Oliver Solberg has secured a stunning maiden WRC victory at Rally Estonia on his debut with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Ott Tänak finished second and takes over the WRC championship lead from Elfyn Evans.
Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson were drafted in for the one-off outing just weeks before the rally and had only two days of testing under their belts. Remarkably, it marked their first Rally1 start since Repco Rally New Zealand in 2022 – but they wasted no time in making an impression, storming into the lead with their first-ever stage win on Friday’s opener stage and remaining unchallenged throughout the weekend.
That momentum carried through into Super Sunday, with Solberg setting the pace on two of the day’s three tests in damp and slippery conditions. Unfazed by the change in grip, he calmly extended his advantage to take the win – Toyota’s 100th in the WRC – by 25.2sec over local hero and 2019 world champion Ott Tänak.
Solberg: ‘We finally made it’
“After everything, so many years trying and trying and trying and dreaming, and me and Elliott finally made it,” said Solberg. “I just want to say thank you to Toyota, to the test team who helped me get so comfortable, for all the help this weekend from this beautiful, beautiful team. I’ve never had such a good time in my life.
Tänak, the pre-event favourite, struggled to get the best out of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 on sections where grip was inconsistent. A stall on Saturday morning cost him around seven seconds, but the immediate threat behind eased on Sunday when team-mate Thierry Neuville, who started the day just 4.0sec adrift, incurred a 10-second penalty for a false start on SS18 and ultimately finished 23.1sec behind Tänak in third.
Tänak new championship leader by 1 point
Despite missing out on the win, Tänak’s result was enough to overhaul Elfyn Evans and move into the lead of the drivers’ championship by a single point. Evans, who placed sixth, will at least benefit from not running first on the road on day one of the upcoming Secto Rally Finland. (Story continues after image.)
Kalle Rovanperä showed improved pace in the damper conditions but was unable to mount a podium challenge. The two-time world champion and three-time Rally Estonia winner had to settle for fourth in another Toyota, finishing 7.3sec adrift of Neuville.
Adrien Fourmaux’s hopes of contending for top Super Sunday and Wolf Power Stage points were dashed when his Hyundai nosedived after a jump, damaging the front aero. The Frenchman ended the rally in fifth, ahead of Evans.
Takamoto Katsuta had slipped behind Evans to eighth earlier in the day and was forced to retire his Toyota before the Power Stage due to a technical issue.
After grappling with intermittent power loss on Friday, Sami Pajari brought his Toyota home in seventh overall. The top 10 was rounded out by M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 youngsters Mārtinš Sesks, Josh McErlean and Grégoire Munster.
The WRC’s European summer of speed continues in less than two weeks as the championship heads to Jyväskylä for round nine: Secto Rally Finland (31 July – 3 August).
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WRC Rally Estonia 2025 – Final results
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Solberg / Edmondson | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 2:36:35.1 |
| 2. | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +25.2 |
| 3. | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +48.3 |
| 4. | Rovanperä / Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +55.6 |
| 5. | Fourmaux / Coria | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +1:33.0 |
| 6. | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:43.3 |
| 7. | Pajari / Salminen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +2:55.6 |
| 8. | Sesks / Francis | Ford Puma Rally1 | +3:36.0 |
| 9. | McErlean / Treacy | Ford Puma Rally1 | +5:29.8 |
| 10. | Munster / Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 | +5:57.5 |
WRC 2025 Drivers’ Championship – Standings after Round 8/14 [Top 10]
| # | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ott Tänak | 162 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | 161 (-1) |
| 3. | Sébastien Ogier | 141 (-21) |
| 4. | Kalle Rovanperä | 138 (-24) |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | 114 (-48) |
| 6. | Adrien Fourmaux | 71 (-91) |
| 7. | Takamoto Katsuta | 63 (-99) |
| 8. | Oliver Solberg | 52 (-110) |
| 9. | Sami Pajari | 38 (-124) |
| 10. | Grégoire Munster | 19 (-143) |
WRC 2025 Manufacturers’ Championship – Standings after Round 8/14
| # | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT | 399 |
| 2. | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 347 (-52) |
| 3. | M-Sport Ford WRT | 111 (-288) |
| 4. | Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT 2 | 68 (-331) |
Photo’s, content: Red Bull Content Pool
