Solberg ready to put it all on the line in WRC title showdown

He won the season opening Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo last January, and last weekend he bookended his 2026 FIA World Rally Championship season with a win at the Rally Chile. It’s been a sensational first-year full-time WRC season for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT ace Oliver Solberg.

Third overall in points and a two-time winner in 2026, the 25-year-old Swede is now in contention for the title, a mere 21 points adrift of championship leader Elfyn Evans heading into the final round of the year: Rallye Italia Sardegna.

“The story is so cool right now,” said Solberg. “Our last race is next week. We’re in the title fight, so it has been a roller coaster of a year. Ups and downs, but it’s incredible now at the end of the year to be in the fight for the championship for the world title. It’s incredible, and it’s the first season!”

Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson come off a fantastic performance at the Rally Chile where they took the measure of nine-time and reigning WRC champion Sebastien Ogier by 16.6s. 

“It’s been a long time coming for that one,” said Solberg. “Many of the rallies were up and down. I feel with the timing of that Rally Chile, finally everything just came together with the car and the weather, and I could just focus 100 percent on my driving and do my thing, and that was the amazing part. Then I could win the rally. It was an incredible feeling to be back here and to be back winning.”

Solberg is enthused to be a two-time winner thus far in the 2026 WRC season.

"I think it’s pretty cool," he said. "I mean most of us guys have around two or three wins on the year. To be my first year, I’m really proud, you know? I have a lot of podiums and a couple of wins. I feel like we probably could have a couple more wis, but you know that’s just how life goes. I’m very proud. Very proud for it to be the first year and winning rallies and fighting for the title now at the end, it’s been an incredible journey.”

While the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship has been a fantastic first year campaign for Solberg and Edmondson, there have certainly been challenges and rough patches along the way for the Toyota duo. 

“Some rallies turned out a little more difficult than I expected," he said. "I was putting a little pressure on myself to win early on and to have good results early on in the season. There were some rallies where I was lacking experience, and maybe missing some patience. But I think those lessons were learned, and we turned it around for the second half of the season and have a very strong end now to put ourselves back in the title fight.

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"As I said, it has been a rollercoaster and a lot of learning, but it also has been great. I’m really proud. I’m a winning guy. I love to always do the best I can. For sure you get disappointed along the way in certain areas, but you just have to be proud and look forward.

“I think when it is your first year and you’re already winning, that puts a lot of anticipation and a lot of pressure on you and I think maybe I put a little too much pressure on myself early on in certain rallies. I am missing that key experience at certain rallies, and that’s maybe where I should have had a bit more patience. I need to take a small step back and build a few things. Maybe I would have got a few more good results on that side of it. That’s easy to say now.”

Powering through his first full-time season at the elite level of the FIA World Rally Championship, Solberg realizes he is now up against the best drivers in the world. 

“It’s for sure a completely different level at the top level here and it’s not as easy to win rallies,” he said. “The consistency side of it and taking those podiums and having patience becomes key, you know? When you get those wins, you’ve got to take them. In other areas, you’ve just got to take the podiums and have patience. I think that’s definitely been the big learning curve for the year."

Solberg has recently gone on record in the global motor racing media in explaining just how important the little details are in the FIA World Rally Championship.

“The details matter,” said Solberg. “I mean, in rally there are so many details with the weather and the car. Like in Finland this year, we’re fighting for the win and I got all of the rain compared to the guys ahead of me. And I lost one minute. We lost out on that win because of that. The details do matter. There are a lot of parameters. A lot of things need to go right with the information and weather and the car and myself and with all the work you put in. It’s definitely not just jump in the car and drive.”

With his triumph at Rally Chile, Solberg had a heavy hand in helping Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT nail down its sixth consecutive manufacturers’  title and 10th in total. 

“It’s been incredible with Toyota,” said Solberg. “I mean we’re world champions now as a team. I was one of the drivers scoring the main points for the team. To be my first year and they put that trust in me to deliver them the points and we managed to be world champions as a team together, it’s been incredible. That is something that I’m very proud of. It is my first in the team and they put so much trust in you, it has been an incredible journey. It’s an unbelievable team. We’re a big team, but we’re a very nice team together to work hard and to always be better.”

Now, the focus is on making it all come together in Sardinia.

“There is a lot on the line for me, but at least I’m one of the guys leading,” said Solberg. “I am basically secured a top three anyway, so for me the goal is just to try to do the best that you can and get maximum points and just hope that is enough. We just have to wait and see what happens to the other guys.

"I’ve just got to go out there and do my job and try to take maximum points and then everything is possible. I need to go flat out from the beginning on Friday if I want to give myself the best chance. We need to win the rally and take maximum points, and then we just have to see what everyone does. Everything is open to try and win the title. We’re just going to give it or all. It’s very different for the guy leading now. He has everything to lose, so for sure there is a lot of pressure on him. I just have to go there and have fun and do the best I can and as you said, hopefully the stars line up.”