Evans went head-to-head with his team-mates Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg in the deciding rally with all three vying to be crowned world champion for the first time.
Playing host to the season finale for the first time, the sandy and rough gravel roads of the Italian island proved as demanding as usual. Following a hot and dry summer, the loose and sandy surface would produce a significant road cleaning effect for the three contenders to deal with during the first full day on Friday.
While Evans entered the final round with a lead of 17 points over Pajari and 21 over Solberg, he also faced the toughest task opening the road and finished Friday in sixth overall. While Pajari was just one position ahead in fifth, Solberg took advantage of his more advantageous position to end Friday in third and within striking distance of the rally lead, which he then seized on Saturday morning.
With Solberg comfortably leading the rally into the final day and Evans in fifth overall, and the virtual gap between them reduced to six points, the battle would be decided by the 10 bonus points available across the Super Sunday and Power Stage classifications.
Continuing to show impressive pace, Solberg established an early lead in the Sunday standings with a strong stage win in the opening Osilo – Tergu test, but the subsequent Sassari – Argentiera beach – noted for its sandy downhill finish – would provide a different dynamic with conditions deteriorating for later runners.
A major twist followed in the second pass of Osilo – Tergu when Evans stopped to change a punctured tyre, conceding close to two minutes. While he held on to fifth overall, he dropped out of contention for Sunday points and headed into the rally-ending Power Stage with a virtual lead of just one point over Solberg.
The final stage of the season therefore effectively became a straight shootout between the two in the knowledge that whoever set the quicker time would be world champion. Knowing the time of Evans that he had to beat, Solberg was faster on the split times during a committed run but ran off the road in the final stretch. While Solberg managed to get back on the road and still secure the rally victory, he finished the stage 8.9s down on Evans.
Evans and Martin’s first world title represents a hard-earned reward after seven seasons consistently fighting at the front of the field with TGR-WRT, during which they finished as championship runners-up in five of the previous six years. Their 2026 campaign has been built on typically strong consistency, as well as two impressive victories in Sweden and Japan and calculated pace when required to score well on Sundays even when opening the road through a string of consecutive gravel rallies.
Evans is the first Welsh driver to ever win the title, and follows in the footsteps of Scotland’s Colin McRae and England’s Richard Burns as a World Rally Champion from the United Kingdom. Martin is the first English co-driver to win the title, joining fellow Britons David Richards, Derek Ringer, Robert Reid and Phil Mills on that honour list.
It is the seventh time in eight years that a TGR-WRT crew has been crowned world champions, and the fifth time in six years that the team has swept all three championships having already secured the manufacturers’ crown at the previous round in Chile.
Solberg finishes just five points behind in the championship along with co-driver Elliott Edmondson in their first full season competing at the highest level. They began the season with an epic victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo, and their speed was never in doubt, winning more stages than anybody else through the season. After a character-building mid-season period, they have bounced back from being 59 points adrift to end the year with back-to-back victories in Chile and Sardinia.
Their win is a record-equalling 12th from 13 rallies this season – and record-extending 48th in total – for the GR YARIS Rally1 car in its fifth and final season of the current homologation cycle before new technical regulations are introduced for 2027.
Pajari finishes third in the championship, six points behind, together with co-driver Marko Salminen after a breakthrough season of their own – just their second full campaign at the top level. Their Sardinia podium is their ninth of the season – more than anybody else – and Pajari matches Solberg in taking three victories.
Sébastien Ogier finished second in the rally to claim a record 121st WRC podium, moving ahead of fellow nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb, on the very same event that he made a record 214th start, surpassing his Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala. Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais finish the year fourth in the standings with six podiums from 11 rallies entered.
Takamoto Katsuta made it five GR YARIS Rally1 drivers in the top six of the rally and the points standings at the end of a breakout year with co-driver Aaron Johnston that included their first wins in Kenya and Croatia, Katsuta becoming the first Japanese driver to lead the championship in the process.
Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka secured their second WRC2 victory of the year by just 0.7s driving their GR Yaris Rally2 car entered by Rautio Motorsport and run by Printsport, a result that allows them to finish second in the championship standings.
Quotes:
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman)
“I'd like to send three messages to Elfyn and Scott, who have finally become world champions: congratulations, thank you, and sorry.
Since joining the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing family in 2020, Elfyn has finished just one place short of the championship five times, including three consecutive seasons from 2023 onward. After so many seasons of coming painfully close, he has finally achieved the title he has worked so hard for. Congratulations, Elfyn. You really deserve it!
Of course, I can’t really say that out loud. Publicly, I have to say that I want all our drivers to win. But if I’m being honest, this year I was cheering for Elfyn. Sorry, Sami and Oliver, but I simply couldn’t let Elfyn and Scott end up second again. Elfyn, congratulations. Truly, truly congratulations!
The “thank you” is for everything Elfyn and Scott have done for the team over the years. Those five second-place championship finishes are proof of how consistently they have delivered points. Thanks to the points they contributed season after season, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has been able to keep winning manufacturers’ titles.
Their contribution goes far beyond points. At the final round of the 2021 season, with the drivers’ championship on the line, Elfyn and Scott went off the road. Afterwards, they shared information with the team about sections where grip was particularly low. Thanks to that information, Seb was able to secure the championship. They are the kind of drivers who always think not only about themselves, but about the team as well. Thank you both, truly! (And I think everyone can now understand why I was cheering for Elfyn.)
