Oliver Solberg won the rally, but lost the 2026 WRC just a few meters from the end of the event, after doing everything he could to fight for the title. A dramatic and unpredictable finale took away from the young Swedish driver what had seemed to be a dream. Solberg produced a flawless performance in Sardinia which, given Elfyn Evans’ result, would have turned the championship standings in his favor, with the first world title smiling upon the young Swedish driver. But the “law” of rallying was written once again in the final stage of Sardinia, with Solberg losing the necessary Power Stage points and thus handing the title to Elfyn Evans, who retained the lead of the 2026 WRC and celebrated his first world title, after a fantastic career in the World Rally Championship.
Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin are the new World Rally Champions, at a time when everything pointed to Oliver Solberg celebrating, beating his teammate who had been waiting for so long to claim the title. But, two corners from the end of the Power Stage, a mistake and off-road excursion cost Solberg another superb time, meaning he lost the extra points needed to secure the title. For Toyota Gazoo Racing, which had already secured this year’s manufacturers’ title, reaching seven wins in the last eight years, the result would always mean celebration, whether with Evans, Solberg or even Sami Pajari, who had also entered the final title calculations. The dominant force in the WRC in recent years, Toyota Gazoo Racing thus adds the drivers’, co-drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles for the fifth time in the last six years.
Toyota once again took all three podium places in Sardinia, with Solberg finishing 1st, leaving Sébastien Ogier in 2nd, 57.6 seconds behind, and Sami Pajari in 3rd, 1m37.4s behind. After Thierry Neuville had also tried to fight for victory in Sardinia, the best Hyundai was ultimately Adrien Fourmaux, in 4th place, followed by the Toyota of the new world champion, Elfyn Evans. As for M-Sport Ford, the best result came from Jon Armstrong’s Puma Rally1 in 7th place, one position ahead of the WRC2 winner, Roope Korhonen, who, at the wheel of a Toyota Yaris, beat Robert Virves’ Škoda Fabia by just 0.7 seconds.
Elfyn Evans deserved the title for everything he has achieved over the past few seasons, while the young Oliver Solberg still has a long career ahead of him, with plenty of opportunities to fight for the title, as does the other young driver, Sami Pajari. The 2026 WRC season thus ends earlier than planned in Sardinia, due to the cancellation of Saudi Arabia. Elfyn Evans is the new World Rally Champion with 243 points, followed by Oliver Solberg with 238, Sami Pajari with 237 and Sébastien Ogier with 189 points, all driving Toyotas. Fifth place went to Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux with 183 points. Elfyn Evans had been runner-up five times throughout his career and claimed three victories this season, following an impressive level of consistency throughout his career.