We came then to the final day of action for this rally and the whole season. Four stages would decide the rally winner and also the crew to become World Rally Champions. Martins and Renars would return to the action and open the road through the 61 kilometres.

 

First up then would be SS14 Osilo – Tergu 1 and it was a good start for rally leaders Oliver and Elliott who set the pace from Sami and Marko whilst Adrien was third. Elfyn and Scott would set the fourth best time from Seb and Vincent. There was a couple of stops for Josh and Eoin in the stage as they had smoke in the Puma. They did complete the stage; they were just making sure they did not get in the way of the three championship challengers. It turned out that they didn’t actually have a problem with their car and the smoke was being caused by oil on the exhaust.

 

Next came the dress rehearsal for the power stage, SS15 Sassari – Argentiera 1 and it was really interesting that Thierry and Takamoto set the best times from Elfyn giving them the top three in the stage, whilst Oliver was only fifth fastest even slower than Adrien and it looked as if the road, particularly near the end of the stage was getting into such bad condition meant that they were actually unable to beat the times set by the earlier crews.

 

Onto SS16 Osilo – Tergu 2 and it was a stage win for Sami from Seb and Oliver, but there was drama for Elfyn and Scott who had just gone through the first split point and over a section of road heavily covered in large rocks and stones. This caused the front right-hand wheel to puncture, and they stopped to change the wheel. They kept the time loss to the minimum, but of course although they kept sixth overall this did mean that they would not feature in the super Sunday points standings. This meant they would need to beat Oliver and Elliott in the power stage to win the championship given that the Swede with his British co-driver were on course to win the rally. They still had a lead of almost a minute over Seb and Vincent, last year’s champions.

 

We came then to the final stage, SS17 Sassari – Argentiera 2 – Powerstage and this was it, time to decide this championship. Well, what we saw was Thierry set the pace before Elfyn came through and set the second fastest time at that point, but he was not confident that it was enough to win the championship.

 

Adrien was next to finish and could not beat Elfyn’s time. Did this mean the road was getting slower and what would that mean for Oliver and Elliott? Well, Sami and Marko came through and beat the time set by Elfyn and Scott, before Seb and Vincent finished the stage with the sixth best time but they were clearly not pushing very hard.

 

Finally, Oliver and Elliott started the stage and on the splits were quicker than the best time set by Elfyn and as they came down the road onto the final stretch of stage they were set to beat the time set by their teammates and championship rivals. They were barely a few hundred metres from the flying finish and stage end, when suddenly under acceleration the Yaris started to spin and in an attempt to bring the car under control it spun. It was too late though as the car went off the road onto the bushes lining the road and the car even looked like at one moment it was about to roll. Somehow they got back to the road and finished the stage, but only with the eighth best time. This meant that Elfyn and Scott had secured the 2026 World Rally Championship.

Oliver and Elliott has still taken victory, their third of the year with Seb and Vincent second and Sami and Marko in third, a Toyota one, two, three!

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

Rally Italia Sardegna Final Classification

1	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	3:24:57.0
2	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+57.6
3	S. Pajari	M. Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+1:37.4
4	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+2:38.6
5	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+4:48.1
6	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+6:02.4
7	J. Armstrong	S. Byrne	Ford Puma Rally1	+7:32.2
8	R. Korhonen	A. Viinikka	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+12:10.4
9	R. Virves	J. Viilo	Skoda Fabia RS	+12:11.1
10	G. Greensmith	J. Andersson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+13:02.2

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Oliver Solberg

“First of all, I want to say congratulations to Elfyn and Scott. They deserve this for sure, they have been very consistent all season. That I even had a shot with my rollercoaster of a season feels incredible. I started to believe more and more through the weekend, and to get so close, it’s tough. In the Power Stage I knew I had to push hard to beat Elfyn, but I wasn’t sure I was doing enough, so I tried pushing even more. Then I made a small mistake at the end, couldn’t save the car and we went off. For my first season with this team, I’m still proud of what we could achieve. I’ve given my heart and tried everything until the very end, and hopefully I have a few more chances to try again.”

Sébastien Ogier

“You could not have scripted a more dramatic finish than what we saw today. In rallying we all know that it’s never over until it’s over. Congratulations to Elfyn and Scott: they have worked so hard over so many years and nobody deserves it more than them. I know that it’s hard for Oliver and Elliott right now after getting so close, but they have impressed all of us with their speed this season and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they are also world champions. Thank you to everyone in the team for this season and the last five years with this car. It’s amazing to work with you and to always be able to count on a fast and reliable car.”

