately lost a bit of his control and vision of the rally. Our main target is making the most of the Super Sunday points, and with Thierry’s pace we can do incredibly well with both him and Ott. ”
The second day of Rally Sweden 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans narrowly leads after the days seven stages.
Morning Loop (SS2-SS4)
Elfyn Evans held onto the event lead after the first three stages of the day. The Welshman expanded his lead to 1.9 seconds over Adrien Fourmaux on the stages of the loop. Fourmaux won two of the three stages during the loop, whilst Evans only won a single stage. Ott Tänak sat third overall, 6.2 seconds down on Evans heading into the afternoon loop of stages. The loop went by with relatively little drama. As only Sami Pajari seemed to have any major issues on the loop. Pajari would push his tire off the rim on SS2. Other than that no major issues to report.
Afternoon Loop (SS5-SS8)
The afternoon loop of Rally Sweden 2025’s second day was rather interesting. As the lead changed multiple times. However, Elfyn Evans managed to retake the event lead by the day’s end. Unfortunately for Evans, he now only sits 0.6 seconds ahead of his teammate Takamoto Katsuta. Ott Tänak remains third, now 2.5 seconds off the event lead. Katsuta, Tänak, Neuville and Evans each took home a stage win during the afternoon loop. While no major issues worth reporting took place.
Driver Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal
“It’s been a very exciting day. I was a bit worried this afternoon on the second pass that Elfyn might suffer opening the road and lose the chance to fight for the victory, but he’s been driving really superbly to be the first car and to finish the day on top. Taka has also been doing a really good performance, which we know that he can do on this surface. The new tyre is very different and they are both adapting well to it. For Kalle it’s maybe taking a bit more time, but I’m sure that it will come. To have a one-two after the first day means it’s been a really good day, but the fight is tight. When there are so many drivers covered by so few seconds, we need to push and I’m sure tomorrow will be another exciting day.”
Elfyn Evans
“It’s been very close out there today. Sometimes it’s suited us to be running at the front and sometimes it hasn’t. This morning it was pretty good for us but the grip was still quite changeable and difficult to read. The afternoon was not so kind for us and even the last stage felt quite messy but still the time was good. Compared to how it’s been when we’ve opened the road here in the past, we should probably be quite happy to be in the lead after Friday, but the gaps are very tight so let’s see how tomorrow plays out.”
Kalle Rovanperä
“It hasn’t been the best day for us. I was struggling more than I was expecting with my feeling in the car and how my driving style is working together with the tyre. We tried many small things during the day and made some steps, so we had a slightly better feeling this afternoon, but we’re still not in the place we want to be. If we can find something more for tomorrow then hopefully it will be a better day and we can be more among the top times.”
Takamoto Katsuta
“Today has been very good. It has felt very comfortable: we have not been pushing crazy hard but still the times have been coming. I’m enjoying it a lot so it’s going well so far but there’s still some way to go. At the moment it’s very tight in the top five; one mistake could cost a lot, so I will try to continue in the same way and have another clean day tomorrow. The starting positions should be more equal and the conditions should be good so I’m looking forward to it.”
Sami Pajari
“The feeling was really good in the first stage this morning: it felt quite clean with a nice flow and I didn’t feel I was pushing that much. In one place we hit the snowbank, which is quite normal on a snow rally, but for some reason the tyre came off the rim. It was disappointing to lose so much time, and without that it could have been a really good day. But it’s all about the learning, and there’s still two more days to drive and enjoy.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT
Ott Tänak
“We tried to put a consistent run together but it was not so much fun in the car today, so we are for sure looking forward to tomorrow. We need to use the used tyres in the right moment and make sure you finish them, but the last two stages were more icy and the fresh tyre was probably more needed there. Normally when it’s icy it’s very good for the first car on the road and then normally the ice breaks down more and more, the layer seems to be a bit thicker so maybe it will last a bit more tomorrow, but we will see.
