Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin are World Rally champions for the first time after a spectacular 2026 finale at Rally Italia Sardegna.
Evans survived a puncture, the disadvantage of opening the road and a final-stage challenge from Toyota teammate Oliver Solberg to finish the season with 243 points. Solberg ended the year five points behind, while Sami Pajari finished another point back in third.
The championship was settled during the final Power Stage. Solberg was running faster than Evans and appeared capable of taking the title until he left the road two corners from the finish.
Solberg recovered, completed the stage and still won the rally. He didn’t collect enough Power Stage points to take the championship.
After five runner-up finishes in six seasons, Evans finally had his title.
The 2026 WRC Championship Came Down to One Stage
Evans arrived in Sardinia with a 17-point advantage over Pajari and a 21-point lead over Solberg. That was a useful margin, but the conditions immediately made protecting it difficult.
As the championship leader, Evans opened the road on Friday. On loose gravel, the first car frequently sweeps away sand and dust before the later starters reach a cleaner, faster surface.
Evans finished Friday sixth overall. Pajari held fifth, while Solberg used his better road position to reach third before taking the rally lead on Saturday.
By Sunday, Solberg was comfortably leading the event and Evans was fifth. The virtual championship margin had dropped to six points, with another 10 bonus points available through the Super Sunday and Power Stage classifications.
Toyota had already secured the 2026 WRC manufacturers’ championship. Its drivers were now free to settle the individual title among themselves.
Nothing encourages careful equipment preservation quite like placing three teammates on loose gravel with one world championship available.
A Puncture Reduced Evans’ Lead to One Point
The championship took another turn during the second run through Osilo–Tergu.
Evans suffered a puncture and stopped on the stage to change the wheel, losing nearly two minutes. He remained fifth overall but fell out of contention for the available Super Sunday points.
That left Evans with a virtual championship advantage of only one point over Solberg.
Elfyn Evans Wins His First WRC Title After Solberg Crashes Two Corners From Glory
Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin are World Rally champions for the first time after a spectacular 2026 finale at Rally Italia Sardegna.
Evans survived a puncture, the disadvantage of opening the road and a final-stage challenge from Toyota teammate Oliver Solberg to finish the season with 243 points. Solberg ended the year five points behind, while Sami Pajari finished another point back in third.
The championship was settled during the final Power Stage. Solberg was running faster than Evans and appeared capable of taking the title until he left the road two corners from the finish.
Solberg recovered, completed the stage and still won the rally. He didn’t collect enough Power Stage points to take the championship.
After five runner-up finishes in six seasons, Evans finally had his title.
The 2026 WRC Championship Came Down to One Stage
Evans arrived in Sardinia with a 17-point advantage over Pajari and a 21-point lead over Solberg. That was a useful margin, but the conditions immediately made protecting it difficult.
As the championship leader, Evans opened the road on Friday. On loose gravel, the first car frequently sweeps away sand and dust before the later starters reach a cleaner, faster surface.
Evans finished Friday sixth overall. Pajari held fifth, while Solberg used his better road position to reach third before taking the rally lead on Saturday.
By Sunday, Solberg was comfortably leading the event and Evans was fifth. The virtual championship margin had dropped to six points, with another 10 bonus points available through the Super Sunday and Power Stage classifications.
Toyota had already secured the 2026 WRC manufacturers’ championship. Its drivers were now free to settle the individual title among themselves.
Nothing encourages careful equipment preservation quite like placing three teammates on loose gravel with one world championship available.
A Puncture Reduced Evans’ Lead to One Point
The championship took another turn during the second run through Osilo–Tergu.
Evans suffered a puncture and stopped on the stage to change the wheel, losing nearly two minutes. He remained fifth overall but fell out of contention for the available Super Sunday points.
That left Evans with a virtual championship advantage of only one point over Solberg.
The final Power Stage became a direct contest: whichever Toyota driver recorded the faster time would become the 2026 World Rally champion.
