Swan.my.id - Jakarta, Elfyn Evans won the WRC title after a dramatic three-way decider at Rally Italia Sardegna. Oliver Solberg went off the road near the finish of the Power Stage, handing Evans the championship.
The Welsh driver finished fifth on the rally. His result ended Britain’s wait for a WRC drivers’ champion since Richard Burns won the title in 2001. It also made Evans the first Welsh driver to claim the championship.
Solberg kept the Rally Italia Sardegna victory despite losing his chance at the title. Sami Pajari also entered the final round in contention, but Evans and Solberg ultimately decided the championship in the closing stages.
Evans carried a points advantage into Sardinia
Evans started the weekend with a 17-point lead over Pajari. Solberg sat 21 points behind the Welshman before the event, which had originally been scheduled as the penultimate round of 2026.
Rally Saudi Arabia’s cancellation, following the Middle East conflict, turned Sardinia into the season’s deciding round. Evans had lost the title decider in Saudi Arabia the previous year to Sebastien Ogier. Kalle Rovanpera had also remained in contention during that event, which was marked by punctures on its aggressive gravel roads.
Sardinia’s sandier stages produced a less chaotic contest. However, Evans and Pajari opened the road, giving Solberg an opportunity to take risks on a slightly cleaner surface. The Swede made the most of that advantage on Friday and retained a favorable road position on Saturday.
By Saturday morning, Solberg had moved into the rally lead and become Evans’ closest title rival. Only four points separated the two drivers at the start of the afternoon loop. A stage incident then put Neuville out for the day, while Evans and Pajari gained points behind Solberg.
Sunday attack set up a tense Power Stage
Solberg ended the second full day almost a minute ahead of the field. Ogier followed in second, with Pajari third and Evans fifth, separated from him by Adrien Fourmaux.
The WRC points format added uncertainty to the final day. Drivers could score through their overall rally result, Sunday standings and the concluding Power Stage. Although Evans held a virtual six-point advantage over Solberg before Sunday, the Swede still had opportunities to close the gap.
Solberg attacked from the opening Sunday stage and led the day’s standings. A puncture for Evans further tightened the contest. By the time the drivers reached the Power Stage, Evans’ virtual lead had fallen to just one point.
Solberg appeared on course to beat Evans and take second in the Power Stage, a result that would have secured the title. But two corners from the finish, he ran wide, clipped a bank and lost control of the rear. He went off the road and lost enough time to give Evans the championship, while still retaining his rally victory.
A milestone for Welsh and British rallying
Evans’ championship is the first for a Welsh driver in WRC history. It is also the first title for a Welsh driver or co-driver since Phil Mills won alongside Petter Solberg in 2003.
The result also ended a long wait for a British drivers’ champion after Burns’ 2001 victory. Scott Martin became the first English man to win the co-drivers’ title.
Rally Italia Sardegna was the final running of the Italian round on the island, just south of Corsica. Rally di Roma Capitale is set to take over in 2027 after several years in the European championship.