Adrien Fourmaux
“It was a really positive day; I think everybody enjoyed the conditions, it was really nice this morning with a lot of ice. This afternoon, as expected, we saw the gravel in the ruts and we had to manage our tyres a bit more to try our best to not be lose too much to the others with better road positions. I don’t have too much experience on snow but I am enjoying it, trying to do my best and use my experience from last year. It seems to be working really well and we want it to continue like this tomorrow. It will be more icy and the loop is shorter than today so it’s going to be easier for the tyres. Tomorrow will be full attack for everybody. ”
Thierry Neuville
“We knew this morning that we had to keep calm and accept that we were losing time, but we also knew that the afternoon would be to our advantage. I think we made the best out of it and I’m pretty satisfied with how the second loop went – the feeling was better. We are missing experience on the tyres and with the setup as well; the amount of understeer left me a bit surprised. It’s going to be a big push out there tomorrow, but if the feeling is like it was this afternoon then we will definitely be in the game.”
Pablo Marcos – Hyundai Team Manager
“Today was a positive day for the team with three cars in the top five and a minimal difference in the fight for the win. All three drivers were on the pace today and it’s nice to see Thierry back fighting for stage wins in the afternoon. Adrien made the most of his undesirable position to bring home some very good times, and Ott was fighting for the win from the very beginning. On the final stage, he was taking care with the car to keep the position for tomorrow to continue in the fight. Tomorrow should be easier because the road conditions look icier, demanding less from the tyres than today. We are in a good position for the remainder of the weekend. ”
The first day of Rally Sweden 2025 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans narrowly leads after the day’s lone stage.
Day One
The first day of Rally Sweden 2025 only featured a short 5.16km stage. Elfyn Evans took the stage win for an early event lead. Kalle Rovanperä and Ott Tänak tied for second on the stage with both drivers finishing 00.5 seconds slower than Evans.
Quotes
Toyota
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It’s always great for us to be here in Sweden starting this rally and especially with the nice conditions for rallying that we have this week. When you have minus temperatures, big snowbanks, the sun is shining and you’re pushing to the limits, it’s a great feeling as a driver. We had a good start tonight but it’s going to be interesting to see tomorrow how the roads are evolving, and how the pace is evolving with the new Hankook tyres when the road is cleaning up. With Elfyn opening the road, hopefully we have a cold night and the conditions stay consistent for everyone, but the good thing is that our drivers are spread nicely through the order and we hope to make a good start whatever the situation is.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“The conditions look brilliant out on the stages, with a good ice base and big snowbanks – you couldn’t really hope for much better. This first stage was a pretty solid start: the braking points can be difficult to find in the dark and the grip was difficult to judge, but it was all OK. It might be that some stages work in our favour opening the road tomorrow, and others like the first stage where there’s a bit more loose snow on the ground could cost us a bit more, but let’s see how it goes.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“We’re expecting to have a nice winter rally this weekend and I’m really excited for that. The conditions looked really nice on the stages during the recce, better than usual with a good layer of ice. If it’s like it was in this first stage tonight, it could be good to be near the front of the road order. Again we have a new tyre for this surface so there will be many things to learn. It’s a rally where you need to push a lot, so hopefully we have a good feeling and can have a great event.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“It’s nice to be back on snow and the conditions are looking very good, with thick ice and not too much gravel coming through. Still, we know that the second pass of stages could be tricky, especially as we are learning about the new tyres. I was surprised how low the grip was on this first stage, but tomorrow’s stages might be quite different. The car is good and my feeling is good so I’m quite confident.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“Normally I like winter rallies with proper winter conditions like we have here this week: it seems to be nice and icy. We need to see how it develops but I’m really looking forward to the weekend. For me the grip was changing quite a lot in the first stage so it wasn’t easy to find the flow, but it was good to get through it cleanly before the rally starts properly tomorrow. In general I’m quite happy and confident with the car and just aiming to have a good time.”
Sebastien Ogier held onto the lead throughout the final three stages of Rallye Monte-Carlo 2025 to secure his first win of the season.
