Elfyn Evans wins first WRC title at Rally Italia Sardegna

The 2026 WRC Rally Italia Sardegna concluded with Elfyn Evans securing his first World Rally Championship title. The championship was decided during the final Power Stage, specifically the Sassari–Argentiera stage, following a series of high-stakes incidents between the primary contenders.

While Oliver Solberg won the rally overall, his championship hopes ended just two corners before the finish line when he lost control of his vehicle and ran off the road into the sand. Solberg had been running 1.9 seconds faster than Evans with only one kilometer remaining, but the error prevented him from earning the points required to overtake Evans in the standings. Despite the mistake, Solberg managed to complete the stage to secure the rally win.

Evans, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 alongside co-driver Scott Martin, had previously faced a significant setback during the penultimate Osilo–Tergu stage when a front-right puncture forced him to stop and change a tire. This incident temporarily jeopardized his lead, allowing Solberg to close the gap to a single point heading into the final 7.1 km test. Ultimately, Evans finished the rally in fifth place, securing the world title by a five-point margin.

This victory marks Evans’ first world title after five previous runner-up finishes, making him the first British driver to win the WRC title since Richard Burns in 2001. The win also secures Toyota’s tenth WRC manufacturers’ title, equaling the record held by Lancia. Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala described the outcome as “raw,” noting the difficulty of celebrating Evans' achievement while witnessing Solberg's championship hopes vanish. In the WRC2 category, Pablo Sarrazin secured a second-place finish, contributing to Lancia Corse HF winning the WRC2 teams' title. The event marked the end of the Rally1 era.