Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson led 15 of the rally’s 16 gravel stages to claim their second victory of the 2026 season. The Toyota crew finished 16.6 seconds ahead of Sébastien Ogier after three days in which changing conditions, tight gaps and late punctures repeatedly reshaped the order.
Ogier finished second to secure the 120th WRC podium of his career, while Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux completed the top three.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans had been running second before a puncture on Sunday’s penultimate stage forced him to stop and change a wheel. He eventually finished fifth behind Sami Pajari, tightening the drivers’ championship with two rounds remaining.
Solberg now sits 21 points behind Evans, while Pajari is even closer at 17 points from the championship lead.
Solberg Takes Control in Difficult Friday Conditions
Overnight rain transformed Friday morning’s gravel stages and gave the crews starting higher in the road order an early advantage. Solberg, third on the road, immediately capitalised.
He won the opening stage before Evans responded on SS2 to take the rally lead by just 0.4 seconds. Solberg quickly reclaimed the position and reached midday service with a 2.3-second advantage.
By the end of Friday, the gap had grown to 10.1 seconds.
Fourmaux held third, only 1.7 seconds ahead of Ogier, leaving four drivers within striking distance heading into Saturday.
It was already clear that outright speed alone would not decide Rally Chile.
Solberg and Evans Match Each Other Through Saturday
Drier conditions created a different challenge on Saturday.
Punctures had been one of the major concerns heading into the six-stage leg, prompting the FIA to provide Rally1 crews with eight additional tyres and introduce a tyre exchange point during the loop.
The leading drivers largely avoided serious trouble, allowing the fight at the front to remain exceptionally tight.
Solberg and Evans recorded identical aggregate times across Saturday morning, preserving the 10.1-second gap between them.
Solberg then produced one of the decisive drives of the rally on stage nine. Victory on the test pushed his advantage out to 19.1 seconds and gave him breathing room for the first time.
Behind him, Ogier was moving rapidly.
The nine-time world champion won four of Saturday’s six stages and steadily closed on Evans. By the end of the day, only 1.3 seconds separated the pair.
Fourmaux remained involved as well. A soft-tyre gamble worked during the morning, although he could not extract the same advantage later in the day.
Heading into Sunday, Solberg remained in control, but the fight directly behind him was far from settled.
Evans Puncture Changes the Podium Fight
Evans started Sunday exactly as he needed to.
He won the first pass through the new 26.82km Carampangue stage, taking the early Super Sunday lead and cutting Solberg’s overall advantage to 13.2 seconds.
More importantly, he opened a 5.4-second cushion over Ogier.
That progress disappeared on the second run through Carampangue.
A puncture forced Evans to stop and change a wheel, dropping the championship leader from second to fifth and immediately changing both the Rally Chile podium and the wider title picture.
Solberg had his own scare.
The Swede suffered a puncture towards the end of the 8.78km BioBio stage, but unlike Evans, he was able to reach the finish without surrendering the lead.
With the final major threat removed, Solberg completed the job.
He also won the Power Stage and finished second in the Super Sunday classification, leaving Chile with 34 points and a considerably stronger position in the championship.
Toyota Equals Lancia With 10 WRC Manufacturers’ Titles
Solberg’s victory also delivered a major milestone for Toyota.
The result mathematically secured the 2026 WRC Manufacturers’ Championship, giving Toyota its 10th manufacturers’ crown and drawing the Japanese marque level with Lancia’s record.
Ogier inherited second following Evans’ puncture, securing the 120th podium of his WRC career.
Fourmaux brought Hyundai home in third, while Pajari took fourth.
The result proved particularly valuable for Pajari. After victories in Estonia, Finland and Paraguay, the Finn lacked the pace to challenge the leaders in Chile and spent much of the rally isolated in fifth. Evans’ puncture nevertheless promoted him one position and helped reduce his championship deficit.
Evans recovered four bonus points by finishing second on the Power Stage, limiting the damage from an otherwise costly Sunday.
With two rounds remaining, he leads Pajari by 17 points and Solberg by 21.
Neuville and Katsuta Among Rally Chile Retirements
Further down the order, Esapekka Lappi finished sixth for Hyundai after struggling for pace and confidence throughout what could prove to be his final Rally1 appearance.
M-Sport Ford’s Josh McErlean survived contact with both a bank and a tree on Sunday to finish seventh. Team-mate Jon Armstrong had been running sixth before rolling out on stage eight.
Thierry Neuville’s rally ended on Saturday following a high-speed roll on stage seven. Both Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe escaped the accident unharmed.
Takamoto Katsuta’s weekend ended considerably earlier. The Toyota driver beached his GR Yaris on the opening stage and retired.
In WRC2, Yohan Rossel took victory ahead of Robert Virves, with Virves securing the WRC2 Challengers title. Ali Türkkan, meanwhile, claimed the Junior WRC crown.
Rally Chile ultimately delivered two very different victories for Toyota.
The manufacturers’ championship is already settled, with a 10th title now secured. The drivers’ championship is anything but.
Evans still leads, but Pajari and Solberg leave Chile within 21 points of the top. After a weekend in which one puncture was enough to turn second place into fifth, the margins heading into the final two rounds have become considerably smaller.
Watch the 2026 World Rally Championship Rally Chile highlights here.