SS16
Sebastien Ogier kicked off the final day of his home event with a stage, something he didn’t get any of on day three. Ogier finished four seconds faster than Elfyn Evans and 13 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä on the stage. With this stage win Ogier also takes an early lead on Super Sunday. Both Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta were forced to retire on this stage after both Toyota drivers got stuck on separate corners.
SS17
Adrien Fourmaux took home the stage win on the second stage of Super Sunday. With a time 4.5 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä and 17.8 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans. Kalle Rovanperä claimed the Super Sunday lead on the stage after Ogier finished fifth fastest on SS17. Rovanperä heads into the final stage with a 4-second lead over Fourmaux in the Super Sunday standings.
SS18
Sebastien Ogier capped off the weekend with yet another stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 0.2 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans and 3.7 seconds faster than Fourmaux to take home all 5 Powerstage points. As far as Super Sunday goes Elfyn Evans ended the event at the top of those standings.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal
“I’m really delighted. We could not really have had a better start to the season than this: we got the maximum 60 points as a team, a one-two-four overall and the 10th victory for Sébastien Ogier on Rallye Monte-Carlo, which is a truly amazing and unique achievement. The conditions were very difficult until the end and the tyre choice was stressful this morning because the road was freezing after the route-note crews had passed through. Unfortunately Sami and Taka went off, and perhaps I should have pushed them to take a safer choice, but this rally was all about the experience for them. With our other drivers it worked out well in the end, so thank you to them. At the same time it was a very entertaining rally and I think we have an exciting season ahead.”
Sebastien Ogier – 1st Overall
“It’s amazing to win this rally for the 10th time: it makes me incredibly happy and proud. This rally is the one that gave me the dream to be a rally driver, so if I could pick only one to win in a season, it would always be this one. This year it’s been a huge fight up until the very last stage. We had changing conditions, difficult tyre decisions and pressure right until the end so I’m glad we managed to keep it under control. We definitely had some moments but to win this rally I think you always need a bit of luck too. It’s a perfect start to the year for the team so we couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Elfyn Evans – 2nd Overall
“This was a typical Rallye Monte-Carlo, a bit more extreme than in recent years and it was a properly challenging weekend. I’m very happy to be here at the end with a decent haul of points. Today started off with some very tricky conditions, we made a change at the last moment to take four studded tyres and I wasn’t sure it was the right call. In the end it seems there wasn’t a lot between the two choices and we had a pretty thrilling Power Stage to finish: we had a close moment a few corners from the end but thankfully we managed to get away with it.”
Kalle Rovanperä – 4th Overall
“Rallye Monte-Carlo is always tough and it was especially so this year. For me personally it was a pretty difficult weekend. We didn’t have the result that we wanted or the pace that we wanted but we have to be happy at the end to have got some pretty good points. Today was not a bad day for us: we just tried our best, kept consistent and it paid off. A big thanks to the team, now let’s see what we can do in Sweden.”
Takamoto Katsuta – DNF
“This morning in the first stage we knew that the conditions could be quite tricky, but we came to one right-hand corner that was frosty where we didn’t have that information in our pacenotes. We were quite slow going into the corner, but the car went wide and got stuck in a small ditch which we couldn’t get out of. Until then it had been quite a good rally, especially Saturday when the pace was good. It’s a pity but I just need to refocus on the next rally in Sweden and try to do a good job for the team there.”
