Welshman Elfyn Evans has won the World Rally Championship, becoming the first British winner since 2001, after his Toyota teammate Oliver Solberg crashed out two corners from glory in the season finale in Sardinia.
Key facts
- Elfyn Evans won the 2026 World Rally Championship title with Toyota.
- He is the first British winner of the championship since 2001.
- The title was decided in the season finale in Sardinia on Sunday.
- Teammate Oliver Solberg crashed out two corners from the finish while on course to take the crown.
- Evans had been championship runner-up five times in the last six years.
Elfyn Evans has ended a quarter-of-a-century wait for a British World Rally Championship winner, clinching the title with Toyota after a dramatic season finale in Sardinia on Sunday, according to the Guardian.
The Welshman becomes the first British winner of the championship since 2001, closing out years of near misses after having finished as championship runner-up five times in the last six years.
The title came down to a final Powerstage duel between Evans and his Toyota teammate Oliver Solberg. The Swede had been charging and was on course to take the crown for himself before disaster struck.
Solberg’s hopes were shattered when he crashed out two corners from the finish, tumbling down a bank just as the title appeared within his grasp, the Guardian reported.
The incident handed the championship to Evans, who had endured repeated heartache in recent seasons. The dramatic finish secured his first world title and brought Britain’s long drought in the sport to an end.
The result marks a defining moment in Evans’s career after years spent as the nearly man of the championship, with the finale in Sardinia delivering the breakthrough that had long eluded him.
Why it matters
Evans's victory ends a 25-year wait for a British World Rally champion, a significant milestone for the country's motorsport history. His triumph after five runner-up finishes in six years underlines the dramatic and often unpredictable nature of the championship, decided here in its final corners.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the 2026 World Rally Championship?
Elfyn Evans, driving for Toyota, won the World Rally Championship title after the season finale in Sardinia on Sunday.
When was the last British World Rally champion before Evans?
Evans is the first British winner of the championship since 2001, ending a quarter-of-a-century wait.
What happened to Oliver Solberg?
Solberg, Evans's Toyota teammate, was on course to take the title but crashed out two corners from the finish, tumbling down a bank during the final Powerstage.