Evans puncture drops him down order after morning loop at Rally Saudi Arabia
28th November 2025Toyota’s championship leader, Elfyn Evans has dropped down to 10th after the morning loop of Friday’s action, as Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux continues to lead the way.
Feature image credit: Jaanus Ree // Red Bull Content Pool
After 10 stages, the Welshman was running ninth overall, behind both of his championship rivals, Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera. However, an early puncture on SS11 dropped him down to 10th in the overall standings.
The Welshman and his co-driver, Scott Martin, stopped early on before they continued.
They were stationary for around one minute and 40 seconds before continuing on their way, but they finished the stage two minutes and 16.8 seconds adrift of the stage winner, Hyundai’s Ott Tanak.
It meant that Evans’ gap to his leading championship rival, Ogier, increased from 56.9 seconds to two minutes and 36.3 seconds, whilst he trailed Kalle Rovanpera by two minutes and 16.4 seconds.
Whilst Evans’ title bid has taken a hit, and could ultimately cost him the championship, Rovanpera could still have a role to play for the Welshman.
Even if the Welsh driver couldn’t overtake his two teammates, Rovanpera is only 19.9 seconds behind the eight-time world champion, and could look to steal some points away from Ogier.
At the leading edge of the timing boards, Fourmaux continues to lead the rally. However, he has the resurgent M-Sport Ford Puma of Martins Sesks to contend with after he lost his lead on Thursday.
At the top of the timing boards, Sesks trails Fourmaux by 2.9 seconds as Toyota’s Sami Pajari trails the Ford driver by 1.6 seconds, in third.
Read more WRC here:
- Fourmaux leads Rally Saudi Arabia while Evans loses ground
- Sesks leads Rally Saudi Arabia as title contenders fall behind
- Rally Saudi Arabia: the schedule ahead of the WRC finale
- Rally Japan: 3 Winners and Losers
- Toyota confirms 2026 driver line-up as Oliver Solberg gets promotion
- Ott Tanak to take a break after 2025 WRC season
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