Sami Pajari – DNF
“The approach for today was the same as before and we were not planning to push particularly hard. There was just one surprisingly icy braking point which just caught us out. It was an unfortunate end to our rally, as it been going according to plan until then. On Saturday especially we saw that the times were getting better and the feeling was getting better and the confidence was rising. Everything felt under control so it’s a pity to end the rally like this, but we will try to learn from what happened and look forward to Sweden.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Adrien Fourmaux – 3rd Overall
“Monte-Carlo is always something special, and to have such a great start with Hyundai is really positive so I am really pleased with my weekend. We put a lot of pressure on Elfyn and Seb, but we couldn’t push it that little bit more with that much snow on the road as we didn’t want to risk too much. It’s a shame, but it’s a part of game – we have no regrets. Sweden will be good, for sure; we will be second on the road in the snow and the cold temperatures, but I am really looking forward to it. ”Crew Notes:
Ott Tänak – 5th Overall
“It was quite an entertaining weekend but still lots of positives to take away. We got some good points and can be a bit happier with the road position going to round two. There were some things we couldn’t get right, but obviously the base was there. We will get it sorted and working, but it takes a bit of time. I am looking forward to Sweden, and we will be able to try the upgraded car for the first time so hopefully we will see an improved performance on that side as well. ”
Thierry Neuville – 6th Overall
“All in all it was a challenging weekend for us. It went wrong from the braking in the hairpin on Friday, and then the combination of our road position and the conditions today that didn’t favour us. Today there was less ice than expected, and cars were going faster on slick tyres – it was a difficult Sunday. We can optimistic about what’s coming next in Sweden; we will have a better road position and hopefully a better rally because of it, but we still need to make the most of it.”
Cyril Abiteboul – Team Principal and Hyundai Motorsport President
“After a win here last year a third-place finish comes somewhat as a disappointment, but there are plenty of positives to be taken from this weekend. The first one is Adrien’s result in his first weekend with the team, and I am sure we will see a lot more this year as he gets fully familiar with the car and the team. Another positive is that our drivers managed to take the right approach to the challenges they were facing, which will be the key to this long and unpredictable championship. Finally, the car overall has been competitive across the course of the weekend; with the evolutions to come in Sweden and interesting road positions we are all really looking forward to the next round.”
Sebastien Ogier retained the event lead at his home event of Rallye Monte-Carlo after the third day of stages. The Frenchman now leads by 20.3 seconds over Evans.
Morning Loop
Sebastien Ogier held onto the event lead after the first three stages of the day. The 9-time Monte-Carlo winner heads into the afternoon loop with a 17.2-second lead over Adrien Fourmaux. Elfyn Evans fell to third, now 2.8 seconds behind Fourmaux and 20 seconds behind Ogier. Gregoire Munster, Ott Tänak and Takamoto Katsuta each won a stage during the loop.
Afternoon Loop
Sebastien Ogier extended his lead on the last three stages of the day. Ogier ends the day with a 20.3-second lead over Elfyn Evans. Adrien Fourmaux fell to third during the loop and now sits 4.3 seconds behind Evans and 24.6 seconds behind Ogier. Ott Tänak won all three stages of the afternoon loop.
Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal
“It’s been another good day today, we can be very happy. There was not so much ice out there today but there was a lot of dirt coming to the road, making it difficult to judge the grip levels. All our drivers have been doing a good job and making improvements, starting with the big steps we’ve seen from Sami and from Taka. Kalle had some very good splits and was struggling in the more twisty places but he knows the season is long and he just needs to take points, so he’s doing a clever job. Then it’s been a big fight at the front, with Seb handling his lead very well and Elfyn fighting very hard with Fourmaux and Tänak and managing to hold onto second position. Tomorrow it looks like it might be raining heavily, maybe even snowing, so we need to be prepared for everything and nothing is secured at this point.”
Sebastien Ogier – 1st Overall
“Again it was not an easy day. Some sections were fun to drive and others were tricky, especially at the end of the day when it was getting dark and I had some little moments on the mud, so I’m glad to have this day behind me and that we could increase the gap a little bit. The gap is not a comfortable one but it’s still a positive one to take into the last day. Like usual it will be difficult until the end because the weather tonight looks unpredictable so we need to make the right tyre choice and stay focused.”
