Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux suffer tyre damage in the same stage – Kalle Rovanperä leads by half a minute
Toyota is on course for a five-fold success at the Rally Finland. Hyundai drivers Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux had to abandon their hopes of victory on Saturday after suffering tire damage. Toyota driver Kalle Rovanperä leads by 36 seconds going into the final day.
On Saturday, the Finn was the driver to beat. The stages took place in changing conditions between wet and dry. Rovanperä had a near-perfect morning, winning three of the four stages.
He missed out on a perfect loop because he had a slow puncture on the rear right in SS13 (Päijälä 1). Heavy rain set in before the afternoon, making the first stage extremely slippery.
Rovanperä said the conditions were the worst he had ever experienced in Finland, but he still managed to extend his lead over Neuville to just under 15 seconds in SS15 (Parkkola 2). Fourmaux was in third place.
In the next stage (SS16, Västilä 2), everything went wrong for the Hyundai duo. Both Neuville and Fourmaux suffered front right tire damage – in dry conditions. Both decided against changing tires.
Neuville lost 1:38.2 minutes, Fourmaux even 1:48.8 minutes. This saw them slip from second and third place to sixth and seventh. Both Neuville and Fourmaux were frustrated and unable to explain the cause.
“It wasn’t even a puncture, flat tire number 13 or 14 this year,” said the reigning world champion angrily. Fourmaux added: “I don’t know what it was. I have to check the video. I don’t have any spare tires left. The rally is over.”
Absolute heartbreak on SS16. The battle for the podium is over after @thierryneuville and @AdrienFourmaux suffered front-right punctures.RallyFinland WRC pic.twitter.com/IH8o4MQxVt
— Hyundai Motorsport (@HMSGOfficial) August 2, 2025
Rovanperä also won stages 17 and 18, extending his lead over his pursuers to 36.1 seconds. “A pretty big day for the team,” said the Finn, delighted with Toyota’s five-car lead.
He himself is chasing his first home victory: “I’m just trying to maintain the good pace. Obviously, there’s no reason to take any risks or do anything crazy – I’ve just been trying to drive fast and get a feel for tomorrow.”
“The Hyundais will probably be very fast tomorrow, as will my teammates, who are in a close battle for second place. We’ll try to score points and have a good day.”
In the battle for second place, Takamoto Katsuta managed to hold off eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, even though the Frenchman was closing in steadily in the afternoon. The gap between the two teammates is now 6.8 seconds.
The other pursuers
Elfyn Evans (Toyota) seized the opportunity in the extremely wet SS15 and overtook Toyota junior Sami Pajari, who was not comfortable in these conditions. Evans then benefited from tire damage to both Hyundais.
The Welshman ended the day in fourth place in his Yaris, 44.4 seconds behind, but only 1.5 seconds behind Ogier. Pajari is in fifth place, just under a minute behind. This paves the way for a possible five-car Toyota victory.
A disappointed Neuville finished the day in sixth place (+1:54.7 minutes) ahead of Fourmaux (+2:23.7). World championship leader Ott Tänak (Hyundai) also suffered front left tire damage in SS17. He continues his chase after receiving a five-minute penalty.
Josh McErlean was the best M-Sport Ford driver in eighth place ahead of teammate Gregoire Munster. Martins Sesks had initially led the internal battle at M-Sport, but had to stop briefly in SS15 to clean a fogged-up windshield.
Only two stages remain on Sunday’s schedule: the famous and very fast Ouninpohja track, covering 23.98 kilometers, will be driven twice and will decide the rally.
