DirtFish

3 days ago | dirtfish.com | Alasdair Lindsay

Sébastien Ogier is not a man short on confidence. Eight World Rally Championship titles says everything. But even on current form he appears imperious: three wins and a second place in his four starts this year would make him the title favorite, were he not a part-timer. In Sardinia, he started third on the road and won. This week he starts one place higher, with only championship leader Elfyn Evans to clear away loose rocks from the surface of Acropolis Rally Greece’s dusty stages.

1 week ago | dirtfish.com | David Evans

Derek Nickell shuffles in his seat, pushes his glasses back to the bridge of his nose and stares ahead. His peripheral vision frames an outstretched hand. Five fingers. The countdown has begun. In those final seconds, Nickell rifles through a mental checklist. Yes. He’s ready. Two. One. Go. The stage is live. Nickell’s focus is intense.

1 week ago | dirtfish.com | Alasdair Lindsay

Rally Italy Sardinia has become prolific for its final day dramas. Time and time again, powerstage curveballs have changed the fate of the rally. It wasn’t shown on live television – but the same thing happened again in 2025, down in the lower classes. Roberto Daprà started the final day of his home WRC round looking over his shoulder, worried a top five finish would be taken from his grasp. He ended it standing atop the podium. How?

1 week ago | dirtfish.com | David Evans

And there it is, 40 degrees. Hello three figures in Fahrenheit. There’s no doubting Sardinia was a hot one this year. Yet, with fancy Italian ice cream melting faster than you could say gelato, teams were sending Rally1 cars to the stages with soft compound Hankooks bolted to each corner. There’s nothing new in making a soft tire last in baking conditions, Sébastien Ogier has shown himself to be the master of this.

1 week ago | dirtfish.com | David Evans

Twelve months ago, Thierry Neuville was 18 points clear at the top of the table. Now? He’s 50 points south of P1 and very much in need of a result to light a fire beneath his World Rally Championship title defense. The Belgian needs no reminding of where he is right now and despite pinging the rear of his Hyundai off a wall in Sardinia, he’s sure the Italian island offered a turn in the tide. “We just need to get the wheel turning, that’s it,” he told DirtFish.