The “sorry” is because I couldn’t be there with them during the fight for the championship. Whenever I was there, Elfyn has almost always delivered a strong result: four victories and three second-place finishes. That's why I wanted to be there for the rally where he could become champion. Sorry to the other drivers, but I was planning to go to Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, my schedule didn't allow me to attend Sardinia, so I'm relieved that he was able to clinch the title there.
Oliver and Elliott also fought incredibly hard right to the very end. Let's keep pushing together next year!
This rally marks the end of the GR YARIS Rally1's journey. It is a car that has continued to win championships throughout the five seasons since 2022. This year, it became a car that any one of our five drivers could win with. I would like to sincerely thank everyone in the team for pursuing an ever-better, driver-first car.
I am sure the team is already hard at work preparing the next generation of cars. There will be many new challenges ahead. Things may not go perfectly from the start, and that’s okay. Let’s enjoy taking on a new challenge of making ever-better cars together once again!
To Jari-Matti, Juha, everyone in the team, our partners, and all our fans: thank you very much for your support throughout this season.”
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“This was an incredible finish to what has been a very exciting season. All year we have tried to give all of our drivers an even chance to win and we saw a great fight this weekend. Elfyn and Scott have been working really hard and trying for so many years and now they could finally get the titles that they deserve, so we are really happy for them. Oliver has been so fast and spectacular and gave it everything, and he nearly made it right to the end. It’s an unfortunate finish for him but he and Sami are both young drivers who have had really good seasons, and they can be proud of what they have achieved, as we are of them, and I’m sure they will have more chances to win championships in the future.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“It’s still not really sinking in yet that we’ve managed to get the championship across the line after such a wild final day. We came into it knowing it would be tight and tried what we could today, but there was massive cleaning on the first stage. We managed to pull back some time on the second, but then at the start of the third there were rocks everywhere and we tried to pull our way through, but immediately we punctured. Then we had to lay it all on the line for the Power Stage. It was a messy run so I was pretty sure I hadn’t done enough and Oliver was coming quicker until he had that moment near the end. I feel sorry for him and Elliott because they drove an incredible weekend. But we didn’t only win it there, it was a whole year’s worth of work and I think it’s a championship to be proud of. It’s a bit of a relief after coming close so many times, and I’ve got a lot of people to thank for backing me through the years, especially Scott and the team.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“You could not have scripted a more dramatic finish than what we saw today. In rallying we all know that it’s never over until it’s over. Congratulations to Elfyn and Scott: they have worked so hard over so many years and nobody deserves it more than them. I know that it’s hard for Oliver and Elliott right now after getting so close, but they have impressed all of us with their speed this season and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they are also world champions. Thank you to everyone in the team for this season and the last five years with this car. It’s amazing to work with you and to always be able to count on a fast and reliable car.”
Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99)
“First of all, I want to say congratulations to Elfyn and Scott. They deserve this for sure, they have been very consistent all season. That I even had a shot with my rollercoaster of a season feels incredible. I started to believe more and more through the weekend, and to get so close, it’s tough. In the Power Stage I knew I had to push hard to beat Elfyn, but I wasn’t sure I was doing enough, so I tried pushing even more. Then I made a small mistake at the end, couldn’t save the car and we went off. For my first season with this team I’m still proud of what we could achieve. I’ve given my heart and tried everything until the very end, and hopefully I have a few more chances to try again.”
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“A big thank you to the whole team that we managed to finish this tough rally. It was such a difficult start with punctures on Friday, but at the end we could finish P6 and have some fun in the last rally with this car, which has been so successful with so much effort behind it from the whole team. Our season started well with two wins and even if we couldn’t keep up the fight in the championship, it was great to see such a fight between my team-mates right until the last corners. Big congratulations to Elfyn and Scott, and also to Oliver and Elliott and Sami and Marko; they have all done a fantastic job and I hope to keep fighting with them in future.”
Sami Pajari (Driver car 5)
“This was a really dramatic end to the season, and even if I didn’t have my best rally here, I’m super happy for Elfyn and Scott: they really deserve this. For my second year at this level, I think I can be very happy with our season, and with our nine podiums and three wins. After an extremely difficult start in Monte Carlo, we took stage wins in almost every rally, got closer and closer in the title fight and in the end we were only six points away. We’re still young, so hopefully we have the chance to chase titles again in the future. I gave everything on the last stage with this car: a big thank you to the whole team and everyone supporting us.”
PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, RALLY ITALIA SARDEGNA
1 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 3h24m57.0s
2 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +57.6s
3 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m37.4s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m38.6s
5 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +4m48.1s
6 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +6m02.4s
7 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +7m32.2s
8 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +12m10.4s
9 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +12m11.1s
10 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +13m02.2s ...
(Results as of 16:00 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 13:
1 Elfyn Evans 243 points
2 Oliver Solberg 238
3 Sami Pajari 237
4 Sébastien Ogier 189
5 Adrien Fourmaux 183
6 Takamoto Katsuta 175
7 Thierry Neuville 134
8 Hayden Paddon 38
9 Josh McErlean 35
10 Esapekka Lappi 33 ...
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 13:
1 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 662 points
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 440
3 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2 251
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 168
