Elfyn Evans takes a 17-point World Rally Championship lead into Sardinia, but Toyota team-mates Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg remain firmly in contention as the 2026 season reaches its final four days.
Rally Italia Sardegna has become far more than one of the World Rally Championship’s toughest gravel events.
From 1–4 October, the roads around Alghero will decide the 2026 WRC Drivers’ Championship. Evans, Pajari and Solberg are separated by just 21 points, and all three are chasing a maiden world title.
Evans arrives in Sardinia on 230 points. Pajari sits second on 213, 17 points behind, while Solberg remains within reach on 209.
There are still 35 points available across the final weekend, leaving Evans in control of his own championship destiny — but Sardinia is hardly the sort of rally where protecting a points advantage is straightforward.
Sardinia becomes the unexpected WRC finale
Rally Italia Sardegna was originally scheduled as the penultimate round of the championship, but the removal of Rally Saudi Arabia from the 2026 WRC calendar has promoted the Italian event to the season finale.
The cancellation means Sardinia will now close out the 2026 WRC season after 13 rounds, rather than the 14 originally planned.
That change has turned an already demanding gravel rally into a straight championship showdown.
All three remaining contenders drive for Toyota Gazoo Racing, giving the Japanese manufacturer the unusual prospect of watching three of its own crews fight for the sport’s biggest individual prize.
For Evans, the opportunity is particularly significant. The Welshman has finished runner-up in the World Rally Championship five times — in 2020, 2021 and from 2023 through to 2025 — but has yet to secure the drivers’ crown.
This time, the advantage is his.
What Elfyn Evans needs to become world champion
The championship equation for Evans is relatively clear.
If Evans scores 19 points or more in Sardinia, he becomes the 2026 WRC champion regardless of what Pajari or Solberg achieve.
An outright rally victory is worth 25 points, so winning the event would settle the championship without Evans needing to rely on any Sunday bonus points.
Finishing second overall would leave him needing only two additional points from Super Sunday or the Power Stage. Third would require four bonus points, while lower finishing positions would make the calculation progressively tighter.
That does not mean Evans can simply back off and drive conservatively.
Under the current WRC scoring system, five points are available for winning the Super Sunday classification and another five for winning the Power Stage. With 35 points available across the weekend, a problem for Evans could change the championship picture very quickly.
He has already acknowledged that simply cruising through the rally will not be an option.
There is also another complication: road position.
Opening the road on loose gravel can be a significant disadvantage in Sardinia, particularly in dry conditions, as the first cars sweep away loose material and leave a cleaner surface for those following.
As championship leader, Evans could therefore face one of the rally’s traditional challenges at exactly the moment he needs a controlled result.
Pajari has turned 2026 into a genuine title challenge
Sami Pajari starts the finale 17 points behind Evans, but his recent form has made him far more than an outsider.
Three victories in Estonia, Finland and Paraguay have propelled the Finn into championship contention and given him more rally wins this season than either Evans or Solberg.
To move ahead of Evans on points outright, Pajari needs to outscore his team-mate by at least 18 points in Sardinia. His maximum possible score is 248.
There is also the possibility of a championship tie. If Pajari scored the maximum 35 points and Evans collected 18, both would finish on 248.
WRC championship ties are initially decided by rally victories, which means results in Sardinia could remain crucial even after the points have been counted.
Pajari therefore has little incentive to settle for a cautious podium. He needs to score heavily and apply pressure from the opening stages.
Solberg still has a route to the crown
Oliver Solberg faces the largest deficit of the three contenders but enters Sardinia with momentum after winning Rally Chile Biobío.
He is 21 points behind Evans and four behind Pajari.
To finish ahead of Evans on points alone, Solberg needs to outscore the championship leader by at least 22 points. He must also gain at least five points on Pajari to move clear of his fellow Toyota driver.
A perfect 35-point weekend would take Solberg to 244 points.
His route to the title is narrower than Pajari’s, but the mathematics remain alive. On a rally where punctures, tyre wear and road position can rapidly change the order, a 21-point deficit is still possible to overturn.
More than 300 kilometres of Sardinian gravel
The confirmed 2026 Rally Italia Sardegna itinerary features 17 special stages covering 307.15 competitive kilometres, all on gravel and based around Alghero.
Action begins on Thursday 1 October with the Monte Baranta shakedown before the short Ittiri Arena stage opens the competitive running.
Friday and Saturday provide the bulk of the mileage across northern Sardinia, combining familiar roads with the new Solorché stage near Pattada.
Classic names including Tergu and Argentiera return to the itinerary, with Sassari-Argentiera scheduled to form the final Power Stage on Sunday.
The surfaces remain part of what makes Sardinia such a demanding event.
Hard, abrasive roads place substantial loads on tyres, while loose gravel can punish early starters. Rocks pushed onto the racing line create an additional puncture threat as stages become rougher with repeated passes.
There is another unknown this year too. Sardinia traditionally runs earlier in the European summer, but its October date could produce different temperatures and weather conditions.
Rain would significantly alter the usual road-cleaning effect, while a dry week could leave Evans facing the classic disadvantage of running first on loose gravel.
One rally for the 2026 world championship
Few season finales arrive with the title picture this open.
Evans has the strongest position and a clear target: 19 points guarantees him the championship.
Pajari has the smaller deficit to overcome and arrives with three wins already behind him, while Solberg’s Chile victory has ensured he remains part of the equation right to the end.
All three are chasing the same thing for the first time: a maiden World Rally Championship drivers’ title.
Across 17 Sardinian stages, Toyota’s internal battle will finally be settled — and with bonus points available right through Sunday’s Power Stage, the 2026 championship could remain undecided until the final kilometres of the season.