Evans completed the stage without another major problem. Solberg began his run knowing exactly what time he needed to beat and was ahead at the intermediate splits.
Then, with only two corners remaining, he ran wide and went down an embankment.
Solberg managed to return to the road and reach the finish, but he completed the stage 8.9 seconds behind Evans. The mistake cost him the bonus points he needed to overturn Evans’ championship lead.
The official Toyota Gazoo Racing report confirms that Evans finished the season with 243 points, followed by Solberg with 238 and Pajari with 237. The FIA’s event review also recognizes Evans and Martin as first-time champions. GAZOO Racing
Solberg Still Won Rally Italia Sardegna
Solberg’s final-stage accident didn’t erase the advantage he had accumulated throughout the event.
He still won Rally Italia Sardegna by 57.6 seconds over Sébastien Ogier. Pajari completed an all-Toyota podium, followed by Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux in fourth and Evans in fifth.
| Position | Driver | Vehicle | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oliver Solberg | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 3:24:57.0 |
| 2 | Sébastien Ogier | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +57.6 seconds |
| 3 | Sami Pajari | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:37.4 |
| 4 | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2:38.6 |
| 5 | Elfyn Evans | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +4:48.1 |
That distinction matters. Solberg didn’t throw away the rally victory. He lost the Power Stage points required to convert that victory into a championship.
The difference is small on paper and enormous in practice.
Why Road Position Mattered in Sardinia
A rally driver’s starting position can determine how much usable grip is available.
On dry gravel, the first competitors encounter a loose surface covered with dust and small stones. Their tires must dig through that material to reach the firmer base underneath. Later cars can benefit from the cleaned line left behind.
Evans had the least favorable Friday position because he led the championship. Solberg started farther back and received a cleaner road.
That doesn’t guarantee a faster time. The surface can become rutted or damaged as more cars pass, and changing weather can reverse the advantage. In Sardinia’s dry conditions, however, road cleaning created a meaningful difference.
Evans’ opening position contributed to his early deficit, while Solberg’s starting order helped place him within reach of the rally lead.
The title therefore wasn’t decided solely by which Toyota driver pressed the accelerator harder during the final five minutes. It was shaped by starting order, tire survival, accumulated points and the ability to avoid one final expensive disagreement with the scenery.
Evans Ends Six Years of Near Misses
Evans had previously finished second in the WRC championship five times, including a four-point loss to Ogier in 2025.
He is now the first British WRC drivers’ champion since Richard Burns in 2001 and the third British driver to win the title after Burns and Colin McRae. Martin also earned his first co-drivers’ championship. wrc.com
Speaking after the finale, Evans emphasized that the championship wasn’t won during one stage. It was the product of an entire season that began with second place in Monte Carlo and a victory in Sweden.
That is the correct way to interpret the result.
Solberg’s mistake supplied the final dramatic image, but Evans entered Sardinia with the points lead because of the work completed before either driver reached the island. Championships rarely come down to one moment without several months of preparation first arranging the mathematics.
Toyota Completes Its 2026 WRC Sweep
Evans’ championship completes a dominant season for Toyota Gazoo Racing.
Toyota had already secured its sixth consecutive manufacturers’ championship and 10th overall title. The team finished the drivers’ season with Evans, Solberg and Pajari occupying the first three positions.
Its primary operation accumulated 662 manufacturer points, compared with Hyundai’s 440. Toyota’s secondary WRT2 entry finished third with 251—83 points ahead of M-Sport Ford.
That balance may begin changing as the championship enters a new regulatory era. Ford has confirmed that it will return as a full factory-backed WRC team in 2028 before introducing an all-new rally car in 2029.
For now, Toyota owns both 2026 championships, a six-year manufacturers’ streak and all three leading positions in the drivers’ standings.
Evans owns the title that escaped him five times.
It only required a puncture, a one-point virtual lead and a teammate attacking the final two corners as though replacement body panels were included with the trophy.