Sami Pajari

“This was a really dramatic end to the season, and even if I didn’t have my best rally here, I’m super happy for Elfyn and Scott: they really deserve this. For my second year at this level, I think I can be very happy with our season, and with our nine podiums and three wins. After an extremely difficult start in Monte Carlo, we took stage wins in almost every rally, got closer and closer in the title fight and in the end we were only six points away. We’re still young, so hopefully we have the chance to chase titles again in the future. I gave everything on the last stage with this car: a big thank you to the whole team and everyone supporting us.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s still not really sinking in yet that we’ve managed to get the championship across the line after such a wild final day. We came into it knowing it would be tight and tried what we could today, but there was massive cleaning on the first stage. We managed to pull back some time on the second, but then at the start of the third there were rocks everywhere and we tried to pull our way through, but immediately we punctured. Then we had to lay it all on the line for the Power Stage. It was a messy run, so I was pretty sure I hadn’t done enough, and Oliver was coming quicker until he had that moment near the end. I feel sorry for him and Elliott because they drove an incredible weekend. But we didn’t only win it there, it was a whole year’s worth of work and I think it’s a championship to be proud of. It’s a bit of a relief after coming close so many times, and I’ve got a lot of people to thank for backing me through the years, especially Scott and the team.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“A big thank you to the whole team that we managed to finish this tough rally. It was such a difficult start with punctures on Friday, but at the end we could finish P6 and have some fun in the last rally with this car, which has been so successful with so much effort behind it from the whole team. Our season started well with two wins and even if we couldn’t keep up the fight in the championship, it was great to see such a fight between my team-mates right until the last corners. Big congratulations to Elfyn and Scott, and also to Oliver and Elliott and Sami and Marko; they have all done a fantastic job and I hope to keep fighting with them in future.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“Congratulations to Elfyn on his championship win, and commiserations to Oliver – his time will come. For me, I didn’t quite get the first win I wanted, but I will always remember Saudi Arabia last year. This has been a tough season, but I scored some nice podiums. It’s been a fantastic two years driving the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 and fighting at the top; we had the pace, particularly on gravel, and we ended the year not far off the Toyotas despite the issues we’ve had this season. I’d like to say a huge thank you for the team; I’m very proud of our performance.”

Thierry Neuville

“I’m super disappointed for the weekend, but happy to end the season with a final Power Stage victory. It’s been a challenging year, so I’d like to say a huge thank you to the team – they did amazing. We’ve been together for 13 seasons, been through a lot of highs and lows, and these past two years have been tough, yet the team has remained committed and motivated. I’m pleased we were able to bring home one victory for them this year – and it was very nearly two. Finally, congratulations to Elfyn, he has been close so many times deserves the title. Oliver also did so well this weekend, and it nearly paid off, so well done to him as well.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Jon Armstrong

“So, Rally Sardegna is finished. It was my first time here, so I didn’t know what to expect, but on recce it was very challenging to understand how fast to drive, and then the roads were really rough when we got there.

“We just had a strategy to stay out of trouble and get to the finish of the rally, so that’s the goal achieved.

“It’s been really cool to be part of the last event with the Rally1 car. Overall, the season has had some highs, but a lot of lows. I think we can be happy with our potential, and hopefully we’ll be able to put the experience we’ve gained this year into improving again next year.

Overall, not too bad, and thanks to the team and all the sponsors for their dedication and efforts to help us achieve what we have this year.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“Two and a half years done. It’s been an incredible experience to be part of this, to be part of the elite of world rallying. We’ve had some really high highs and also some low points, but looking back at it, I think it’s been great for the future.

“We’ve already tested many things in the sport, so let’s see what next year brings and what the future brings. I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s been with us, and let’s see what happens.”

Josh McErlean

“What a way to end the season. Watching that Power Stage from a fan perspective was quite incredible, seeing Elfyn and Scotty win the championship like that.

“But yeah, that’s what this sport brings. Our rally was going quite well until, unfortunately, we hit a tree on Saturday evening. The team did a terrific job to change the engine overnight, with not much time to spare.

“It’s been a rollercoaster of a year, so I’m really thankful to have been in Rally1 for two years now. Let’s see what the future holds, but there have been many great friends and memories made.”

 

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 13

1	E. Evans	243
2	O. Solberg	238
3	S. Pajari	237
4	S. Ogier	189
5	A. Fourmaux	183
6	T. Katsuta	175
7	T. Neuville	134
8	H. Paddon	38
9	J. McErlean	35
10	E. Lappi	33

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 13

1	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team	662
2	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	440
3	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 2	251
4	M-Sport Ford World Rally Team	168

Summary

What an amazing three days of competition we were treated to then, with a battle between the top crews of this championship for victory of the rally and also for the championship crown.

 

Oliver and Elliott did everything they could to not just win the rally, but also this season’s championship and it really did come down to the last few hundred metres. They took the lead from Thierry and Martijn and really didn’t look back. The incident at the end of the final stage was hugely disappointing for them, but they will definitely challenge for the title  in the future.

 

Seb and Vincent had a quiet rally to second overall. There were stage wins along the way, but it was a drive to keep his teammates in the championship fight in the spotlight. They even didn’t push very hard throughout Sunday’s stages just in order it seems to avoid taking points from Elfyn, Sami or Oliver.

 

Sami and Marko took yet another podium and it was a good drive from the young Finnish crew. They came into the weekend as a championship hopeful but were not quite able to fight right near the front for the title. They came into the weekend closest to Elfyn and Scott yet finished in third place in the championship. They will be back though and will challenge for the championship again.

 

Finally, we have to highlight the drive by Elfyn and Scott to the 2026 World Rally Championship. They opened the road again throughout Friday and finished the day in sixth overall. They then kept themselves in the window throughout Saturday and despite losing fourth to Adrien and Alex at the end of the day, they were right there on Sunday to take the fight onto the last few stages. Then when they had the stop to change the wheel in the penultimate stage, they laid it all on the line in the final stage and it gave them the chance to take the title so then when Oliver and Elliott went off the road, it was enough to take the championship by five points.

They join Colin and Derek, champions in 1995, Richard and Robert, champions in 2001 as British World Rally Champions and Elfyn is the first title winner from Wales.