Rally Hungary 2025, the second round of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC), kicked off on Friday, 9th May.
The day began with the shakedown session, giving drivers a chance to test their cars during two hours of free practice. Following this, the qualifying stage took place, where the top competitors raced to secure the best starting positions.
The top five drivers from the qualifying stage:
- Roope Korhonen – 3:33.881
- Andrea Mabellini – 3:33.909
- Jon Armstrong – 3:34.755
- Simone Tempestini – 3:35.087
- Isak Reiersen – 3:36.091
Unlike other rallies, there was no ceremonial start. Instead, the action continued straight into the first special stage (SS1), held in the evening. The short 2.05 km stage brought early drama. It had to be stopped twice after Sebastian Butyński and Max McRae both crashed into concrete barriers.
Philip Allen also had a tough time. His car half-spun at the very first corner and got stuck. He later explained, “The car was obviously very cold. I put my foot on the brake and it locked up. I should’ve braked earlier. Just a small mistake.”
After the first stage, the results were extremely close: Simone Tempestini and co-driver Sergiu Itu led with a time of 1:45.2; Andrea Mabellini and Virginia Lenzi followed just 0.3 seconds behind; and Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne were in third place, 1.3 seconds back.
With the top three crews separated by just over a second, the fight for victory is already intense.