Elfyn Evans secured victory at the 2026 WRC Rally Sweden, leading a dominant Toyota 1-2-3-4 sweep that underscored the Japanese marque’s adaptation to winter conditions. The four-day event near Umeå covered 301.10km of snow and ice stages, with Evans finishing 14.3 seconds ahead of Takamoto Katsuta after careful tyre management on the final day. Thierry Neuville’s powerstage win offered Hyundai scant consolation, as the Belgian ended seventh amid penalties and errors.
Thursday Superspecial
The rally opened under floodlights in Umeå with the 1.3km SS1 Sprint, a tight urban loop designed to thrill spectators rather than settle the order. Oliver Solberg edged the win in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid, 0.4 seconds up on Evans and 0.6 ahead of Katsuta. The top six were covered by 1.6 seconds, with Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi fourth and Adrien Fourmaux fifth. M-Sport’s William Armstrong clipped a tyre barrier early, dropping a few places but salvaging a clean run. No major incidents marred the short test, though the studded tyres bit cleanly into the packed snow.
Friday: Snow Order Shifts
Day one plunged crews into 89.87km of forest stages north of Umeå, where road position proved decisive on the fresh snow layer. SS2 Bygden Rev 1 (14.84km) saw Katsuta take first blood, 1.1 seconds up on Pajari, while road-sweeper Evans lost 5.6 seconds cleaning the line. SS3 Andersvattnet Rev 1 (26.04km) flipped the script: Evans won by 3.2 seconds from Solberg, vaulting to the lead by 1.9 seconds overall at the first service.
Punctures disrupted the field mid-morning. McErlean shredded two rear tyres on SS3 rocks, rejoining with a long limp; Sesks hit fronts on SS2, forcing an early pit for changes. Armstrong overshot SS1’s gravelly exit, ingesting snow into the airbox and haemorrhaging 40 seconds. By lunch, Evans led Katsuta by 0.3 seconds, Pajari third 7.1s back, and Solberg fourth after stalling into a snowbank on SS3—nearly 30 seconds lost.
Afternoon repeats amplified the chaos. Katsuta dominated SS5 Bygden Rev 2 (+5.7s fastest) and SS6 Andersvattnet Rev 2 (+2.9s), reclaiming a 2.8-second lead overnight. Neuville lurked fourth, 12.4s off, while Lappi climbed to fifth. Solberg recovered to sixth but stayed 45 seconds down. WRC2 leader Korhonen held firm in his Rally2 Toyota, ahead of Suninen.
Saturday: Evans Consolidates
Saturday’s 120.05km—the longest day—centred on the Värmland forests, with cleaner ice rewarding aggressive studs. Evans struck back on SS7 Värmland Rev 1 (24.25km), winning by 6.8 seconds to lead by 4.0s at midpoint. Katsuta faltered on SS8 Småan Rev 1 (9.84km), losing studs and 18.9 seconds total that loop, slotting to second 16.1s behind
Neuville’s day unravelled on SS8: a snowbank stall cost 1:15, then a one-minute penalty plus €1500 fine for an unsecured helmet strap on SS15. Lappi led Hyundai’s effort in third briefly before Pajari displaced him. Fourmaux held fifth steadily. Solberg, now fourth, narrowed gaps but stalled again on snow. Sesks punctured a third tyre on SS9, missing the afternoon and limping to 20th overall.
Afternoon loops saw Evans extend to 28.7s by end-of-day service. Katsuta stabilised second, Pajari locked third 1:12 down, Solberg fourth at 1:25.9. Suninen led WRC2 ahead of Joona, but Korhonen closed in. No retirements among top Rally1 runners, though privateer Rally2s thinned the field.
Sunday: Controlled Finish
Super Sunday’s 31.64km finale tested worn studs on gravel-exposed roads. Evans entered with a 28.7-second buffer, nursing tyres through SS13 Bygden Power Stage (14.84km) and SS14 Umeå Sprint Rev (1.3km). Katsuta pushed but couldn’t bridge, finishing 14.3s adrift. Pajari sealed third 46.0s back—his first Rally1 podium—over Solberg (+1:11.6)
Fourmaux took fifth, Lappi sixth after a penultimate-stage slip. Neuville, seventh, snatched powerstage honours by 0.078s from Evans, earning 5 bonus points. WRC2 went to Korhonen (+1:45 to Pajari), beating Suninen and Joona; Kauppinen retired on SS13 with engine failure.
| Position | Class | Driver/Co-driver | Car | Total Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RC1 | Evans/Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | 2:32:45.300 |
| 2 | RC1 | Katsuta/Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +14.3s |
| 3 | RC1 | Pajari/Salminen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +46.0s |
| 4 | RC1 | Solberg/Edmondson | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +1:11.6 |
| 5 | RC1 | Fourmaux/Coria | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2:15.4 |
| 6 | RC1 | Lappi/Mälkönen | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +2:48.1 |
| 7 | RC1 | Neuville/Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +3:40.8 |
Championship Implications
Evans’ 30 points (18 rally +9 stages +3 powerstage third) vaulted him 13 points clear in the drivers’ standings over Solberg. Toyota leads manufacturers by 30, with Katsuta lamenting lost studs: “Tyre luck decided it.” Evans praised co-driver Scott Martin: “Snow’s tricky—glad we managed the gaps.”
Pajari’s podium boosted his rookie campaign post-Monte struggles. Hyundai’s woes—Neuville’s penalty, Lappi’s fade—left them scoreless in top six. Only 28 of 62 starters classified, with snow ingestion, punctures, and stalls claiming most. The hybrid Rally1 cars proved reliable, averaging 20% less fuel use than 2025.
The podium in Umeå’s arena was efficient: trophies handed under crisp light, Evans hoisting his in quiet satisfaction. Sweden’s forests had tested precision over power, rewarding Toyota’s snow fluency while exposing rivals’ frailties. Next up: the Canary Islands’ asphalt contrasts.
