Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team’s Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja have taken their third podium of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season at Rally Italia Sardegna, where the crew finished second overall.
Sunday’s itinerary featured brand-new stages to bring a gruelling edition of Rally Italia Sardegna to its conclusion: San Giacomo-Plebi (SS13/15, 25.19km) and Porto San Paolo (SS14/16, 13.70km). While not as eventful as Friday and Saturday’s tests, the Power Stage once again offered last-minute drama.
Tänak and Järveoja had started the day with an 11-second deficit to the rally leader, and set out on a determined drive through the stages. The Estonians, who had not finished outside the top three in stage since Friday, continued that streak on Sunday – claiming their sixth stage win on SS15 San Giacomo-Plebi 2.
12 months on from their surprise victory on an eventful final stage, it briefly appeared history would repeat itself in a nail-biting conclusion. Tänak and Järveoja enjoyed a clean run to end their weekend, but the rally leader made a mistake. While it narrowed the gap between the two crews to just 7.9 seconds, it was not enough to see the Estonians snatch a victory. However, their fantastic finish, and 24 points scored, has closed the gap in the drivers’ and co-drivers’ championship.
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe gave the final day their all, battling for additional Super Sunday and Power Stage points. A consistent run saw the Belgians finish fifth on the three opening stages, which was enough to establish them in fifth in the Super Sunday standings. The crew set an incredible early benchmark on the Power Stage, despite low grip and their early road position, with their time only beaten by one other competitor. This scored them four Power Stage points, and one from Super Sunday.
Following successful overnight repairs to their Hyundai i20 N Rally1, Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria were back for Sunday’s four stages. Although the Frenchmen’s early running order meant conditions improved for those behind them, the crew finished in the top four on SS14 Porto San Paolo 1. After a difficult weekend for the Frenchmen, they will look to bounce back in two weeks’ time at Acropolis Rally.
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Crew claims third podium of 2025 with second place
Estonians are fourth in championship standings with reduced gap of 25 points
Tänak said: “We didn’t come into today feeling comfortable to push the limits, as we were struggling to find a good rhythm and balance in the car, but we did our absolute maximum. It has been a very demanding rally, and it’s frustrating to finish second to Seb again. He has been strong this weekend, and at the moment we just don’t have the full package to beat the Toyotas. It was extremely punishing on the stages, and we knew we had to push for as many points as possible but also be very clean and neat, which was a challenge.”
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#1 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
Belgians end difficult event scoring five championship points
Crew finished second on Power Stage and fifth in Super Sunday
Neuville said: “Overall, I am disappointed in the weekend – I feel we had a lot of back luck on Friday. I still don’t know what went wrong, as I somehow lost control of the car on a flat corner and took off the whole rear. From that point on, there was only today where we could salvage something. Considering our road order, taking five points is not too bad. We will turn the corner soon, the team deserves it; everyone is pushing so hard and I know it will happen. Greece will be tough, it’s very rough and easy to damage the car, but we were able to win from first on the road last year, so starting fifth should be even better for us .”
Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