Elfyn Evans – 2nd Overall
“Overall I’m pretty happy with the day and we’re still in a pretty good position tonight. We had some very mixed conditions out there with a lot of pollution on the stages, and our performance was a bit mixed with it. We pushed when we felt good and maybe took a little bit too much caution at other times. I was pretty happy with the last stage of the day, to not lose too much time to Ott and to take back second from Adrien, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow: we don’t know fully what to expect, but we could be facing some quite difficult conditions.”
Kalle Rovanperä – 5th Overall
“It was still quite a challenging day today. Some stages and some sections were pretty good and then we were just losing a bit too much time in other places. I was just not feeling completely confident, so it was still a difficult day. With the team we’re trying to change some small things and at least we still have tomorrow, when we can try something new and see how it’s going. We’ll try to do our best of course and hopefully get some extra points.”
Takamoto Katsuta – 6th Overall
“It was a very good and positive day for me. Last night with the team we changed some things in the setup and today I felt a much better feeling with the car, so I was able to push more. I was able to go much quicker than yesterday and we set some good times, which was giving me better confidence. Tomorrow will be quite a big day and the weather could be very interesting. I will try to do my best to take some points.”
Sami Pajari – 7th Overall
“Today we did a clear step forwards and I had a much nicer and more enjoyable feeling. We didn’t really change the plan but the feeling was getting better and also the times were nicer, so that made it more enjoyable also. We can see that we just need some time and experience and the times get better. From what we’re hearing, the conditions tomorrow could be even more challenging so it could be another different and difficult day ahead.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Adrien Fourmaux – 3rd Overall
“It’s been quite a rollercoaster at this Monte-Carlo. I was not so happy with my pace this afternoon, I was struggling to get the grip. Tomorrow is a big day; we have kept a reasonable gap to Elfyn but then Ott came back really strong this afternoon so we will see what happens. He had a really goodpace today, so our focus will be understanding why this afternoon I didn’t have the same. Tomorrow will be a big challenge with the rain that is expected and the potential of black ice, so it’s going to be an interesting day. ”
Ott Tänak – 4th Overall
“It’s been a very positive afternoon. Finally I found a good feeling in the car and immediately I had a good rhythm to actually enjoy myself. The gravel crew did a very good job in these very tricky conditions, particularly in the last one, that helped me find my confidence. This morning we found which way to go with the setup. I had no mileage with this tyre at all so we didn’t know which direction to go, but we began to understand and it started to work for me. I’m looking to keep a good rhythm and enjoy myself in the car tomorrow. ”
Thierry Neuville – 8th Overall
“We slightly touched the wall on stage 14 and I was bit surprised, we weren’t aware it was wet in that corner, but it was nothing major. I don’t know if the progress we made today is enough to maximise our day tomorrow, and the weather conditions could have a huge impact. We have to prepare as best as we can and make some changes to the setup because things are not feeling as they should. Maybe we change the gearbox and then see how things are in the morning – with Super Sunday and the Power Stage there is still an opportunity to bring some points home.”
Hyundai Motorsport Technical Director – François-Xavier Demaison
“Today was a better day for the team. Thierry had more issues this morning and had to do a reset during the stage, and we want to apologise to him for that on our side. The rest of his day was about concentration and preparation for the last day and the final push on the Power Stage. Ott was on the slick tyres which gave him the chance to improve his pace and finish the day with a really strong stage time, putting him back in the fight tomorrow. Adrien had a very good day. He followed the plan we had made with him and improved step by step to get to know the car and the team, putting him in a position to fight all the way to the end of the rally. A strong team effort is needed to bring home the best result we can, we are aiming to make the most out of the Super Sunday points. ”
Sebastien Ogier leads Rallye Monte-Carlo 2025 after the second day of action. Find out more about the day below!
Morning Loop
Elfyn Evans led the event at the end of the second day’s morning loop. The Welshman had a lead of 1.5 seconds over 9-time Rallye Monte-Carlo winner Sebastien Oiger. Adrien Fourmaux moves up to third overall after the loop, now 4.7 seconds behind Ogier and 6.2 seconds behind Evans. Kalle Rovanperä and Adrien Fourmuax each won a stage. Only two stages were run as SS5 was cancelled due to a spectator injury. Both Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak encountered major issues involving ditches. As Neuville’s rear driver-side tyre was left hanging on by a thread after a venture into a ditch. While Tänak’s i20 was left looking like a pickup truck after his venture into a ditch.
