Elfyn Evans wins 2026 WRC title on Sardinia Power Stage
Photo: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool
Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin of Toyota Gazoo Racing have won the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship. They secured the title on Sunday, on the final stage of Rally Italia Sardegna, the season's last round. A few corners from the end of the Power Stage, Oliver Solberg ran wide. The mistake cost the Swede his chance at the championship, although he still won the rally.
A puncture on the penultimate stage
On the Osilo-Tergu stage, the second-to-last of the rally, Evans punctured his right-front tire and had to stop to change the wheel. A similar puncture on the penultimate stage had already stopped him at the previous round in Chile.
That loss turned the title fight into a straight duel with Solberg, with Super Sunday classification points no longer in play. Heading into the 7.10 km Wolf Power Stage Sassari-Argentiera, the two drivers were separated by a minimal margin in the standings.
Solberg's late mistake
Evans ran first. Solberg attacked and, with just over a kilometer to go, was 1.9 s up on the Welshman's time. Just before the finish, Solberg ran wide and went into the sand. He got out and reached the finish, but the time he lost was enough to hand the title to Evans and Martin.
"I don't think it's sunk in yet. I was convinced it was over. I didn't drive the best stage. I gave it everything, but it wasn't clean," Evans said.
The new champion also spoke about his rival. "I feel for Oliver. He had an incredible weekend and I'm sorry he lost it so close to the finish," Evans said. He thanked the people who had supported him over the years and credited Martin with doing what he called an incredible job.
Solberg wins the rally as Toyota sweeps the podium
Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson won the rally in their GR Yaris Rally1, 57.6 s ahead of Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais. Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen finished third, completing an all-Toyota podium.
Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria were fourth, ahead of Evans and Martin in fifth. Takamoto Katsuta finished sixth and Jon Armstrong (M-Sport Ford) seventh.
The end of a long wait
Evans had finished as world championship runner-up five times. Twice before, he had gone into the final round of the season leading the standings without winning the title. He is the first British driver to win the WRC title since Richard Burns in 2001.
Evans led the 2026 championship for most of the season, but his advantage shrank during the second half of the year. In Sardinia he spent much of the event at a disadvantage because he had to sweep the road. Even so, the crew stayed in the fight until the very end.
"Elfyn and Scott showed incredible resilience throughout the championship. They had come close before, but they kept working, kept believing and kept delivering when the pressure was at its highest," said Éric Boullier, president of WRC Promoter.
"Their story is a reminder that you have to dream boldly, even after disappointments," added Julien Vial, chief operating officer of WRC Promoter.