Oliver Solberg will join the works Toyota WRC team for the 2026 season, replacing the circuit-racing-bound Kalle Rovanperä in a full-time Rally1 seat. The team will again field five GR Yaris Rally1 cars at most events next year, with Sébastien Ogier remaining with the team in the same role.
The line-up features a new addition in Oliver Solberg, 24, who steps up to the top tier alongside co-driver Elliott Edmondson. The Swedish-British pairing move into Rally1 machinery after clinching this year’s WRC2 title in the GR Yaris Rally2 and celebrating a shock overall victory on their team debut at Rally Estonia. Solberg joins the squad in place of Kalle Rovanperä, who will pursue a new challenge in circuit racing.
Solberg’s promotion mirrors that of Sami Pajari, the 2024 WRC2 champion, who enters his second full-time Rally1 season in 2026. Meanwhile, Takamoto Katsuta aims to build on his strongest season yet, with second-place finishes in Sweden and Finland. Leading the charge will be Elfyn Evans, who head into their seventh full season with the team after one of their most consistent campaigns to date, still in the fight for the 2025 drivers’ title.
Ogier stays at the team for 2026
Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier will again contest a partial programme, starting at January’s Rallye Monte-Carlo and taking in more than half of the 2026 events.
Toyota Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala on his 2026 WRC line-up
“The 2025 season has been an incredibly successful one already for our team, and while we’re set for a thrilling conclusion to this year, we can also look forward to 2026 with excitement. It’s a pleasure to welcome Oliver to the driver line-up after the fantastic job he has done driving the GR Yaris Rally2 this year – and, of course, his amazing debut in our Rally1 car in Estonia.
“Along with Elfyn and Seb, who have both been driving extremely well in fighting for this year’s championship, as well as Takamoto, who’s shown this year that he can compete for victories, and Sami, who has been gaining valuable experience in his first full season at the highest level, we will once more have a strong driver line-up featuring a great mix of speed and experience. We have a wonderful team and with these drivers, our passion will be on show inside and outside the cockpit next year.”
Photo: Toyota GAZOO Racing
