Oliver Solberg wasted no time making his mark on Rally Italy Sardinia, winning Thursday afternoon's superspecial and laying down an early gauntlet to his title rivals.
The Swede, one of three drivers still in the hunt for the 2026 World Rally Championship, arrived on the Italian island 21 points behind leader Elfyn Evans and four adrift of Sami Pajari. With the title on the line, every second counts.
The Ittiri Arena Show returned for the first time since 2023, pitting drivers head-to-head in heat formats. Championship front-runners Evans and Pajari ran last, with Evans edging Pajari by 0.4s. But it was Solberg who set the pace, 1.1s up on Evans and 0.8s clear of another Toyota driven by Sebastien Ogier.
“The goal is simple: to achieve it is something different,” Solberg admitted. “35 points is what I’m going to do, give it all I have. After a rollercoaster of a season somehow I’m still in the fight which is incredible, so I’m just going to do my best and never give up.”
Pajari added: “That’s just the first stage of this exciting weekend. Of course we’re trying to give absolutely everything we’ve got. From tomorrow onwards it’s going to be one crazy ride.” Evans said: “I’m feeling alright at the moment. I would say I’m looking forward to the day but I think it’s going to be a tough one tomorrow, but we’ll try to do a good job. We’re definitely not in a position to just cruise around here so still a big job ahead.”
For Evans, this marks the third time he has led the points into the WRC finale. The question remains: can he finally seal the deal in 2026? Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville was the first Hyundai in fifth, eager to add another victory at an event where both he and the team hold the most wins in their respective WRC histories. His teammate Dani Sordo was sixth fastest on SS1, 2.4s off the pace, but finds himself 22.4s down after two separate time penalties. The first was for checking out of service one minute late after damaging his car on shakedown; the second for a jump-start on SS1.
Takamoto Katsuta therefore sits sixth, 0.3s ahead of Adrien Fourmaux, with Jon Armstrong leading M-Sport's challenge by 0.5s over Josh McErlean. Martins Sesks completed the test 12th, behind the two leading WRC2 crews Teemu Suninen and Emil Lindholm.
With the championship battle so finely poised, Sardinia promises a thrilling weekend. Solberg has drawn first blood, but Evans and Pajari are far from out of it. The real fight begins tomorrow.
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