Afternoon Loop
Sebastien Ogier took the event lead over the course of the loop to end the day with a 12.6-second lead over Elfyn Evans. Adrien Fourmaux remains in third place, now 1.4 seconds behind Evans and 14.2 seconds behind Ogier. Sebastien Ogier took two stage wins during the loop (SS8 and SS9) while Evans had a single stage win. Neuville once again had an issue during the loop. Oddly enough it was caused in the exact same spot as last time. This time, however, he didn’t nearly take a tyre off the car. However, he didn’t nearly damage the car enough that he was forced to use road mode for the stage. Grégoire Munster retired after the stage ended due to a mechanical issue.
Driver/Team Quotes
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal
“We have to be happy tonight to be leading the rally with a one-two and three cars in the top four. It’s been a day of drama, with difficult conditions and new tyres that the drivers are still gaining knowledge of. Seb was a bit frustrated with his mistake last night and maybe didn’t start today with the best feeling, but this afternoon he came into his own, especially in the icy middle stage where we could see he had the confidence to push. Elfyn is still close, as is Adrien, so it remains exciting ahead of tomorrow. We can also see Kalle and Taka improving their feeling while Sami continues to gain lots of experience which is the main target for him on this event.”
Sebastien Ogier – 1st Overall
“It’s been a positive day, turning a 13s deficit into a 12s lead, but not everything has been perfect. I was struggling to find a rhythm in the morning and also in the first stage this afternoon, when I was not really driving close enough to the limit. I’m glad I managed to find that for the last two stages, and especially that I managed to win my home stage with a lot of family and friends watching. But we can’t relax yet, there’s still a long way to go and we have to continue in this way tomorrow.”
Elfyn Evans – 2nd Overall
“It’s been tricky again out there today. This morning, the first stage was evolving with every car, and the last one of the loop was hard to judge also with the sun coming out and melting the ice that had been marked in our pacenotes. We had a pretty decent start to the afternoon, then in the middle stage a bit of a spin on the one full icy corner that we had, which cost us the lead. We lost a bit more on the last one too but it’s still not a huge gap and there’s a long way to go.”
Kalle Rovanperä – 4th Overall
“For us it’s been a clean day with no drama, but overall we were just not quick enough. In the morning the conditions were tricky but it was going OK. The pace seems to be good when we’re on the snow or studded tyres, but I still need to find some more pace for when the road is cleaner and we’re on the slick tyres. Tomorrow it seems like the roads will be a bit drier so hopefully I can find some more speed.”
Takamoto Katsuta – 6th Overall
“This afternoon was much better for me than the morning, when I was struggling to follow the information that was in my pacenotes. The route note crews went through the stages very early in the morning when there was a lot of black ice and frost, some of which had melted by the time we did the stages, so I found it hard to know how much grip to expect. In the afternoon it was easier, just a bit muddy and a few icy corners. There’s still interesting days to come and I just want to stay calm.”
Sami Pajari – 7th Overall
“It’s been a really tricky day. Some stages were really good and some split times really good. We were also trying some different tyre combinations just for the experience. I can see many places where I can improve, but my mindset is to be clean and build up the confidence and knowledge step-by-step and then increase our pace. In this sense everything is still going to plan even though I would like to be a bit quicker. Tomorrow the conditions could be easier for us but we need to see how it is in the morning.”
