Sebastien Ogier Holds Narrow Lead After SS12 Canary

WRC, Sportrik Media - Sebastien Ogier continues to lead the 2026 Canary Rally after SS12, holding a narrow 5.2-second advantage over team-mate Oliver Solberg.

On the opening stage of Saturday afternoon’s loop, Solberg managed to reduce the gap slightly, taking one tenth of a second from Ogier’s lead. The battle between the two Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers remains extremely tight, with time gaps consistently minimal throughout the rally.

“Everyone knows this stage very well. It’s a nice one to drive – you just follow the road. Super simple,” Ogier said, reflecting confidence despite the pressure from Solberg.

Baca JugaSebastien Ogier Masih Pimpin SS12 Canary 2026

Solberg admitted he lost time due to a small mistake at a hairpin corner, as well as possible tyre overheating affecting performance in the latter part of the stage.

“I made a mistake at the hairpin and probably lost around half a second. It’s possible the tyres overheated as well,” Solberg explained.

Meanwhile, Elfyn Evans was the fastest driver on the Maspalomas stage, beating Solberg by 0.6 seconds. However, Evans remains 17.5 seconds behind Ogier overall, leaving him focused on consolidating a podium position rather than challenging for the lead.

“It felt like I couldn’t maintain the pace everywhere, but overall it was quite good. The pacenotes worked well and we’ve driven these stages enough,” Evans said.

In fourth place, Sami Pajari has effectively dropped out of podium contention, trailing Evans by nearly 30 seconds. Behind him, Takamoto Katsuta sits fifth, just 6.1 seconds adrift, maintaining pressure within the Toyota line-up.

For Hyundai, Adrien Fourmaux is the leading driver in sixth position, approximately one and a half minutes behind the rally leader. He is followed by Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville, as Hyundai continues to struggle to match Toyota’s pace.

In WRC2, Yohan Rossel is on course for a second consecutive class victory, leading by 24.5 seconds over Alejandro Cachon, with Leo Rossel in third place.

With two more stages remaining on Saturday and changing conditions still a factor, the duel between Ogier and Solberg is set to remain the defining battle in the fight for victory at the 2026 Canary Rally.

Canary Rally 2026 standings after SS12:

Pos	Driver	Car	Time
1	Sebastien Ogier	Toyota	1:33:18.6
2	Oliver Solberg	Toyota	+5.2
3	Elfyn Evans	Toyota	+17.5
4	Sami Pajari	Toyota	+44.6
5	Takamoto Katsuta	Toyota	+50.7
6	Adrien Fourmaux	Hyundai	+1:29.9
7	Dani Sordo	Hyundai	+1:54.7
8	Thierry Neuville	Hyundai	+1:59.6
9	Josh McErlean	Ford	+3:06.4
10	Jon Armstrong	Ford	+3:24.2
11	Yohan Rossel	Lancia	+3:50.9

The rally will continue with two more stages on Saturday before the decisive final day on Sunday.