Sami Pajari wins Rally Finland, moves to second in WRC standings

Sami Pajari Rally Finland WRC Toyota championship standings

Finnish driver Sami Pajari (24) claimed victory at the Rally Finland, his second consecutive World Rally Championship win after triumphing in Estonia two weeks earlier. The 75th‑anniversary event marked the 200th WRC win by a Finnish driver. Pajari finished 2 min 27 s 58 cs, 26.7 seconds ahead of teammate Oliver Solberg, while Elfyn Evans took third place. The result lifted Pajari to second place in the championship, 30 points behind leader Evans. Sébastien Ogier crashed heavily on Saturday, was taken to hospital and did not restart. The overall podium was completed by Adrien Fourmaux (fourth) and Thierry Neuville (fifth); Takamoto Katsuta finished sixth. In the WRC3 class, Polish drivers Tymek Abramowski and Jakub Wróbel secured third place. Pajari said the home win was “more special than my first WRC victory,” highlighting the significance of winning in front of Finnish fans.

Entities: Elfyn Evans · Marko Salminen · Oliver Solberg · Rally Finland · Sami Pajari · Sebastien Ogier · Toyota · World Rally Championship

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[DISPUTED] Sébastien Ogier crashed out on Saturday during special stage 17, retiring from the rally. (f9ccd8ea-f07f-4a39-a67b-b6eb4b72609e, a81bd12d-55c8-4603-a4d9-d7414e7c31b8, b1f78711-4337-45bd-9cac-f3b83578e570)
[● 3 SOURCES] Sami Pajari and co‑driver Marko Salminen won the 2026 Rally Finland driving a Toyota GR Yaris. (f9ccd8ea-f07f-4a39-a67b-b6eb4b72609e, a81bd12d-55c8-4603-a4d9-d7414e7c31b8, b1f78711-4337-45bd-9cac-f3b83578e570)
[● 2 SOURCES] Oliver Solberg finished second, 26.7 seconds behind Pajari. (f9ccd8ea-f07f-4a39-a67b-b6eb4b72609e, b1f78711-4337-45bd-9cac-f3b83578e570)
[DISPUTED] Elfyn Evans finished third, 1 minute 19.5 seconds behind the winner. (f9ccd8ea-f07f-4a39-a67b-b6eb4b72609e, b1f78711-4337-45bd-9cac-f3b83578e570)
[● 2 SOURCES] The win was Pajari's second consecutive WRC victory, following his win at the Estonia rally two weeks earlier. (a81bd12d-55c8-4603-a4d9-d7414e7c31b8, b1f78711-4337-45bd-9cac-f3b83578e570)
[● 2 SOURCES] Pajari's total time was 2 hours 27 minutes 58 seconds. (f9ccd8ea-f07f-4a39-a67b-b6eb4b72609e, b1f78711-4337-45bd-9cac-f3b83578e570)
[DISPUTED] After the rally, Pajari moved to second place in the WRC drivers' championship with 172 points, 30 points ahead of Evans. (a81bd12d-55c8-4603-a4d9-d7414e7c31b8, f9ccd8ea-f07f-4a39-a67b-b6eb4b72609e)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The 2026 Rally Finland marked the 75th anniversary of the event. (a81bd12d-55c8-4603-a4d9-d7414e7c31b8)
[DISPUTED] The win moved Sammi Paggia to second place in the overall WRC standings with 170 points.
[● 3 SOURCES] Oliver Solberg finished second, 26 seconds behind Sammi Paggia.
[● 3 SOURCES] Sammi Paggia won the Rally Finland on 2 August 2026, the tenth round of the 2026 World Rally Championship. (Toyota)
[DISPUTED] Sébastien Ogier and co‑driver Julien Ingrassia crashed on the first special stage on 1 August and were taken to hospital for observation.