Elfyn Evans stopped on stage 16 of Rally Italy Sardinia to change a front-right wheel after suffering a puncture, handing Oliver Solberg a chance to snatch the 2026 World Rally Championship title on the final Power Stage. The puncture came in the penultimate stage, erasing Evans’ lead and reducing the gap to just one point going into the last 7.1km run.
Evans, who began Sunday with a six-point lead over Solberg, saw that advantage shrink to three as Solberg set the pace through the morning’s stages. While Evans sat fourth on Super Sunday, earning two bonus points, the puncture wiped out any chance of scoring further points there. Solberg topped the Super Sunday rankings, securing five bonus points and closing the championship margin to a single point in Evans’ favour.
“We could see it coming a long way back, it was a very fast corner with a lot of stones,” Evans said. “I eased the speed right off and went as clean as I could through it… yeah. Can always count on these [tyres]. We’ll try [on the Power Stage].” This marks the second consecutive rally where Evans has been slowed by a puncture in the penultimate stage after a similar incident in Chile.
Solberg, driving for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, has won two rallies so far this season and is on course for his third victory. He is set to take the title if he matches or beats Evans on points by the end of the rally, as the countback system would favour him in a tie.
Asked about the scenario where he only needs to beat Evans on the final stage to become world champion, Solberg replied sarcastically, “Wow so easy.” He added, “We’ll do our very best to the end. On the first pass we had a clear disadvantage starting in the back, hopefully it’s not the same in the Power Stage. Maybe I wish it was a more normal stage, but anyway I will fight. All in.”
The Power Stage, Sassari – Argentiera, will decide the title with both drivers separated by a single point. Evans must beat Solberg over the 7.1km test to claim the championship, while Solberg only needs to outpace Evans to secure the crown. The tension is heightened by Evans’ earlier puncture, which has swung momentum towards Solberg in the closing moments of the rally.
The 2026 World Rally Championship title remains undecided as the two championship contenders prepare for the final timed run later this afternoon.
According to Yahoo Sports.
