Fourmaux main after chaotic day in Saudi Arabia – DirtFish

Adrien Fourmaux emerged from a dramatic Friday at Rally Saudi Arabia because the chief by simply 2.4 seconds, taking the lead from Mãrtiņš Sesks regardless of them each puncturing on the ultimate stage.

Fourmaux has been an element on the entrance all through the ultimate spherical of 2025, embroiled in a four-way scrap with Sesks, Sami Pajari and Ott Tänak.

The Frenchman led the rally into the second full day, however step by step noticed that benefit diminished as he battled with a damaged rear suspension arm. At one level, the highest 4 was separated by simply 6.3s.

But the penultimate stage of Friday appeared to be decisive as each Pajari and Tänak stopped to alter punctures, and Fourmaux – feeling distracted by Pajari’s mud – took the unsuitable slot at a junction, dropping 24s by way of the stage.

That gave Sesks a 22.1s benefit heading onto the ultimate stage of the day, Wadi Almatwi 2, however the M-Sport driver collected a rear-left puncture which turned the leaderboard on its head but once more.

Fourmaux took the lead at Sesks’ expense, however accomplished the stage with a front-left puncture of his personal. However he was in a position to transfer into the lead by 2.4s, with outgoing world champion Thierry Neuville immediately simply 5.8s off the entrance.

“It’s been crazy,” Fourmaux mentioned. “I don’t know where I got a puncture to be fair, but there are rocks everywhere. It’s a crazy rally. Every time we lose the lead we get it back after. We hesitated to stop but I said ‘no there’s only a few km, come on’. What a rally, what a rally.”