Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin have been crowned WRC world champions after an incredible final stage in which Oliver Solberg went off the road with the title within touching distance.
During a breathtaking final day in Sardinia, the world championship increasingly appeared to be heading Solberg’s way. The Swede started the final rally of the season knowing he had to overturn a 21-point deficit to championship leader Elfyn Evans.
That deficit had been virtually reduced to just six points at the start of Sunday, with Solberg leading the rally comfortably and Evans running fifth.
With 10 points still available on Sunday, five for the Super Sunday classification and five for the Power Stage, Evans knew he had to go “all in” on the final day.
The same was true of Solberg, who immediately set a blistering time on the opening stage. The Swede was a staggering 7.8 seconds faster than anyone else. Evans set the fourth-fastest time, 14 seconds off the pace, and immediately knew that beating Solberg on Super Sunday would be an almost impossible task.
The virtual championship gap was therefore immediately reduced to three points. Both title contenders then maintained their respective positions on the following stage, but another twist came on the penultimate stage. (Article continues after the photo.)
Drama for Evans in the penultimate stage
Evans picked up a puncture early in the penultimate stage and wasted no time in stopping to change the wheel. The Welshman lost two minutes as a result, but retained his position in the overall classification as Takamoto Katsuta was three minutes behind him at the time. (Article continues after the content.)
Evans did, however, drop out of the top five in the Super Sunday classification and lost another two points. With only the Power Stage remaining, his lead over Solberg was down to just one point.
With Solberg on course for his third victory of the year and the Super Sunday win, the Swede would have been crowned world champion on countback if the two title contenders had finished level on points, based on the number of rally wins.
An incredible showdown on the final stage was therefore on the cards. Evans and Solberg knew that whoever completed the Power Stage fastest would be crowned world champion.
Solberg goes off the road with two corners to go
Evans thought at the finish that he had not done enough to beat Solberg. The Swede, starting four cars later, was 1.9 seconds faster than Evans at the final split. However, disaster struck in the penultimate corner of the season as Solberg went off the road, sending his world title hopes up in smoke. (Article continues after the content.)
Evans therefore secured his first world championship title, having previously finished runner-up five times.
Solberg managed to get his car back onto the road and did win Rally Italia Sardegna, securing his third victory of the season, but was understandably inconsolable at the finish. (Article continues after the photo.)
“It has not sunk in just yet. I was quite sure it was over. I threw everything at it. I feel for Oliver,” said Evans.
Sébastien Ogier finished second in Sardinia, ahead of Sami Pajari, who gave Toyota a 1-2-3 in the final rally for this generation of Rally1 cars.
Hyundai’s WRC involvement in the air
Next year, the WRC will enter a new era with the WRC27 regulations and new Rally1 cars. Read more about that here.
It remains to be seen who will and will not line up for the start of the new WRC season next year. Hyundai is not developing a new Rally1 car and will leave the sport as a manufacturer-backed team. However, Hyundai does not appear to be leaving rallying altogether. How exactly its involvement will be structured remains to be seen in the coming weeks and months.
An emotional Thierry Neuville said after the finish in Sardinia: “Thank you to the team they did amazing. I think we should be there next year but I don’t know how and when. I’m sure we will find some opportunities with Hyundai.”
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WRC Rally Italia Sardegna 2026 – Final results
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Solberg / Edmondson | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 3:24:57.0 |
| 2. | Ogier / Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +57.6 |
| 3. | Pajari / Salminen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:37.4 |
| 4. | Fourmaux / Coria | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2:38.6 |
| 5. | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +4:48.1 |
| 6. | Katsuta / Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +6:02.4 |
| 7. | Armstrong / Byrne | Ford Puma Rally1 | +7:32.2 |
| 8. | Korhonen / Viinikka | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +12:10.4 |
| 9. | Virves / Viilo | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +12:11.1 |
| 10. | Greensmith / Andersson | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +13:02.2 |
WRC 2026 Drivers’ Championship – Standings after Round 13/13 [Top 10]
| # | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Elfyn Evans | 243 |
| 2. | Oliver Solberg | 238 (-5) |
| 3. | Sami Pajari | 237 (-6) |
| 4. | Sébastien Ogier | 189 (-54) |
| 5. | Adrien Fourmaux | 183 (-60) |
| 6. | Takamoto Katsuta | 175 (-68) |
| 7. | Thierry Neuville | 134 (-109) |
| 8. | Hayden Paddon | 38 (-205) |
| 9. | Josh McErlean | 35 (-208) |
| 10. | Esapekka Lappi | 33 (-210) |
WRC 2026 Manufacturers’ Championship – Standings after Round 13/13
| # | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT | 662 |
| 2. | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 440 (-222) |
| 3. | Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT 2 | 251 (-411) |
| 4. | M-Sport Ford WRT | 168 (-494) |
Photos: Red Bull Content Pool, Toyota GAZOO Racing
