WRC cancels Saudi Arabia round — too little time to arrange a Spanish replacement either
World Rally Championship organizers have cancelled the planned Saudi Arabia round, citing insufficient time to meet safety requirements. A gravel rally in Spain was considered as a replacement but also could not be arranged in time.
The World Rally Championship (WRC) has decided to cancel its planned round in Saudi Arabia, citing a lack of time to ensure the event would meet the series' safety and organizational standards.
As a possible alternative, organizers initially considered bringing back a gravel rally in Spain, near the city of Salou. However, WRC representative Bouliet confirmed that this option also could not be realized within the limited time available to meet all necessary requirements.
Bouliet stressed that cancelling rounds is never a welcome outcome, especially involving a long-term partner such as Saudi Arabia. In his view, the decision should not be framed as "right" or "wrong" — it was made jointly by all stakeholders, including the FIA, to ensure participant safety. Regarding the Spanish bid, he explained that the proposal came too late, and that running a world championship event requires established processes and protocols that there simply was not enough time to complete.
Although the WRC round in Saudi Arabia will not take place this season, the event will still go ahead as part of the Middle East Rally Championship.
Team and driver reactions
M-Sport Ford team principal Richard Millener said his squad would have been ready to travel to Saudi Arabia, while acknowledging that the decision involved many difficult factors. He expressed regret from a sporting perspective that the event would not take place, noting it had been a new addition to the WRC calendar just last year and was still building its presence.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans, who retains a 17-point lead heading into the season finale in Sardinia following the calendar change, also said he would have welcomed an additional round. However, he acknowledged he was not aware of the details behind the decision, adding that drivers simply want to compete — but in this case, it appeared that was not possible.
