Rally Saudi Arabia is the latest addition to the WRC’s calendar, and is the first rally to be held in the Middle East since Rally Jordan in 2010. With the Service Park based at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, crews will venture across 319.64km of Saudi Arabian plains – spanning deserts, mountain passes and cityscapes. With all crews facing unfamiliar terrain, Hyundai Motorsport will look to draw on its strong gravel record and end 2025 with something to look back on.
With the Estonian crew departing from the WRC at the end of 2025, Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja return to their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car for one final time in Jeddah. A challenging weekend on tarmac at Rally Japan saw the crew finish in fourth – an impressive result after a rally of attrition. The duo knows what it takes to perform on gravel, with five of their six podiums this year achieved on the surface, and will push to end their season on a positive note on the sands of Saudi Arabia.
After battling technical issues all weekend in Japan, Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe are looking to extract the maximum from their car on its gravel return. The crew have already claimed three gravel podiums in 2025 – a testament to both their expertise and the car’s strength on the surface. The Belgians’ ‘never-give-up’ attitude has powered them through a difficult year, and while their attention turns to next season, they remain intent on finishing strongly at Rally Saudi Arabia.
Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria’s performance at round 13 demonstrated how the French duo have continued to take steps forward in their debut year with the team. The crew started the year with a podium at Rallye Monte-Carlo, and went on to secure two more during their 2025 drive with Hyundai Motorsport. With their most recent two podiums arriving on gravel this year, Fourmaux and Coria are looking to clinch one more solid result at the final round thanks to the experience they have gained so far.
Rally Saudi Arabia features a unique mid-week format beginning on Wednesday night and finishing on Saturday afternoon because of the country’s working week. Several long and demanding tests will push the cars, drivers and co-drivers to their limits across the span of the event.
Hyundai Motorsport Sporting Director Andrew Wheatley said: “Rally Saudi Arabia is a new and demanding event to close the season. It’s always a step into the unknown with a brand-new rally, so our pre-event preparations will be key. This has been a challenging season for the team – we have to admit that our performance on the stages has not met the team’s usual high standards. However, we’re aiming to bring all three cars home to finish the season on a positive note, and we are also readying ourselves to come back fighting in 2026. We are continuing to invest effort and resources into our WRC program, including strengthening our core team, and we want to continue the development programme for next year at this final event.”
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Rally Saudi Arabia will be crews’ final WRC outing
Estonians aiming to end the season with a strong result
Tänak said: “We are going into the unknown with Rally Saudi Arabia, so we will have to go there and discover what the event has to offer. We will be back in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 evo for the event, a car which has performed especially well on rough gravel. We don't know exactly what to expect from the rough gravel in Saudi Arabia, but the team has been strong in these sort of conditions in the past.”
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#1 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Belgians have claimed three gravel podiums in 2025
Crew targeting a solid result to end challenging 2025 campaign
Neuville said: “We don’t know too much about the event; we only have some footage of the stages which we can check to get a better idea of the surface and the layout. We won’t get a full understanding until we arrive in Jeddah. It’s hard to say exactly what we will need from the car setup, but with the high risk of punctures, loose stones and rough surface, we need a reliable car and a high ride height for maximum protection. We’ve had a tough year, but we will go all in for one final victory for the team – we have nothing to lose.”
Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Frenchmen looking to continue Rally Japan performance
Duo’s gravel pace puts them in good stead for Rally Saudi Arabia
Fourmaux said: “I really enjoy brand-new events because all crews go into it with the same level of experience – and so it becomes all about pacenotes. We’re expecting it to be a very rough event with a lot of sand and rocks, but then also quite fast and soft in certain places, making it hard to find the perfect setup. It’s going to be warm for us inside the car, and we’ll have to manage our tyres well. I would love to finish the season on a high. We have done well in terms of performance, but this hasn’t been reflected in our results. It would be really nice to clinch our first victory at the final round of the season.”
Weekend at a Glance
Competitive action commences on Wednesday evening with the first run of Jameel Motorsport Super Special (SS1/8, 5.22km)
A jam-packed Thursday will see crews contest seven stages: two loops of Al Faisaliyah (SS2/5, 19.36km), Moon Stage (SS3/6, 20.12km) and Khulais (SS4/7, 11.33km) followed by the final run of Jameel Motorsport Super Special (SS1/8, 5.22km)
Friday’s itinerary features six stages: two loops of Alghulah (SS9/12, 11.69km), Um Al Jerem (SS10/13, 30.58km) and Wadi Almatwi (SS11/14, 28.59km)
The final day of competition includes three stages and features the event’s longest stage: two loops of Thahban (SS15/17, 16.39km) sandwich the treacherous Asfan (SS16, 33.88km).
