Oliver Solberg was brilliant on his return to the WRC’s top category. Driving the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 for the first time, he dominated Rally Estonia, the eighth round of the World Championship. It was a historic and surprising victory, as he beat three world champions. Anyone who thought he was too young (23 years old) to impose himself among rallying’s elite must now rethink their “wisdom”.
Rally Estonia marked the start of the second half of the championship. It was the first time this season that WRC drivers competed on gravel with average speeds of 129 km/h – and with plenty of spectacular jumps. There was no time to relax, and the drivers’ skill was pushed to the limit. Local hero Ott Tänak felt particularly at home on roads seemingly made for his fast and loose driving style. However, the reality was quite different in the face of the surprise performance by Oliver Solberg, who completed two days of testing before hitting the stages and winning nine of the rally’s 20 special stages!
The young Swede leads the WRC2 championship and was rewarded by Toyota with the opportunity to drive the Yaris Rally1 in Estonia. He displayed impressive speed and composure, achieving his first win in the premier category of the World Rally Championship – 20 years after the last success of his father, Petter Solberg. He is now the third-youngest winner ever, behind Kalle Rovanperä and Jari-Matti Latvala.
Oliver Solberg delivered a driving masterclass during the opening leg. He won three stages, gaining 12.4 seconds on Ott Tänak, and even indulged in a bit of drifting on the asphalt of the final stage for his own amusement and that of the fans. The Swede’s performance was astonishing, as he was almost always the fastest Toyota driver and the only one capable of outpacing Hyundai’s pilots. At the end of the day, his words said it all: “It’s absolutely incredible. What a car! This was the best day of my life,” said Solberg, adding, “I’ve never been so nervous, happy, and scared all at once in my entire life. I knew I had two ‘madmen’ (Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville) pushing flat out behind me.” Adjustments to the car’s setup boosted his confidence for the second leg, where he continued to shine. Despite being first on the road and sweeping the gravel, he won four of the nine stages and increased his lead over Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville. Oliver Solberg set a relentless pace, proving wrong the idea that opening the road meant losing significant time. “I was always fast, consistent, and tried to keep each stage as clean as possible. The plan wasn’t to extend the lead, but it was fantastic,” he said. The main interest of the rally shifted to the battle between Tänak and Neuville for second place, with the two drivers swapping positions several times. By the end of the day, Solberg led by 21.1 seconds over Tänak and 25.1 seconds over Neuville.
Oliver Solberg remained motivated for the final leg, winning the Super Sunday stage and finishing the rally in style. “It’s been an amazing weekend. I’m so happy, after so many years of dreaming and working for this moment. I want to thank Toyota for giving me the chance to show my worth and to enjoy driving this fantastic car. Thanks also to the test team who made me feel so comfortable. I never imagined I’d be celebrating on the podium with Juha, who has been my hero since I was a child, and someone I admire alongside my dad,” he said with great emotion. It is worth noting that he finished ahead of three world champions: Tänak (2019), Neuville (2024), and Rovanperä (2022 and 2023).
Ott Tänak finished second and praised the young Swede’s performance, openly speaking of a “humiliation”: “We expected him to be quick, but we didn’t know he’d be so fast that he’d humiliate everyone competing full-time in the WRC. Oliver was very confident, did an excellent job, and showed he’s ready to drive a Rally1 car,” admitted the Estonian, who now leads the drivers’ championship.
World champion Thierry Neuville was more competitive than in previous rounds and finished third: “My mission was to bring the car home. Not everything went perfectly, but we tried,” said the Belgian. Kalle Rovanperä, who has won this rally three times, couldn’t match the pace this year and ended up in fourth. He admitted afterwards: “I just can’t go faster on gravel. It’s been like this since the start of the season.”
The drivers’ championship is heating up, with Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans separated by just one point. Sébastien Ogier, who will return for Rally Finland (31 July to 3 August), is 21 points behind and preparing to fight for a ninth world title. Among the manufacturers, Toyota won the rally, but Hyundai scored more points overall, as Oliver Solberg was not registered to score for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
Estonian Robert Virves (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) benefited from Nikolay Gryazin’s (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) retirement to take the lead in the WRC2 category. He then maintained a strong pace and won the class by 18.4 seconds over Georg Linnamäe (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2).
Final Classification
1st Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), 2h 36m 35.1s
2nd Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20N Rally1), +25.2s
3rd Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20N Rally1), +48.3s
4th Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), +55.6s
5th Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20N Rally1), +1m 33.0s
6th Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), +1m 43.4s
7th Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), +2m 55.6s
8th Martins Sesks/Renars Francis (Ford Puma Rally1), +3m 36.0s
9th Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1), +5m 29.8s
10th Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1), +5m 57.5s
11th Robert Virves/Jskko Viilo (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), +8m 43.4s (1st WRC2)
Drivers’ Championship
1st Ott Tänak (Hyundai) – 162 points
2nd Elfyn Evans (Toyota) – 161
3rd Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) – 141
4th Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) – 138
5th Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) – 114
Manufacturers’ Championship
1st Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT – 399 points
2nd Hyundai World Rally Team – 347
3rd M-Sport Ford World Rally Team – 111
4th Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 – 68