The World Rally Championship heads into its final showdown with a brand-new desert battleground. Nobody truly knows what awaits in Rally Saudi Arabia, and with the title fight on the line between Evans, Ogier and Rovanperä, every kilometer matters.
Here’s a tightened, reshaped preview of each stage.
SS1 / SS8 – Jameel Motorsport Super Special (5.22 km)
A compact, high-energy sprint boxed in by water-filled barriers – Katsuta’s worst nightmare after Japan. Though essentially a car-park loop, it’s transformed into a near-full asphalt arena with relentless corners and a single gravel jump. Spectacle is guaranteed; rhythm is not.
SS2 / SS4 – Al Fasallyah (19.36 km)
A blend of sand, rebuilt tracks, and fast links between pylons. Early junctions break up the pace, while dune-like edges hide lurking stones. The back half crosses a boulder field before tightening toward the finish. Expect rough spots, soft sand pockets, and the first real “desert airtime.”
SS3 / SS6 – Moon Stage (20.12 km)
A “don’t cut” warning from start to end. Huge rocks line the road, demanding perfect middle-of-the-lane driving. Early rhythm is elusive, though the base is surprisingly smooth with decent grip. Tire wear will be heavy. The run quickens later, passing mountains and even a camel farm before the end. A lunar landscape in everything but gravity.
SS4 / SS7 – Khulays (11.33 km)
Rolling hills, sharp undulations and quarry-like openings make this a totally different test. Elevation rises toward 400 m but never becomes mountainous. Narrow, technical, visually tricky, and featuring cleaner gravel than earlier stages. Downhill braking zones will punish brakes and tires in the heat.
SS9 / SS12 – Alghullah (11.68 km)
Saturday opens with a short but punchy stage: wide desert floor, a climb into stone-lined walls, then a plunge into tight, rocky hairpins. A tempting long straight leads to a mud hole and a final rocky ascent before dropping sharply to finish. Accuracy is everything.
SS10 / SS13 – Um Al Jerem (30.58 km)
Saturday’s marathon. A downhill rocky launch leads into fast, flowing plains with hard gravel underneath. The surface softens before the route dives into desert-style terrain marked by a hairpin and square right. The closing third is open, high-speed and begging for top gear. Undulations carry crews toward a fast descent to the line.
SS11 / SS14 – Wadi Almatwi (28.58 km)
A stage split cleanly in two. The opening half is rapid and rhythmical with long straights and steady-speed corners, despite some bumps. After a brief breather, the stage transforms: ultra-tight, jagged rock corridors, acute hairpins and deceptive crests. Precision and patience win this one.
SS15 / SS17 – Thahban (16.29 km)
Twisty from the start, with right-angle corners sitting on loose gravel. An El Condor-esque rock corridor appears before a slow asphalt link. A long straight then launches into a smoother set of medium-speed bends with jumps sprinkled in. It narrows again, threading massive rock fields before plunging and climbing toward a quarry-like arena finish. The Power Stage is no freebie.
SS16 – Asfan (33.28 km)
Saudi’s longest stage mixes open plains with sandy, barely defined tracks. Early sweeping corners hide small lips that can roll a car if misjudged. After a rocky detour, the route hits a 4 km desert “Mulsanne Straight”. Later it squeezes between hillsides, then returns to broad plains before climbing over bumpy hard gravel to the finish. Pure speed blended with hidden traps.
Short Summary
Rally Saudi Arabia is a step into the unknown: fast plains, lunar-style rock fields, tight mountain-edge tracks and endless desert hazards. With the championship hanging in the balance, tire wear, precision and bravery will define the final showdown of the season.
