Solberg Takes Control on the Final Day
Oliver Solberg converted a Saturday-night lead into a commanding Rally Chile BIOBÍO victory on Sunday, crossing the finish line 16.6 seconds clear of nine-time world champion Sébastien Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux completed the podium for Hyundai, finishing 33.3 seconds from the lead. It was Solberg's second WRC victory of 2026 and confirmed the Norwegian-Swedish Toyota driver as a genuine championship contender with two rounds remaining in the season.
The performance was measured and error-free throughout a rally that punished those who pushed too hard on the gravel roads around Concepción. A comfortable overnight advantage allowed Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson to manage their pace through Sunday's short final loop without taking unnecessary risks. The 22-year-old executed exactly what his team required.
Evans Puncture Reshuffles the Championship
The defining moment of the weekend came not at the front but in the midfield. Championship leader Elfyn Evans, who had entered Chile with a 20-point advantage over Finland's Sami Pajari, suffered a puncture on the penultimate special stage and lost more than two minutes at the roadside changing the wheel. From a comfortable second place in the overall classification, he fell to fifth in the rally, handing points to both rivals at precisely the wrong moment.
Evans leaves Chile still leading the drivers' standings on 230 points, but the margin has shrunk sharply. Pajari is now second on 213 points — just 17 behind — while Solberg sits third on 209, a 21-point gap. With two rounds to go and a maximum of 70 points still available, the 2026 WRC drivers' title has become a genuine three-way fight. Ogier (171 pts) and Fourmaux (167 pts) remain mathematical possibilities should the leading trio falter, but would need an extraordinary run of results.
Toyota Equals Lancia's All-Time Record
Alongside Solberg's personal triumph, Sunday delivered a moment of historical significance for Toyota GAZOO Racing. The Japanese manufacturer clinched the 2026 WRC constructors' championship — their sixth consecutive manufacturers' title and their 10th in total. The milestone equals Lancia's all-time WRC record: the Italian marque won six successive titles between 1987 and 1992 and accumulated 10 constructors' crowns across their dominant decades in rallying.
The achievement reflects a decade of sustained investment by Toyota Motorsport GmbH, based in Cologne, under team principal Jari-Matti Latvala. For Hyundai Motorsport, Fourmaux's podium provided some consolation but the manufacturers' title has now slipped away for the fourth successive season.
Title Showdown Heads to the Final Round
With the mathematical picture this tight, the 2026 WRC drivers' championship will almost certainly be decided at the season finale. Evans can still clinch the title before the final round but would need consistent points scoring while both Pajari and Solberg struggle — a scenario that looked plausible before Chile but is considerably less certain now.
Pajari, who recorded three consecutive victories before this event, will want to reassert himself quickly, while Solberg arrives at the next round with renewed momentum. Evans must now deliver a clean, disciplined performance and trust that reliability — which deserted him at the worst possible moment in Chile — holds for the season's closing stages. Toyota, for their part, will celebrate the manufacturers' title and go in search of a record-breaking 11th in 2027.