If the 2026 World Rally Championship needed a round that encapsulated everything gravel rallying can throw at a title fight, Rally Chile Biobío delivered it in brutal fashion. Fast, narrow, abrasive and at times soaked through, the Concepción stages wrote a three‑day drama that reshaped the drivers’ standings and sealed a historic manufacturers’ crown for Toyota.
Solberg’s composed charge
Oliver Solberg arrived in Chile with a point to prove. After a mixed run of results since his Monte Carlo victory, the Swede needed a clean, commanding performance to reignite his title hopes. He got exactly that.
Solberg and co‑driver Elliott Edmondson excelled in the wet and muddy opening stages on Friday, establishing an early lead over teammate Elfyn Evans before managing it with intelligence across drier, more abrasive loops on Saturday. “The car was amazing,” Solberg said afterwards. “We had a great setup for these conditions and I could push when I needed to.”
By Sunday morning, Solberg held a slender advantage over a charging Sébastien Ogier, who had stormed through the opening two stages on Saturday to move within 9.3 seconds of the lead. But Solberg kept his nerve, extending his margin when it mattered and sealing the win with the fastest time on the rally‑ending Power Stage.
His victory margin – 16.6 seconds over Ogier – flattered neither driver. This was a win built on pace, tyre management and the discipline to avoid mistakes on Chile’s unforgiving gravel. “It feels incredible,” Solberg said. “To win here, against this level of competition, is something special.”
Ogier’s late surge and Evans’ cruel blow
For Sébastien Ogier, Rally Chile was a reminder that nine world titles do not fade with age. The Frenchman began the rally’s longest day in third, but a pair of stage wins on Saturday morning turned the event into a two‑horse race.
Ogier’s charge briefly brought him within striking distance of Solberg, but a small error and a cautious final loop meant he had to settle for second. “We gave it everything,” Ogier said. “Oliver drove a fantastic rally. We can be proud of what we achieved this weekend.”
Behind them, the rally turned on a single moment for championship leader Elfyn Evans. The Welshman had capitalised on the wet weather at the start, negating the usual disadvantage of sweeping loose gravel, and was leading the Super Sunday classification until the penultimate stage.
There, a puncture forced Evans to stop and change a tyre, costing him over two minutes and dropping him from a potential podium to fifth. “A cruel blow,” his team said afterwards. “He had the pace all weekend.” Evans recovered to take second in the Power Stage, half a second behind Solberg and just 0.1s ahead of Sami Pajari, but the damage to his points lead was done.
Pajari’s streak ends, Fourmaux holds podium
Sami Pajari’s unprecedented run of three successive maiden victories came to an end in Chile, but the Finn still secured a solid fourth place alongside co‑driver Marko Salminen. “We didn’t have the ultimate pace this weekend,” Pajari admitted, “but we kept it clean and that’s important for the championship.”
Adrien Fourmaux completed the podium for Hyundai, finishing 33.3 seconds behind Solberg. The Frenchman drove a measured rally, avoiding the incidents that claimed others and maximising points for the manufacturers’ battle. “The car felt good on gravel,” Fourmaux said. “We knew we couldn’t match the Toyotas for raw speed, but we did our job.”
Neuville’s rally ends in a roll
Thierry Neuville’s title hopes took a significant hit when his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 rolled on the Pelún stage. Running wide at speed 8.3km into the test, Neuville and co‑driver Martijn Wydaeghe escaped uninjured, but their rally was over.
“It was a big moment,” Neuville said later. “We lost the rear and there was nothing we could do. The car rolled and that was it. We’ll regroup and come back stronger.”
The incident left Neuville reliant on damage limitation in Portugal if he is to stay in the title fight.
WRC2: Rossel’s gravel breakthrough
In WRC2, Yohan Rossel claimed a third victory of the year and his first on gravel. The Frenchman, co‑driven by Arnaud Dunand in the Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, mastered the mixed conditions to win by 53.0 seconds from Robert Virves in the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
“It’s a huge moment for me,” Rossel said. “I’ve won on asphalt, but to win on gravel in Chile is something else.” Gus Greensmith completed the WRC2 podium in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, finishing 1m27.2s behind Rossel.
Toyota’s historic manufacturers’ crown
Beyond the individual battles, Rally Chile marked a historic moment for Toyota GAZOO Racing. With Solberg’s victory and Ogier’s second place, the Japanese manufacturer secured its sixth consecutive WRC manufacturers’ title, equalling Lancia’s record of ten world titles.
“This is a testament to the hard work of everyone in the team,” said Toyota team principal Akio Toyoda. “To win six years in a row is incredible, but we’re not done yet. We want that drivers’ title as well.”
