Kankkunen Warns Solberg Ahead of Portugal Rally

Juha Kankkunen has delivered a clear warning to Oliver Solberg ahead of Rally Portugal 2026, urging the young Toyota Gazoo Racing driver to prioritise consistency and avoid costly mistakes.

Solberg started the 2026 WRC season in spectacular fashion by winning the Monte Carlo Rally, but his campaign has since become increasingly inconsistent. The Swedish driver missed the podium on home snow in Sweden before suffering three consecutive retirements in Kenya, Croatia, and the Canary Islands.

Despite the setbacks, Solberg’s outright speed has remained highly impressive throughout the opening phase of the season. He currently leads the championship in total stage wins after five rallies, underlining the natural pace that continues to establish him as one of Toyota’s key long-term prospects.

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“He just needs to stay on the road. Oliver is very fast, there is no doubt about that,” Kankkunen explained.

From a technical perspective, Solberg’s retirements in Croatia and the Canary Islands were both caused by driving mistakes while running in competitive positions. The incidents highlighted that risk management and rally consistency remain the biggest development areas in his ongoing adaptation to Rally1 machinery.

Kankkunen believes that if Solberg can reduce small errors and maintain stable rhythm throughout an event, his raw pace is already strong enough to consistently fight for victories. Rally Portugal is viewed as a particularly important opportunity because the gravel conditions are considered well suited to Solberg’s aggressive driving style.

“Now he just needs to stay on the road and everything will surely go well,” Kankkunen added.

Toyota arrives in Portugal full of confidence after dominating the opening phase of the 2026 season by winning every rally so far. The Japanese manufacturer also holds a commanding lead over Hyundai Motorsport in the manufacturers’ championship standings.

Rally Portugal represents the first traditional European gravel rally of the season following a calendar previously dominated by asphalt events and the unique conditions of Safari Rally Kenya. According to Kankkunen, Toyota’s drivers were satisfied with both testing and shakedown preparations ahead of the event.

“All the drivers are happy and there have been no complaints, so everything should be okay,” Kankkunen said.

Although Toyota has dominated the asphalt phase of the season, Kankkunen expects competition in Portugal to become considerably tighter. Hyundai is predicted to return much closer to the front after showing encouraging pace during shakedown running.

From a technical standpoint, Portugal is expected to place greater emphasis on suspension setup, tyre management, and rhythm consistency compared to the earlier asphalt rallies. Loose gravel surfaces and possible rain throughout the weekend could also reduce the performance gap between manufacturers.

With Solberg still searching for greater consistency and Toyota attempting to maintain its dominant start to the season, Rally Portugal is now shaping up as one of the most important events so far in both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ WRC title battles.