Oliver Solberg will start Sunday’s deciding day of Rally Italy with a 33.6-second lead. After an eventful Saturday in Sardinia, Solberg has once again closed the gap to title rival Elfyn Evans, leaving the battle for the world championship completely open.
Solberg started the day in third, 12.3 seconds behind leader Thierry Neuville, and initially saw his deficit to Neuville increase. Neuville won the opening stage, but Solberg immediately hit back on SS9 and SS10. The Swede, who was driving exceptionally strongly, took the lead with the two fastest times, building a 2.7-second advantage over Neuville.
Solberg’s charge was helped by a puncture for Adrien Fourmaux on the opening stage. The Frenchman lost a minute and dropped in between Sami Pajari and Elfyn Evans. Fourmaux recovered on the following stage, SS9, moving back ahead of Pajari. However, he suffered another puncture on SS12 and dropped behind both Pajari and Evans.
Neuville’s crash helps Evans
At the front, things went wrong for Neuville immediately after service. The Belgian crashed just 1.1 kilometres into SS11, damaging the rear of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1. He was forced to retire, promoting Sébastien Ogier to second place. (Article continues after the content.)
Neuville on his off in SS11:
— Rallysupport (@RallysupportNL) October 3, 2026
"We went a little too wide at the beginning of SS11 and hit a tree, damaging the rear-left wheel. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to restart today."#WRC #RallyItaliaSardegna https://t.co/pUekFNz8zQ pic.twitter.com/jN9I3f7crb
Solberg then opted for a more cautious approach on the increasingly demanding stages. “I was just trying to do my thing, enjoy it and have fun,” said the Swede. “This afternoon I was a little bit more cautious, but I enjoyed it.”
Ogier won SS11 and SS12 and is Solberg’s closest challenger, 33.6 seconds behind. “It will be difficult to beat Oliver, but we’ll see,” said the nine-time world champion.
Pajari is third, 1 minute 39.9 seconds behind, and remains mathematically in the title fight, although his deficit has now become significant.
Just six poins in it with one day to go
Fourmaux ended the day strongly by winning the final stage and reclaiming fourth place. The Frenchman is just 6.4 seconds ahead of Evans, leaving the Welshman in fifth. Evans has 240 points, giving him a six-point lead over Solberg on 234. Pajari follows on 228 points, 12 points behind Evans. (Article continues after the photo.)
“It’s still completely open,” concluded Evans. “We have a long and tough day ahead of us.”
If the current rally classification remains unchanged, Evans will score 10 rally points and Solberg 25. Solberg would then need to score at least six more points than Evans from Super Sunday and the Power Stage to draw level with him in the championship.
Evans, however, still has everything in his own hands. If the Welshman scores five points from Super Sunday and the Power Stage on Sunday, he will be world champion.
The final day of the 2026 WRC season features four more stages, covering 61 kilometres against the clock. The decisive Power Stage starts at 14:15.
WRC Rally Italia Sardegna 2026 – O/A standings after SS13/17
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Solberg / Edmondson | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 2:42:33.2 |
| 2. | Ogier / Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +33.6 |
| 3. | Pajari / Salminen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:39.9 |
| 4. | Fourmaux / Coria | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2:32.0 |
| 5. | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +2:38.4 |
| 6. | Katsuta / Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +5:43.9 |
| 7. | Armstrong / Byrne | Ford Puma Rally1 | +6:01.2 |
| 8. | Korhonen / Viinikka | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +8:23.0 |
| 9. | Greensmith / Andersson | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +8:42.6 |
| 10. | Suninen / Hussi | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +9:46.6 |
Photos: Toyota GAZOO Racing
