Toyota driver Oliver Solberg finished the first half of the 2026 World Rally Championship 49 points behind leading teammate Elfyn Evans. Despite winning the season opener Monte Carlo Rally and securing more special stage victories than his rivals, Solberg's mistakes in subsequent road events have complicated his championship aspirations.
Mistake after mistake
Solberg was involved in an accident on the first special stage of the Croatia Rally. At the Canary Islands Rally, he went off the road on the penultimate stage while running in second place. At the Japan Rally, he was forced to retire from second place on the second day. Despite a podium finish in Portugal, this situation significantly damaged his championship fight. In an interview with DirtFish, Solberg said, “I put myself in a difficult position in the asphalt rallies. Looking back now, if I had settled for a podium finish instead of pushing for victory on the asphalt stages, things would have been different. But at that moment, when you’re in the middle of a win, it’s really hard to say, ‘No, I won’t fight, a podium is enough for me.’”.
Solberg emphasized that he could likely achieve several easy podiums on the asphalt stages, but that saying it sounds much easier after experiencing it. The Norwegian driver, who believes the championship is still within reach, said, “49 points isn’t a crazy far distance. If I get a win or two, close a certain gap, and with two or three rallies left at the end of the season, anything is possible.”.
The plan for Athens and beyond.
Starting from third place in the road priority standings at this weekend's Acropolis Rally in Greece, Solberg explained that he would be taking a different approach this time: “In a rally like this weekend, you can't just set out thinking you're going for victory. First, you have to do a good job, then see where you end up. But from Greece onwards, the pedal will be rolling all the way down!”
Solberg also highlighted the unique conditions of the Acropolis. “It requires fifty percent smart driving and fifty percent luck. In Portugal on Saturday, I had a flat tire and lost 30 seconds; luckily it was at the end of the stage. On the other hand, some of my competitors had flat tires at the start of the stage on Sunday and lost a minute and a half. It’s not a matter of whether you have problems, but when you have them,” he said.
Recalling that Toyota won six out of seven events in the first half of the season, Solberg predicted that Hyundai would be a stronger competitor in the second half. The rest of the season will be held entirely on gravel. “We have to take Hyundai seriously until the end of the season. They can be very, very strong on gravel. They already put in a strong performance in Portugal. The drivers I competed against in Estonia last year were also Hyundai drivers. We should expect eight drivers to fight for the top spots; the one with the fewest problems this weekend will win,” he added.