Oliver Solberg claimed his first stage victory of WRC Finland 2026 by setting the fastest time on SS8 Sydänmaa 2, while Sebastien Ogier strengthened his advantage at the top of the overall classification.
Sydänmaa again delivered difficult conditions following the torrential rain on the previous stage. Drivers who had escaped the worst of the earlier downpour were now forced to negotiate deep ruts filled with standing water, making grip and visibility decisive factors throughout the test.
Elfyn Evans was the first of the leading contenders onto the stage after climbing to third overall on SS7. Despite producing a competitive benchmark, Evans felt the conditions had reached a point where greater consideration was required from a safety perspective.
“When the conditions are like this, someone needs to use a bit of common sense. We don’t want to stop the rally because of the rain, but when you can’t see where you’re going, there has to be a bit more common sense,” Evans said.
Ogier then significantly improved the benchmark despite having a moment when one of his rear wheels dropped into a ditch. The Frenchman still finished 16 seconds faster than Evans and used the result to extend his advantage in the overall standings.
Solberg, running behind Ogier, went faster again. Although he ran wide at the final junction, he still beat his Toyota team-mate by 3.9 seconds to secure his first stage win of the rally. “I didn’t take any stupid risks. I’m too far behind at the moment, so it would have been foolish to take unnecessary risks and end up off the road. I just tried to keep it clean,” Solberg said.
The conditions also reshaped the fight at the front. Sami Pajari lost more than 13 seconds to Evans and slipped to third overall, while Ogier established a firmer margin over Evans at the top. Two special stages remain on Friday before WRC Finland 2026 continues through Saturday and concludes on Sunday.
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | Sebastien OgierToyota | 56:13.3 Prancis | 0 |
2 |  | Elfyn EvansToyota | +26.1 Britania Raya | 0 |
3 |  | Sami PajariToyota | +33.5 Finlandia | 0 |
4 |  | Oliver SolbergToyota | +54.8 Swedia | 0 |
5 |  | Martins SesksFord | +1:14.5 Latvia | 0 |
6 |  | Adrien FourmauxHyundai | +1:39.5 Prancis | 0 |
7 |  | Josh McErleanFord | +2:35.4 Irlandia | 0 |
8 |  | Takamoto KatsutaToyota | +2:39.3 Jepang | 0 |
9 |  | Thierry NeuvilleHyundai | +3:08.0 Belgia | 0 |
10 |  | Robert VirvesSkoda | +3:08.2 Estonia | 0 |
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