Sebastien Ogier Highlights Tight Toyota Fight in Canary 2026

WRC, Sportrik Media - Sebastien Ogier and Toyota Gazoo Racing believe Rally Islas Canarias 2026 will deliver a balanced and competitive contest, with an internal team battle likely to define the outcome.

Ogier pointed to the nature of the Canary Islands asphalt stages—clean, smooth, and relatively flat—as a key factor in ensuring consistency for drivers. Under such conditions, outright car performance and precision driving become decisive, while external variables such as weather, particularly rain, remain the primary unpredictable element that could disrupt the rally.

“It’s a clean, tidy asphalt rally that is always enjoyable to drive, so I’m happy we are here. The car feels good, the test went well, and since the morning shakedown the feeling has been quite positive. I’m looking forward to the rally,” said Ogier.

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Toyota’s strength was evident from the outset, with its five cars occupying the top five positions in the shakedown classification. This has set the stage for what is expected to be a tightly contested intra-team fight, with minimal performance differences between drivers.

“At least based on the early running, the gaps within the team are very small, so it should be a close fight. But you can never be sure—the rally is long, and about half of the stages are new, which are usually more challenging,” he added.

The presence of new stages has also introduced additional complexity, particularly in the preparation of pace notes. Elfyn Evans highlighted that heavy local traffic during recce created difficulties in accurately documenting stage conditions, potentially impacting performance during the rally.

“Traffic was quite heavy. It’s not too bad if you have notes from last year, but when you need to write new notes in those conditions, it’s not ideal,” Evans explained.

Despite the inclusion of new stages, Evans suggested that the overall character of the rally remains broadly similar to previous editions. He also indicated that starting position is unlikely to play a decisive role, given the limited evolution of road conditions over the course of the event.

“In some places, starting further back might even be slightly better, but road evolution is quite slow, so I don’t think start order will have a major impact,” he added.

Meanwhile, Oliver Solberg continued his strong form following an impressive performance in Croatia, where he was fastest on Super Sunday and secured maximum Power Stage points. He also topped Thursday’s shakedown, reinforcing his competitive momentum heading into the event.

“I’m just trying to keep the same feeling as in Croatia and build everything step by step through the rally,” Solberg said.

The Swedish driver admitted that pure asphalt rallies such as the Canary Islands are not his preferred terrain, as he typically favors gravel conditions and a more aggressive driving style. However, he acknowledged that his controlled and smooth approach can still be effective on high-grip surfaces.

“I prefer gravel, but my driving style is quite smooth and controlled, so it can work well on rallies like this,” he noted.

Solberg also cautioned that despite Toyota’s early dominance, the outcome remains open due to the unpredictable nature of rallying. He specifically referenced the potential for Hyundai Motorsport to find performance gains during the event.

“Hyundai are always a bit of a mystery—if they find something overnight, the situation can change. They are clearly working hard,” he concluded.

With Toyota setting the early benchmark and multiple variables still in play, Rally Islas Canarias 2026 is expected to be shaped by consistency, adaptation to new stages, and each team’s ability to respond to evolving conditions throughout the weekend.