WRC title decider in Sardinia: Evans, Pajari and Solberg chase a first world crown
Three Toyota drivers go into this week's Rally Italia Sardegna finale with the WRC drivers' title still undecided. Here's what each needs.
While F1 is at Sepang this weekend, the World Rally Championship is deciding its title on the gravel roads of Sardinia. Rally Italia Sardegna (1–4 October) has become the 2026 season finale after Rally Saudi Arabia was removed from the calendar. Three Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers can still win the drivers' title, and none of them has been world champion before.
The standings
Going into the final round, the official WRC standings read:
- Elfyn Evans (Wales) – 230 points
- Sami Pajari (Finland) – 213 points
- Oliver Solberg (Sweden) – 209 points
Toyota has already won the manufacturers' title, its sixth in a row. That gives the Japanese brand ten world manufacturers' titles, level with Lancia's record.
What each driver needs
Each rally is worth up to 35 points: 25 for the win, plus up to 5 for the Super Sunday classification and up to 5 on the Wolf Power Stage. The WRC's own title scenarios work out like this:
- Evans is champion if he scores 19 points or more, whatever his rivals do.
- Pajari has to outscore Evans by at least 18 points. A perfect 35-point weekend would take him to 248.
- Solberg needs 22 more points than Evans and five more than Pajari. A maximum score would take him to 244.
If two drivers finish level, the tie is split by the number of wins, then second places, and so on. That helps Pajari, who has three wins this season. Evans and Solberg have two each.
Solberg's surge
Solberg won the last round, Rally Chile, and according to WRC.com he has outscored both rivals since Rally Greece: 106 points to Pajari's 97 and Evans's 68.
"The championship has looked like a long shot for us at times this year but we never gave up," Solberg, 25, said this week. "It was great to get back into the fight with our result in Chile."
The route
The rally is based on the Alghero seafront, with 17 special stages covering 309.36 competitive kilometres, all on gravel, according to the organisers.
- Thursday 1 October: a short opening stage at the Ittiri Arena.
- Friday 2 October: 120.90km over Tula-Erula, Su Filigosu-Lerno and Monti di Alà-Lerno, each run twice.
- Saturday 3 October: 124.76km, including the new Solorché stage near Pattada.
- Sunday 4 October: 61.62km, with Osilo-Tergu and the Sassari-Argentiera Power Stage each run twice. The podium ceremony is at 17:00 local time (11pm in Malaysia).
Multiple world champion Sébastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta complete Toyota's line-up of Rally1 entries in Sardinia. Neither is in the title fight, but either could take points from the contenders by finishing ahead of them.
Key takeaways
- Rally Italia Sardegna (1–4 October) is the 2026 WRC finale after Rally Saudi Arabia was dropped.
- Evans leads Pajari by 17 points and Solberg by 21. A 19-point weekend guarantees Evans the title.
- Pajari holds the tie-break with three wins.
- The rally has 17 gravel stages over 309.36km, based in Alghero.
FAQ
How many points are available in Sardinia? Up to 35: 25 for the win, plus up to 5 each from Super Sunday and the Power Stage.
Has any of the three contenders won the WRC title before? No. Evans, Pajari and Solberg are all chasing their first drivers' championship.
What time does the rally finish in Malaysia? The podium ceremony is at 17:00 Italian time on Sunday 4 October, which is 11pm in Malaysia.
Sources: WRC.com, Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, Rally Italia Sardegna