Ogier wins WRC Rally Paraguay, Hyundai retires Fourmaux after final stage in championship twist

Sébastien Ogier claimed a stunning victory in the inaugural Rally del Paraguay to strengthen his WRC title hopes and deliver Toyota its 102nd WRC win to equal Citroën’s all-time record on Sunday. But there was still some frustration for the Frenchman.

The eight-time world champion’s triumph capped an extraordinary comeback week that began with him dropping almost 40 seconds to a tyre deflation on Friday but ended with both the rally victory and a surge to within nine points of championship leader Elfyn Evans.

Ogier’s 18th triumph for Toyota also makes him the Japanese manufacturer’s most successful driver ever – a record he previously shared with Kalle Rovanperä.

Heavy mid-Power Stage rain costs Ogier valuable points

However, the Frenchman’s mood was tempered by frustration with his Wolf Power Stage performance, where he encountered heavy rain while others enjoyed clearer weather.

“I think we can be very proud of the performance Vincent [Landais, co-driver] and I did this weekend. The points don’t really show it right now, that’s the only negative part, but it’s still a win and that’s the most important thing,” said Ogier, who managed only 10th-fastest on the bonus points-paying final test.

“South America has never really been [home to] my most lucky rounds. The only rally I never won was Argentina back then, and in Chile we also had some bad luck like last year. It’s good to finally be on the top step of the podium in front of an amazing atmosphere. It was a big success for the first time here,” he added.

Rain also affects Fourmaux, drops from podium

The Wolf Power Stage provided the weekend’s cruelest twist for Adrien Fourmaux, who saw a podium result slip through his fingers. The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 driver had been on course for a career-best result after running second for most of the weekend, only to drop to fourth with a disappointing eighth-fastest time in the Power Stage. Like Ogier, Fourmaux was hampered by the heavy rainfall, costing him valuable time.

Evans edged Thierry Neuville by a second to take the runner-up spot and extend his championship lead, which stood at just three points prior to this 10th round of the season. Neuville was the Power Stage hero, however, claiming the fastest time to vault onto the final podium spot and finish 1.3sec clear of disappointed Hyundai i20 N Rally1 team-mate Fourmaux.

Ott Tänak brought his Hyundai home just 2.1sec behind Fourmaux in fifth while two-time champion Kalle Rovanperä could only manage sixth after a puncture on Saturday destroyed his victory hopes.

Hyundai then retires Fourmaux’s car from the rally – Why did the team do this?

There was a twist after the final stage, just before entering the final parc fermé. Hyundai decided to retire Fourmaux’s car just before the final time control, promoting everyone from P5 onwards up one place.

Crucially, in the fight for the championship, it means that both Kalle Rovanperä and Fourmaux’s team-mate Ott Tänak receive two more points. Meanwhile, it doesn’t affect Hyundai’s manufacturers’ points haul from Paraguay, as Neuville and Tänak were the two highest-placed drivers for the team. (Article continues after the image.)

In short, Fourmaux’s retirement boosts Tänak’s championship tally by two points without costing Hyundai any manufacturers’ points. Obviously, Fourmaux loses the points he had earned for P4. With this retirement, Hyundai is allowed to change transmission components (such as the gearbox and differentials) without incurring a 5-minute penalty for the next event in Chile.

Rally Paraguay and Rally Chile are so-called ‘linked events’ (article 17.5.1 of the Sporting Regulations). At linked events, transmission components (such as the gearbox and differentials) are sealed and must remain sealed until the last rally of the link (in this case Chile). Teams can only replace the sealed components with written approval of the FIA Technical Delegate or when the car retires from the rally. Breaking the seals otherwise would result in a 5-minute penalty at the next rally.

Therefore, retiring Fourmaux’s car gives Hyundai the opportunity to replace the components without a penalty, enabling team to make desired set-up changes. Hyundai said it retired the car “to offer more flexibility in car set-up for Rally Chile”.

Rovanperä to start ahead of Ogier in Chile after Fourmaux retirement

Rovanperä moves 2 points ahead of Ogier in the championship after Hyundai’s decision to retire Fourmaux. The Finn now sits 7 points behind Evans in the championship. Another implication is that Rovanperä will start ahead of his French team-mate Ogier on the first day of Rally Chile, rather than behind him. In theory, this gives Ogier a better road position for the next event.

Take a look at the new, updated WRC championship standings below.

Back to Rally Paraguay, Sami Pajari placed sixth in another Toyota while Oliver Solberg claimed WRC2 victory after a dominant weekend that saw him climb from 10th to first in the category over the course of three days. Yohan Rossel, Nikolay Gryazin and home-hero Fabrizio Zaldivar filled out the remaining top 10 positions.

Toyota’s 102nd victory equals Citroën’s record as the most successful manufacturer in WRC history. The Japanese marque has now won nine of the season’s ten completed rallies in a dominant 2025 campaign.

The WRC’s South American adventure continues in less than a fortnight when the championship visits Concepción for Rally Chile Bio Bío. The gravel fixture takes place from 11 – 14 September.

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#	Drivers	Car	Time / Diff to 1st
1.	Ogier / Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	3:00:06.6
2.	Evans / Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+26.2
3.	Neuville / Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+27.2
4.	Tänak / Järveoja	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+30.6
5.	Rovanperä / Halttunen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+2:05.2
6.	Pajari / Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+3:35.5
7.	Solberg / Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+6:53.8
8.	Rossel / Dunand	Citroën C3 Rally2	+7:16.3
9.	Gryazin / Aleksandrov	Skoda Fabia RS Rally2	+8:48.2
10.	Zaldivar / Der Ohannesian	Skoda Fabia RS Rally2	+9:17.0

#	Driver	Points
1.	Elfyn Evans	198
2.	Kalle Rovanperä	191 (-7)
3.	Sébastien Ogier	189 (-9)
4.	Ott Tänak	180 (-18)
5.	Thierry Neuville	150 (-48)
6.	Takamoto Katsuta	88 (-110)
7.	Adrien Fourmaux	71 (-127)
8.	Oliver Solberg	58 (-140)
9.	Sami Pajari	56 (-142)
10.	Grégoire Munster	21 (-177)

#	Manufacturer	Points
1.	Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT	513
2.	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	413 (-100)
3.	M-Sport Ford WRT	143 (-370)
4.	Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT 2	96 (-417)

Content, photos: Red Bull Content Pool