Hyundai Shell Mobis
Adrien Fourmaux – 3rd Overall
“It’s been a really good day. We didn’t make any mistakes with the tyres, we had really good pace and we made it to third in the provisional classification. There’s still a long rally ahead, but we are really pleased with what we have achieved so far. I think every driver wants to win here, although it is not my target, but we will keep this pace and see where we are. As a team today has been quite a shame, but it’s positive for us so we will see what happens. Tomorrow will be a new challenge, but we areconfident that we can keep a good pace – nothing is impossible at Rallye Monte-Carlo. ”
Ott Tänak – 5th Overall
“It’s been a demanding day; lots of condition changes, even from first loop to second loop you don’t really recognise the conditions. We have seen more or less everything today – from dry tarmac to black ice. The contrast is huge between the grip levels we had on the same stage, so in the end we just had to go with the information we had, trust it and go for it. This afternoon was a bit of a struggle to get into the rhythm. Before the last stage we balanced some settings on the car, and after that it behaved a bit better. Now we need to get back into the faster rhythm. We need to see what’s coming tomorrow, and we are still not sure what is waiting for us. ”
Thierry Neuville – 8th Overall
“Today was a day to forget, I made a mistake this morning and misjudged the braking with these studded tyres. The target this afternoon was to see if we could gain back a bit of time this afternoon, maybe a position or two, and then unfortunately we had a puncture three kilometres into the same stage. We don’t know these tyres very well, but we decided to continue with the puncture and the tyre went in a braking zone. I am disappointed with the one mistake this morning, but a puncture can happen to anybody. We made some changes overnight for the day and I couldn’t find the confidence I needed all day. We’ll go back to the setup we used Thursday evening and see if we feel more comfortable. ”
Pablo Marcos – Team Manager
“In general, we are in a good position for tomorrow and Sunday. It was a difficult day for Thierry, he had to open the road with new tyres which was only made more challenging because of the road conditions we have here in Monte Carlo. He had a small off in the last stage of both loops that cost him a lot of time, and in the first instance caused some damage that the team did a great job to fix at midday service. We will try and have a safe day tomorrow so on Sunday he can bring home as many points as possible. Ott had some good pace, but he had an off on SS6 that created some damage on the car. The mechanics worked hard to fix those for the second loop, and in the afternoon he drove at a safer pace to bring the car home. Adrien had the most positive day; from the beginning he had good pace with very little mistakes. He felt comfortable with the car and that helped him finish the day in the top three, and this will give him plenty of confidence with a new team and a new car. We are all looking forward to hopefully having a day without struggles tomorrow so we can be in the fight for Sunday points. We are still targeting a good points haul, and want to keep Adrien and Ott in the top five by the end of the event. ”
The 2025 World Rally Championship season kicks off in just over a week. Meaning it’s a good time to predict some things about the upcoming season. This article will give some predictions for the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
Kalle Rovanperä
As mentioned in the Toyota preview article Rovanperä is the favourite to win the championship. Anything less than a championship win would come as a shock. I also see Kalle winning at least 9 of the 14 rounds this season. I know it sounds like a lot, however, in 2024 Rovanperä either won or was on pace to win every event he contested. Therefore if he continues on that path this shouldn’t be much of a challenge for him. I also see Kalle winning at least 65% of the stages this season.
Elfyn Evans
Giving a prediction for Evans is hard. As I don’t really know what to expect from him. He could perform like he did in the latter half of the 2023 season, or he could perform like he did last season. I do see the Welshman winning at least one event this season, but from there I can’t really say much. He should compete for a top-three spot, but who knows at this point in time.
Takamoto Katsuta
2024 was a bad season for Katsuta as mentioned in the preview article. However, I do see 2025 going a bit better. I wouldn’t be surprised if Katsuta tripled the amount of podiums he had last season, with one of those potentially being a win. As far as the championship goes I have him finishing either 6th or 7th.
Sami Pajari
Pajari is a bit of a mixed bag for me. He showed a good amount of pace in the car last season. I do expect that to continue into this season, however, I don’t see him truly competing for a podium until Rally Italy and beyond, with a single exception. That being Rally Sweden. Pajari is Finnish and likely has a decent amount of experience on the snow and ice. Meaning he could potentially contest for a podium at the event. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pajari on the podium at least 2 times before the end of the season.
