British driver Elfyn Evans secured the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship title in dramatic fashion at Rally Italia Sardegna on Sunday, October 4, 2026, after longtime title rival Oliver Solberg crashed out of the lead just two kilometers from the finish line, rekurzeme.lv reported. Evans finished the 13th and final round of the season with the championship crown, while Latvia’s Mārtiņš Sesks and co-driver Renārs Francis piloted their M-Sport Ford to a ninth-place overall finish following steering troubles earlier in the weekend. The 2026 WRC season had 14 rounds planned, but the final event—Rally Saudi Arabia—was cancelled.
Solberg Crashes Out of the Lead in Final Power Stage
Solberg held a 1.9-second advantage over Evans at the final time check with less than two kilometers remaining. A clean run would have secured the title for Solberg despite starting the rally 21 points behind Evans. Instead, his car caught on a gravel bank and bushes near the edge of the track, erasing his points and handing the championship to Evans, sportacentrs.com reported. Reflecting on the incident, Solberg told sportacentrs.com that he did not expect the car to catch on the edge and noted he was driving on the limit without knowing his exact split times. Solberg admitted he was very nervous in the morning and stated he did not fully realize he had such an opportunity before the Power Stage, having to drive at 110 percent. Describing his season as a roller coaster, Solberg noted it hurts deeply because rallying is his entire life, dream, and passion, which he invested his whole heart into only for everything to be decided by a single small mistake. Solberg praised Evans, stating he truly deserved the title after a great season, and added that at least he gave himself a chance and tried his best all weekend, including attacking throughout the entire stage and all Sunday for Super Sunday points. Following the stage, a beautiful moment was captured between Sébastien Ogier and Solberg.
Evans Claims Maiden World Title After Late Drama
Elfyn Evans admitted he could not believe his eyes when he saw his championship rival run off the road so close to the finish, Go4speed reported. Evans had pushed hard through the final stage but encountered difficulties that left him uncertain whether his pace was sufficient. Following Solberg’s crash, Evans initially delayed celebrating because his father and early supporters began cheering before official confirmation, and he wanted to verify the final standings, Go4speed noted. Evans finished the season with 243 points, edging out Solberg by five points to claim his first career WRC title after finishing as championship runner-up five times previously, according to rekurzeme.lv and sportacentrs.com data. Becoming the seventh Toyota driver in the Japanese manufacturer’s WRC history to win the drivers’ title, Evans stated that he will keep both feet firmly on the ground and does not think it will change much in his life, noting that life will go on. Evans added that it is a beautiful symbol to thank everyone who supported him throughout his career, built together with the team, family, and co-driver Scott Martin, who has been a very significant part of the success in recent years. Evans acknowledged he has fought for the title for a long time, noting they were not always the absolute fastest but not far off, often failing to put everything together when it mattered most until this year. After completing their run, Evans and Martin watched their Toyota teammates alongside the other crews, knowing that whichever GR Yaris Rally1 crew set the fastest time in their head-to-head battle would take the title, and now he feels mostly relief.
Sesks Navigates Steering Failures and Recovers in Sardinia
Liepāja rally crew Mārtiņš Sesks and Renārs Francis overcame major technical hurdles to finish ninth overall in Sardinia, rekurzeme.lv reported. The M-Sport Ford crew suffered steering system failures on Saturday after completing the day’s first three stages, forcing them to miss the remainder of Saturday’s action. Returning under restart rules on Sunday, the Latvian pair incurred a time penalty before posting ninth- and seventh-place finishes in the final two speed tests, according to rekurzeme.lv. The result marks Sesks’s sixth WRC start of the 2026 season, closing out his campaign 15th in the overall driver standings with 14 points, with his season-best finish remaining a seventh place at Rally Estonia, rekurzeme.lv stated.
Toyota Sweeps the Podiums and Final Standings
Toyota Gazos Racing dominated the top tier of the Rally Italia Sardegna classification and the final championship standings. Behind the overall winner Solberg—who slid out at the death—French veteran Sébastien Ogier claimed second place in the Sardinia rally standings less than a minute back, while Finnish driver Sami Pajari rounded out the podium in third, rekurzeme.lv reported. In the final 2026 WRC drivers’ championship standings, Evans took top honors with 243 points, Solberg finished second with 238 points, and Pajari secured third with 237 points, according to rekurzeme.lv records.
