Oliver Solberg wins Rally Chile – closes in on the WRC lead

Following his historic victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo in January, Solberg once again stood on the top step of the podium as the World Championship took on the fast gravel roads of Chile. The result also moves the Swede another step closer to the lead in the fight for this year’s WRC title.

Solberg and Edmondson made a strong start to Rally Chile and were in the fight for the lead from the opening special stage. After Friday’s six stages, the Toyota crew had built a 10.1-second advantage over championship leader and team-mate Elfyn Evans.

The battle at the front continued on Saturday. Sébastien Ogier applied pressure from behind with four stage wins during the day, but Solberg responded when it mattered most. On the final stage of the day, the 28.31-kilometre María las Cruces, the Swede set the fastest time and extended his lead to 19.1 seconds ahead of Sunday’s finale.

On Sunday, Solberg and Edmondson completed the job and secured victory in the 12th round of this year’s World Rally Championship.

The victory is Solberg’s third overall WRC win. His first came at Rally Estonia in 2025, when he made a highly successful one-off appearance in Toyota’s Rally1 car. In January this year, he followed that up with victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo in the opening round of his first full season with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team.

Rally Chile also marks Solberg’s fifth podium finish of the 2026 season, including two victories.

– An absolutely incredible weekend. It has been a year of ups and downs, but the team has supported me all the way and allowed me to focus on doing my job. It’s the little details that mean so much. Elliott has done a fantastic job. Finally! says Oliver Solberg.

Oliver sits third in the championship, now 21 points behind championship leader Elfyn Evans.

– Oliver continues to show that he belongs among the very best in the world. To win two WRC rallies during his first full season in the top class is incredibly impressive, and it is fantastic for Swedish rallying to once again have a driver fighting at the very top of the World Championship, says Anna Nordkvist, CEO of Rally Sweden and the Swedish Automobile Sports Federation’s companies.

Solberg’s success also means Swedish fans have one of the world’s leading rally drivers to look forward to when the WRC returns to Sweden next winter.