Sebastien Ogier
Ogier isn’t competing for the championship this season, well I should say he probably isn’t. As heading into last season he wasn’t expected to contest for the championship, however, that changed mid-season. Nevertheless, Toyota shouldn’t need Ogier to contest for the championship this season. As Kalle Rovanperä is back full-time as their number one driver. I do expect Ogier to win at least one rally at a minimum and be on the podium at 50% of the events he contests.
The 2025 World Rally Championship season kicks off in just over a week. Meaning it’s a good time to preview some things about the upcoming season. This article will preview the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
Kalle Rovanperä – Full-Time
The two-time world champion will return to action full-time this season. Rovanperä took one year off of full-time driving in the WRC to take a break and explore some other motorsport disciplines. Rovanperä is the favourite to win the championship this season as he is the fastest driver in the championship.
Elfyn Evans – Full-Time
Evans had a disappointing 2024 season. As the Welshman didn’t win an event all season long until Rally Japan when it was too late. Evans will slot back into the number two driver role for the Japanese team. Evans may be on the chopping block if he doesn’t get back to where he was in 2023.
Takamoto Katsuta – Full-Time
Takamoto Katsuta had arguably the most disappointing season in 2024. As the Japanese driver only had one podium and only scored points in 7 of the 13 rounds. Katsuta will need to have a better 2025 season if he wants to remain on the team. There were already doubts he’d have a seat this upcoming season on the team. However, Toyota elected to give him another chance. Katsuta should have less pressure this season as he won’t score Manufacturer’s points at every event.
Sami Pajari – Full-Time
Pajari has the chance to be the talk of the season. Pajari finished 4th at his home event of Rally Finland, which was his first event in the car. He later did Rally Chile Bio Bio and the Central European Rally. He finished 6th in Chile and retired at the Central European Rally. Pajari will score manufacturers’ points at every event. However, this will be under the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 manufacturer, not the main Toyota team.
Sebastien Ogier – Part-Time
Sebastien Ogier will go back to a part-time schedule for the 2025 season after contesting all but 3 events in 2024. Ogier will be the ace in Toyota’s sleeve all season long, as he has been in past seasons.
The 2025 World Rally Championship season kicks off in just over a week. Meaning it’s a good time to predict some things about the upcoming season. This article will give some predictions for the Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT.
Thierry Neuville
I can’t see Neuville winning the championship again this season. Not with Kalle Rovanperä back in the mix full-time. Neuville won last season largely because of his consistency. Rovanperä is both consistent and fast. Neuville will still be good this season, I can easily see him finishing top three in the championship. However, if he doesn’t find some more speed winning the championship again will be out of the question.
Ott Tänak
Tänak is one of two drivers in the championship who I feel can keep up with Rovanperä, the other being Sebastien Ogier. However, Tänak’s biggest downfall is consistency. Sure some of his accidents last season weren’t directly caused by his driving. Plus he was very good at the events he didn’t have an incident in. If Tänak can find a bit more consistency in my opinion he could give Rovanperä a run for his money.
Adrien Fourmaux
Fourmaux is a bit of a mixed bag for me. He showed incredible improvement last season for M-Sport. That should continue into this season. However, I question how he will adapt to the i20, and I wonder how the team will utilize the Frenchman. Sure Cyril Abiteaboul doesn’t seem to like team orders. However, at this point in time, Fourmaux is the team’s third driver and likely won’t be competing for the driver’s championship. That being said I do see Fourmaux winning at least one event this season alongside having a handful of podiums.
Team
Hyundai could win the manufacturer’s championship this season. Something the team failed to secure last season. However, as previously mentioned Toyota will have Rovanperä back full-time this season. In addition to Sebastien Ogier at select events once again. It won’t be an easy feat for Hyundai, but it is possible. All three Hyundai drivers need to be at the top of their game all season long if they want a chance at the Manufacturer’s championship.