Sami Pajari Wins WRC Finland 2026 for Second Consecutive Victory

Sami Pajari has won WRC Finland 2026 after taking a controlled approach through the final day, securing his second consecutive victory in the World Rally Championship's top class following his breakthrough success at Rally Estonia.

Pajari avoided unnecessary risks on the Himos-Jämsä 2 Power Stage and set the fifth-fastest time, 9.7 seconds behind Elfyn Evans. That was enough to seal victory by 26.7 seconds over Oliver Solberg, with Evans completing a Toyota one-two-three finish in third.

“Winning Rally Estonia was obviously very special as well, but winning here in Finland is even more special. Rally Finland has never been an easy event for Finnish drivers to win,” Pajari said after sealing the result. The success also marked Finland's 200th WRC event victory.

Read AlsoSami Pajari Becomes Youngest-Ever WRC Finland Winner in 2026

The home victory further strengthened Pajari's championship position. He reduced Evans' advantage by three points and now sits 30 points behind the championship leader, giving his second successive win a direct impact on the title battle.

Elfyn Evans ended the rally strongly by setting the fastest time on the Power Stage. His podium represented an important recovery after rolling his car on Saturday, while his Sunday points helped protect his advantage at the top of the drivers' standings.

Solberg held on to second despite suffering back pain on the previous special stage. He completed the Power Stage and matched Evans' time, although Evans was ultimately awarded the stage victory by just one thousandth of a second. Solberg finished 26.7 seconds behind Pajari overall.

There was further drama behind the podium. Adrien Fourmaux secured fourth for Hyundai, while Thierry Neuville moved ahead of Takamoto Katsuta to claim fifth. Katsuta damaged his Toyota after an incident on the final stage but was still able to reach the finish in sixth place.

In Rally2, Jari-Matti Latvala was the fastest driver outright, finishing 21.4 seconds ahead of Robert Virves. However, because Latvala was not registered to score WRC2 points in Finland, the official WRC2 victory went to Virves for his fourth consecutive win. The World Rally Championship continues with Rally Paraguay at the end of August.