Rally Finland 2026 Sunday’s Report, The Thousand Lakes Rally

We came then to the final day and although there were only (yes, I know) two stages remaining, they were thirty kilometres in length giving a total of sixty kilometres over the final day. The stage had everything as well with quick sections and a more technical end as the crews came into the ski section area.

Just a correction to make from yesterday’s report as I stated that Martins and Renars would open the road after their exit stage left during yesterday. As their teammates Jon and Shane were the first retirement, they would continue to open the road during these two stages.

Onto the action then with SS19 Himos-Jämsä 1 and Oliver set the pace, going almost three seconds faster from Elfyn and Takamoto was third. The highest placed Hyundai crew were Adrien and Alex with the fifth best time, whilst further back Josh and Eoin were seventh fastest and the best placed M-Sport crew. Adrien’s time was actually amazing as there was a large bumble bee in their car causing a huge distraction for them. Oliver’s time was also quite remarkable as he’d hurt his back on one of the jumps in the stage.

There was a regroup before the crews prepared to go again in the powerstage just over two hours later.

It was time then for SS20 Himos-Jämsä 2 Powerstage and Jon set the early pace which could not be beaten by his teammates. The first crew to beat that time was Thierry before Adrien, Oliver and Elfyn came through. There was disaster for Takamoto and Aaron though as he lost control on a fast right-hander before going offline and hitting some bushes on the outside of the following corner with the front of the Yaris. There was damage to the front which included the cooling pack. He limped to the end and lost fifth position whilst Josh also almost ended up passing the Japanese driver for sixth. Thierry was the one who passed Takamoto moving into fifth place. The Welshman and his Swedish teammate actually set the same time in the stage, meaning that the timing needed to be taken to the hundredth of a second. It was Elfyn that got the nod for the fastest time giving him the maximum powerstage points. However, it was Oliver who was fastest over the two stages and would take the maximum Sunday points. Meanwhile Sami and Marko had crossed the line and taken their second win in a row on their home rally. What a result for them.

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the final finishing positions.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“It feels simply amazing to win Rally Finland. It’s another dream result for us. It was already a big thing to take the first win in Estonia but to win at home is always something special. Winning at home hasn’t always been easy for Finnish drivers but somehow after a crazy rally we have managed to make it happen. This one was tougher and more intense than Estonia; it was a really close fight with Seb and Elfyn and we were setting very similar times for most of the rally. To be a winner of the ‘1000 Lakes’ is incredible. Marko and I grew up watching legendary drivers win this rally and now we are on top of the podium too; it’s crazy. Big thanks to the team and the fans for all their support.”

Oliver Solberg

“It has been a crazy weekend and a crazy day today. I’m very happy to be here at the finish, on the podium again and to win Super Sunday. We just missed out on the Power Stage by a fraction of a second, but I was just happy to be able to drive the last stage as fast as I could, as I was careful in many places. Still, we take many valuable points and it’s a great result for the team once again.”

Elfyn Evans

“I’m happy to finish on the podium but I owe this one to the team who fixed the car in service yesterday after my mistake. Super Sunday was fast paced as usual on what was a very quick stage. I maybe wasn’t brave enough on the first pass and tried to do more on the second pass; the grip was much higher, and I maybe didn’t use it all but I’m happy with the points we could take away. Congratulations to Sami and Marko; I know how special it feels to win your home rally. There was not a lot between them, us, and Seb and Julien – who I wish a speedy recovery – but they were the ones who didn’t falter and very much deserve this win.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It’s been a really tough weekend for me. Today I was hoping to try and take some extra points, but it didn’t go so well in the end. In the final stage I saw a rock sticking out on the inside and tried to avoid it, but there was so much loose gravel off the line. We went wide and couldn’t make the next right-hander and hit a tree. It was my mistake and I feel very sorry for the team. I just need to reset and do better next time.”

