Damien Smith

The World Rally Championship has a new young hero - and just in the nick of time. At 24, Oliver Solberg can now boast two wins from his first two starts in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, following a historic victory on the most famous rally of them all, the Monte Carlo, to kick off the 2026 season.

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The Swede, who also took a surprise win on his top-class debut in Estonia last year, represents a much-needed shot in the arm for the WRC, in the wake of its former poster boy Kalle Rovanperä choosing to abandon the special stages in favour of an audacious switch to single-seater circuit racing in Japan. The series desperately needed some good news, and Solberg is that.

A LANDMARK PERFORMANCE

Several key points stood out from Solberg's victory in France and Monaco, shared with British co-driver Elliott Edmondson. First, they overcame the most treacherous of conditions as the rally crews faced a lethal mix of rain, slush and snow over an epic four days. A trip into a field on the third day, which required a punch through a fence to rejoin the road, was Solberg's only major slip when others far more experienced faltered.

Second, he properly thrashed Toyota teammates Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier to head a one-two-three. Solberg ended up a comfortable 51sec ahead of Evans, having relieved the Briton of the lead on the rally's second stage, with nine-time champion Ogier surprisingly off the pace, more than two minutes back at the finish.