WRC, Sportrik Media - Sebastien Ogier of Toyota Gazoo Racing holds the overall lead of Rally Islas Canarias 2026 after eight special stages, with an 8.9-second advantage over Oliver Solberg.
The nine-time world champion delivered a consistent opening day, capitalising on clean runs across the asphalt stages despite admitting that not every stage was executed perfectly. Precision and tyre management proved decisive on the technically demanding roads.
Solberg remains within striking distance, although he acknowledged minor errors earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Sami Pajari improved significantly during the afternoon loop to secure third place overall.
Pajari had trailed the leading pair earlier, but a strong performance on the Las Palmas stadium stage allowed him to climb into the podium positions, edging Elfyn Evans by just 0.5 seconds.
Takamoto Katsuta completed a dominant showing for Toyota in fifth, although nearly 30 seconds off the lead. The result underlines Toyota’s technical advantage on this event’s asphalt configuration.
For Hyundai Shell Mobis, Dani Sordo was the leading driver in sixth despite returning to Rally1 machinery after an extended absence. He finished ahead of team-mates Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville.
Outside the leading manufacturers, Josh McErlean of M-Sport Ford held ninth, while Yohan Rossel led the WRC2 category and rounded out the top ten overall.
| Pos | Driver | Team/Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 54:27.5 |
| 2 | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +8.9 |
| 3 | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +15.9 |
| 4 | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +16.4 |
| 5 | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +29.7 |
| 6 | Dani Sordo | Hyundai | +52.0 |
| 7 | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +54.8 |
| 8 | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +1:03.6 |
| 9 | Josh McErlean | Ford | +1:41.1 |
| 10 | Yohan Rossel | Lancia | +1:59.5 |
The rally continues on Saturday with six further special stages, before concluding on Sunday with the Power Stage, which will be decisive for both overall results and additional championship points.
With Toyota establishing early control and time gaps at the front remaining relatively tight, the remaining stages are expected to play a critical role in shaping both the rally outcome and its impact on the 2026 World Rally Championship standings.
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