Latvia’s Martin Sesks seized the lead of the Saudi Arabia Rally on Friday after French driver Adrien Fourmaux incurred a one-minute penalty, a dramatic shift on a day riddled with tire punctures that affected multiple top contenders.
Fourmaux, driving a Hyundai i20, had finished the day leading on the track but was penalized for entering the service park one minute earlier than scheduled. The penalty dropped him to fourth place overall.
Sesks, in a Ford Puma, now holds a 3.4-second advantage over Belgium’s Thierry Neuville, who is second in another Hyundai i20. Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta, driving a Toyota Yaris, is in third place, 41.5 seconds behind Sesks.
“I don’t really know what happened,” Fourmaux said following the penalty. “Now we have to concentrate on ourselves and let the team investigate.” He also finished the final special stage with a punctured tire.
The day was marked by numerous tire punctures across the field, significantly affecting several leading drivers and all three championship contenders. Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier, and Kalle Rovanperä, all in Toyota Yaris cars, experienced tire issues, particularly in the concluding special stage.
Ogier, who aims for his ninth world title to match Sébastien Loeb’s record, suffered a right rear puncture in the last section but opted not to stop for a tire change. This strategy limited his time loss to 23 seconds, preventing a greater deficit despite losing fifth place to Rovanperä by a mere 0.2 seconds.
Rovanperä, the reigning champion from 2022 and 2023, ended the day in fifth position. Ogier sits in sixth.
Evans, who also experienced a puncture earlier in the day, is currently in eighth place, more than 2.5 minutes behind Ogier.
Estonian driver Ott Tänak, in a Hyundai i20, also suffered a left rear puncture in the final section, damaging his car’s bodywork. Tänak pulled over to avoid impeding Sesks, who was following behind him.
Finland’s Sami Pajari, driving a Toyota Yaris, also had a puncture and fell to seventh place, positioned between Ogier and Evans. Earlier in the day, Thierry Neuville encountered a broken shock absorber, which caused delays.
Should the current standings hold, Ogier would clinch the championship with a one-point lead over Evans.
Saturday’s final leg of the rally will feature three stages, covering a total of 65.66 kilometers of timed competition.