They say you learn more from defeat than victory, but from either side of the coin Elfyn Evans and Oliver Solberg have lessons to glean from their Rally Italy Sardinia showdown last week. That insight comes straight from Toyota technical director Tom Fowler, who spoke on an exclusive podcast to Club DirtFish members less than 24 hours after the World Rally Championship title was decided.
Tom Fowler discussed the differing strategies set out for eventual champion Elfyn Evans and the pursuing Oliver Solberg, as well as sharing intriguing insights regarding the vital lessons both drivers can take away from the demanding gravel stages in Sardinia.
"Well, I think looking back on this final event, it’s very difficult to say what Elfyn could have done differently because his road position was such a big challenge," Tom Fowler explained. He noted that Elfyn Evans would probably not deny that he should have taken Sardinia a bit more by the scruff of the neck from the start and risked a little bit more to secure a better road position for Saturday.
Reflecting on the opposition's approach, Tom Fowler believes that had Oliver Solberg stayed cleanly on the road, he still would have lost out by not risking more at the very beginning of the event, establishing a clear learning curve for the young contender.
Concluding his assessment, Tom Fowler stated that the Sardinia powerstage served as a complete metaphor for Oliver Solberg's 2026 season: blisteringly fast and highly motivated, yet ultimately hindered by too many costly mistakes that stripped away a potential world championship crown.
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