Ogier survives late scare to win WRC Rally Sardinia and tighten title race

Sebastien Ogier survived a final-stage scare to clinch a record fifth WRC Rally Sardinia victory, fending off a charging Ott Tanak to win by just 7.9s on the Italian island’s rough gravel stages.

A year on from a final-stage puncture that cost the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver victory to Tanak by just 0.2s – the joint-closest finish in FIA World Rally Championship history – Ogier (above) was again at the center of late drama.

The eight-time WRC champ appeared set for a relatively calm run to the finish after building a 17.1s buffer over Tanak’s Hyundai i20 N Rally1 ahead of the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage, but an overshoot in the final miles of the 8.5-mile Porto San Paulo 2 test saw that gap slashed by more than half. Ogier was forced to stop and reverse after his car failed to turn into a tight turn carved with deep ruts.

“In the ruts, I just couldn’t turn the car,” he explained. “There was no speed at all, so I didn’t try to force it and hit anything – I preferred to stop and reverse. But yeah, not ideal. Still, it was enough to win...”

It was a victory built on persistence and consistency, rather than outright dominance. Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais moved to the front during Friday’s brutal opening leg – one that saw several of the top-class Rally1 crews fall by the wayside – before carefully managing the gap to Tanak across the weekend. 

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak took second in Sardinia, but was unable to close on winner Sebastien Ogier during Sunday’s final leg. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

“There are many places I’ve won several times,” he added. “It’s just a type of rally I like – where precise driving is needed, but also smoothness for tire management. Thank you to the team – it was a great turnaround after Portugal in terms of speed and setup, so good job.”

It marked back-to-back wins for Ogier following his Rally Portugal victory last month, and his third victory of the season, thanks to a record-breaking 10th win on the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally. 

Sebastien Ogier’s Sardinia win was his third in just four 2025 WRC starts. Is a title push now on the cards? Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

The Frenchman has elected to run only a part-time schedule in 2025 and the trio of wins have come from only four starts. Question is, having moved firmly into the title fight, will he elect to run an expanded program and go all-out for a record-equaling ninth WRC crown?

Elfyn Evans, who ended the rally fourth, saw his championship lead trimmed to just 17 points over Toyota Gazoo Racing teammate Ogier, while Kalle Rovanpera, who finished 42.6s behind Tanak in third overall, dropped to third in the standings in an all-Toyota top three. Hyundai duo Tanak and reigning WRC champ Thierry Neuville remain fourth and fifth respectively after six of 14 rounds.

Rovanpera delivered a measured drive to complete the Sardinia podium after climbing from fifth during Saturday’s grueling second leg. The two-time WRC champ also earned maximum Super Sunday points, including the Wolf Power Stage win.

Evans’ fourth place came after losing gobs of time running first on the gravel-covered roads on Friday, then losing more time with a wheel change on Saturday, while Takamoto Katsuta made it four GR Yaris Rally1s in the top five after enduring his own share of dramas, including a roll.

Elfyn Evans finished fourth in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, but sees his WRC points lead significantly reduced. Toyota Gazoo Racing photo

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg finished sixth overall in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, heading home several of the top-class Rally1 crews, with Nikolay Gryazin eight overall in his Skoda Fabia RS. But with neither driver counting Sardinia as one of their seven scoring events, it was Roberto Dapra claiming a maximum points haul on home ground. 

Despite beginning the day only fifth in class in his Skoda, the Italian survived a chaotic final leg to clinch his first WRC2 victory as a chain of misfortune for the frontrunners turned the leaderboard on its head and opened the door for an unlikely triumph.

Long-time leader Emil Lindholm was the first to falter, crashing out on the day’s second stage after overshooting a braking point over a crest and beaching his Skoda. That promoted Lauri Joona’s Skoda to the lead, only for the Finn to suffer a rear-left puncture on the very next stage.

Kajetan Kajetanowicz, also in the podium mix, encountered the same fate on the penultimate stage. In just a few miles, Dapra had vaulted from third to first – but the drama wasn’t over yet.

Holding a slender 4.1s lead over Kajetanowicz heading into the rally-ending Wolf Power Stage, Dapra spun in the early going and appeared to have thrown it away. But he regrouped and delivered a gutsy final push to snatch victory by 5.8s, sparking jubilant celebrations among the home fans.

Roberto Dapra gave the local fans something to cheer with a surprise WRC2 class win for the Italian Skoda driver. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

The WRC continues its rough-gravel Mediterranean swing later this month at Acropolis Rally Greece. Based in Lamia from June 26-29, it’s one of the WRC’s toughest events and it could be a chance for Ogier to reduce Evans’ championship lead even more as the points leader faces another rally where he starts first and acts as involuntary “road sweeper” for the cars behind.

WRC Rally Italy Sardinia, final positions after Sunday/Leg Three, SS16
1 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 3h34m24.5s
2 Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +7.9s
3 Kalle Rovanpera/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +50.5s
4 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +5m05.7s
5 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +7m29.6s
6 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2 non-points) +8m32.9s
7 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +10m29.0s
8 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 non-points) +10m58.7s
9 Roberto Dapra/Luca Guglielmetti (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 winner) +12m15.3s
10 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +12m21.1s

WRC Drivers’ Championship after 6 of 14 rounds
1 Evans 133 points
2 Ogier 114

3 Rovanpera 113
4 Tanak 108
5 Thierry Neuville 83
6 Katsuta 63

WRC Manufacturers’ Championship after 6 of 14 rounds
1 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 312 points   
2 Hyundai Word Rally Team 243   
3 M-Sport Ford 87
4 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 48

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