Sesks after Saudi Arabia Rally cancellation: season to end in Sardinia
Due to changes in the WRC calendar, the Sardinia Rally will become the closing round of Martins Sesks and Renars Francis's 2026 season instead of a planned return to Saudi Arabia. Sesks says the priority now is to accept the situation and focus on delivering the best possible performance.
Changes to the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar mean the Sardinia Rally will now serve as the closing round of the 2026 season. For Latvia's leading rally crew, Martins Sesks and Renars Francis, whose WRC campaign is supported by technology company "Tet", this means their planned return to Saudi Arabia will not take place. The Saudi Arabia Rally at the end of the 2025 season had been one of the standout moments of Sesks's WRC career, as he won five stages and fought for overall victory until the final day, before two punctured tyres and a technical issue prevented him from converting that pace into a result.
Accepting the situation as it is
Sesks says it is disappointing that the Saudi Arabia Rally will not take place, since last year's event was special for him — the first time in his career he fought for victory and showed he could match the pace of the world championship's leading drivers. However, he notes that motorsport rarely goes exactly according to a planned strategy, so the most important thing now is to accept the situation as it is and aim to deliver the best possible performance at the season's Sardinia finale.
Demanding conditions in Sardinia
This year's Rally Italia Sardegna will again be centred on Alghero, with crews tackling 17 stages totalling 307.02 kilometres on gravel over four days. October conditions tend to bring more variable weather, adding further challenges to a route already known for high tyre wear, rough surfaces and deep ruts. Sesks says his focus is on preparation with the team — the car, pace notes and everything else — since the calendar and weather conditions cannot be controlled, but the crew's own work and decisions can be.
The Sardinia Rally will be the sixth planned WRC start for Sesks and Francis in the 2026 season, which was announced at the start of the year as a development campaign built around deepening cooperation with M-Sport Ford World Rally Team and applying experience gained in varied rally conditions. The cancellation of the Saudi Arabia Rally therefore does not change the crew's sporting goals for the season.
