Solberg heads WRC points-leader Evans after wet-dry Rally Chile opener

Oliver Solberg delivered a measured display through wildly changing conditions to lead Rally Chile by 10.1s over Toyota teammate and FIA World Rally Championship points leader Elfyn Evans at the end of Friday’s opening leg.

Making his first start on the Chilean event in an overall victory-contending Rally1 car, Solberg (above) adapted quickest as roads around the rally’s Concepcion base swung from rain-soaked mud in the morning to increasingly dry and abrasive gravel during the afternoon.

The factory Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 driver won two of Friday’s six stages and, after briefly surrendering the lead to Evans on the morning’s second test, moved back ahead on the next stage, 10.37-mile Hualqui 1, before steadily stretching his advantage across the second loop.

“I went back to the setup I had earlier in the car,” Solberg explained after setting fastest time on the day’s final stage. “At the beginning of the stage I was too careful; I was trying to stay clean. I think it was an important afternoon to stay clean. I’m happy.”

It was a strong opening day on territory already associated with some of Solberg’s biggest career moments. He won the second-tier WRC2 class in Chile in both 2023 and 2025, sealing last year’s title here, before his full-time switch to the headlining Rally1 class with Toyota Gazoo racing.

Friday’s leg began in conditions very different from those that the crews had anticipated 24 hours earlier. Overnight rain left the opening 14.25-mile Turquia 1 test sodden and slippery, but crucially reduced the road-cleaning disadvantage expected for championship leader Evans, who was first on the road in his GR Yaris.

Solberg won that opener by 1.4s, only for Evans to respond immediately on the 6.69-mile Nuevo Rere 1 test and edge 0.4s ahead overall. But Solberg reclaimed the lead on the next stage and reached midday service with 2.3s in hand.

As the roads dried after service, the complexion of the rally shifted again, with various factory Toyota drivers claiming the spoils. Sami Pajari won the second pass of Turquia, Sebastien Ogier topped Nuevo Rere 2, and Solberg struck back on the final Hualqui run, meaning five different drivers claimed stage victories across Friday’s six tests. The fifth? Thierry Neuville, giving Hyundai a booster with fastest time on Hualqui 1.

Despite opening the road throughout the leg – a distinct disadvantage through the drier afternoon loop – Evans nevertheless emerged from the day in a strong second place. The Welshman had fervently hoped for rain after Thursday’s shakedown and admitted the overnight change had “helped massively” during the morning. As the surface dried, conditions became less favorable, but he limited the damage and heads into Saturday’s second leg 10.1s from the lead.

“It sounds good,” Evans said of his overnight position. “The afternoon was more tough, or as tough as we expected. It was not delivering us as much as we would like. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.”

Starting first on the road, Toyota’s WRC points leader Elfyn Evans hoped for rain to grip up the surface. He got it in the morning, then endured a drier afternoon loop to hold second overnight. Red Bull Content Pool

Evans’ current position carries added significance in the WRC drivers’ championship. He arrived in Chile 20 just points clear of Pajari, with Solberg another 21 points further back in an all-Toyota top three.

Pajari endured a difficult start, dropping 17.8s on the opening stage as he struggled for confidence in the inconsistent grip, but his afternoon was transformed. The winner of the previous three WRC rounds took fastest time on Turquia 2 and pushed hard on the final two tests to finish fifth, only 21.7s from leader Solberg.

Ahead of Pajari, Adrien Fourmaux holds third for Hyundai after overcoming a throttle issue in his i20 N Rally1 during the morning. His margin is anything but comfortable: reigning WRC champ and defending Chile winner Ogier sits just 1.7s behind in fourth, with Pajari another 2.0s back.

Fourmaux ended Friday 18.0s from the lead and produced one of the day’s more enthusiastic assessments after narrowly missing the final-stage win.

“To drive this car in those stages is one of the best things in the world,” he said. “It is so nice to drive. I had a very good stage considering [the condition of] my tires. I gave everything.”

Adrien Fourmaux didn’t manage a Friday stage win in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, but holds the final podium place after a consistent – and enjoyable – opening leg. Red Bull Content Pool

Neuville’s Hyundai completes the leading six, 27.4s down after struggling for confidence – that fastest time on Hualqui 1 aside – and later revealing a small damper leak on his i20 N Rally1.

Behind them, Josh McErlean edged the intra-team M-Sport Ford battle to end the day seventh overall, 2.4s ahead of teammate Jon Armstrong’s similar Puma Rally1, while Hyundai part-timer Esapekka Lappi endured a difficult and confused return to WRC competition in ninth.

Takamoto Katsuta was Friday’s major casualty in the fifth of Toyota’s GR Yaris Rally1 factory fleet. The Japanese driver, who’d topped Thursday’s shakedown, slid off four miles into the opening stage and became beached with no spectators nearby to assist. He and stand-in co-driver James Fulton were unhurt.

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Nikolay Gryazin leads the class in his Lancia Ypsilon HF and sits 10th outright. He’s sitting 8.5s ahead of championship leader Robert Virves’ Skoda Fabia RS as Lancia, which returned to top-level rallying in 2026, seeks the first loose-surface win of its WRC comeback campaign.

Nikolay Gryazin made a strong start to lead WRC2 as FIA World Rally Championship returnee Lancia targets a first win on gravel for its Ypsilon HF. Red Bull Content Pool

Saturday brings the longest leg of the rally, with two passes each of the all-gravel Pelun, Lota and 17.6-mile Maria las Cruces stages adding up to 86.5 competitive miles.

WRC Rally Chile, positions after Friday/Leg One, SS6
1 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 52m42.1s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +10.1s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +18.0s
4 Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +19.7s
5 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +21.7s
6 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +27.4s
7 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m54.5s
8 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m56.9s
9 Esapekka Lappi/Enni Malkonen (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m06.0s
10 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Lancia Ypsilon HF – WRC2 leader) +3m08.7s

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