Sébastien Ogier (DNF)

“This was not the way that we wanted to end this weekend especially after everything was going so well. But the most important thing is that we are both OK, so a big thank you to the team for building such a strong car. I also need to thank Julien for taking good care of me immediately after the impact and reassuring my family I am well. We will take some rest now and make sure we are back to full strength soon and thank you for all the messages we received. Congratulations to Sami and Marko for another victory and all the team for locking out the podium at home once again.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“I have some mixed feelings at the end of Rally Finland. I’m very happy because I was really enjoying the rally, and I’m very pleased with the pace I was giving in the stages. I’m just a bit disappointed not to finish on the podium. We lost 1 minute 25 seconds to Sami in the rain on Friday, and today we have ended the rally 1 minute 35 seconds behind, which shows how close the gaps are if we removed the rainy stage. However, I’ve no regrets. We scored good points on Sunday, but I do feel we deserved more than that.”

Thierry Neuville

“Friday was the toughest day for our rally, and after that we were just waiting for today to take some Power Stage and Super Sunday points. In the end we scored four bonus points, which is a decent result considering what happened on Friday. It was a bit of bad luck; we went a little wide, hit one stone, and that was enough to damage the suspension. Then we were unlucky again with the timing of the rain. The result of that made the rest of the rally very challenging, but I was able to enjoy today.”

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“Rally Finland complete. It’s been a crazy weekend with the number of accidents along the way, but we’ve kept our noses clean and to finish seventh overall is a really positive result. Obviously Friday was tricky with the weather, but after that we found a good pace and were fighting with Thierry throughout Saturday. It was hard to hold on to that on Sunday, but overall, it was a clean weekend with plenty of positives to take away, and hopefully we can carry that into South America and come away with another good result.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“I think overall the rally started quite well, especially on Friday afternoon. In the rain we found a really good feeling with the car, and that continued into Saturday morning where we had some really good pace. We made an unfortunate mistake, probably from being a little too optimistic, and unfortunately it ended with a crash. The team then did an amazing job to repair the car and get us back out for Sunday, which was a great team effort and a real highlight of the weekend.”

Jon Armstrong

“It’s my first Rally Finland in 10 years, and I wanted to get as much mileage as possible to learn more about the event. That was the aim, but on Friday we got caught out on one of the narrow roads, got pulled into the ditch and got stuck, so it was a shame not to finish the day and get that extra mileage. After that, it was all about getting as much seat time as possible on Saturday and Sunday, learning more about the event and the roads. Some of the pace has been pretty good, but we obviously still need to improve going forward. Overall, it’s been an okay weekend, and now we’re looking forward to South America to learn what those events are all about, as well as the Grampian Rally next weekend.”

Summary – The Podium

What a result then for Sami and Marko taking their second win in a row and bringing themselves into the title fight. They won six of the twenty stages, meaning they were on the pace and although they moved into the lead when Seb and Julien crashed out, it was a deserved victory. They are now thirty points from Elfyn and Scott who continue to lead the championship.

Oliver and Elliott took second position, and this is their second podium in a row as well after second place in Estonia. This improved their points position as well, due in part to their pace over the two stages which made up the stages over the final day. Fastest over the stages gave them maximum points over super Sunday and second in the power stage meant they’d given themselves a good boost of points in the championship fight.

Finally, Elfyn and Scott paid tribute to the mechanics at the Toyota rally team who’d carried out the repairs after the stage where he rolled out of second place at the time. He then passed Adrien for position which then became third position. Their pace on the final day gave them second in the super Sunday standings and the fastest time in the power stage. These points meant they’ve actually increased their lead in the championship standings with four rounds left.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Finland

1	S. Pajari	M. Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	2:27:58.0
2	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+26.7
3	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+1:19.5
4	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+1:35.9
5	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+3:52.5
6	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+4:18.2
7	J. McErlean	E. Treacy	Ford Puma Rally1	+4:32.7
8	J-M. Latvala	J. Hänninen	Toyota GR Yaris	+8:25.5
9	R. Virves	J. Viilo	Skoda Fabia RS	+8:46.9
10	T. Suninen	J. Hussi	Toyota GR Yaris	+9:03.0