Toyota Gazoo Racing completed a podium sweep at Rally Italia Sardegna as the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship season concluded on Sunday. Oliver Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson took victory in the No. 99 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1, leading teammates Sébastien Ogier and Sami Pajari across the finish line on the Italian island.
The result secured Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin their first WRC drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles. The team had previously clinched the manufacturers’ crown in Chile, completing a clean sweep of all three championships for the 2026 campaign.
Rally Italia Sardegna Race Results
The island’s rough gravel roads provided demanding racing conditions for all crews. Solberg established an early lead before closing Saturday with a 33.6-second advantage over Ogier. Meanwhile, Evans entered Sunday with a narrow points buffer after suffering a tire puncture during the morning loop.
Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais took second place, finishing 57.6 seconds behind the winners. Pajari and Marko Salminen finished third, 1 minute and 37.4 seconds adrift. Consequently, the team locked out the top three positions in the final rally classification.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Championship Records
Toyota Gazoo Racing concluded the year with 12 victories across 13 events, matching the record for the most wins in a single season. Furthermore, the squad amassed 662 points in the manufacturers’ standings to secure its sixth consecutive title in automotive motorsport competition.
“Since joining the family in 2020, Elfyn has finished just one place short of the championship five times. After so many seasons of coming close, he has finally achieved the title he has worked so hard for.”
Akio Toyoda, Chairman of GR-WRT
Driver Standings and Season Points
Evans finished the season atop the drivers’ standings with 243 points, aided by earlier victories in Sweden and Japan. Solberg finished second on 238 points following consecutive wins in Chile and Sardinia. Pajari secured third place overall with 237 points after claiming nine podium finishes during the season.
In addition, Ogier set milestones by recording his 121st career podium during his 214th start in the series. The season’s outcome highlights the team’s data-driven approach to mechanical reliability, similar to rigorous engineering in computers and digital telemetry systems.
Transition to Future Regulations
The Sardinia event served as the final competitive outing for the current GR YARIS Rally1 model under existing technical rules. In total, the vehicle accumulated 48 world championship rally victories over five seasons of competition. Toyota engineers will now shift focus to preparing the next vehicle platform for the 2027 technical regulations.
