Rally Italia Sardegna will decide the 2026 WRC drivers’ title after Saudi Arabia’s cancellation. Elfyn Evans takes a 17-point lead into the finale.
Elfyn Evans will take a 17-point World Rally Championship lead into Rally Italia Sardegna after the event was confirmed on Thursday, September 17, as the final round of the 2026 season.
The gravel rally runs from October 1 through October 4. It replaces the canceled Rally Saudi Arabia as the championship decider.
That shift puts Evans in the strongest position to claim the drivers’ title. The Toyota driver isn't taking anything for granted.
“Nothing is guaranteed”
The updated calendar gives Evans one decisive weekend instead of two. He had expected Saudi Arabia to follow Italy from November 11 through November 14, but that listing is no longer current after confirmation of the cancellation.
Evans takes a reduced lead to Sardinia
Evans' lead fell to 17 points after a late puncture cost him a likely podium finish at Rally Chile BIOBÍO.
Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson won in Chile, earning 25 points. Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais claimed second and 17 points, while Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria finished third and scored 15.
It was Solberg's third WRC victory.
The result in Chile put Evans into a three-way drivers’ title battle heading to Sardinia. His puncture reshaped the standings, then the cancellation cut the remaining calendar to one round.
“keep on pushing”
Evans gave that response after his frustrating finish in Chile. The Welshman has no later event to recover from any setback in Italy, while his rivals get one final chance to erase the 17-point gap.
A compressed run to the finale
The September 17 confirmation creates a quick turnaround between Chile and Italy.
Rally Italia Sardegna opens with shakedown at 09:01 on October 1. The first day begins at 16:05, with 08:01 starts on October 2 and October 3. The final day gets underway at 08:31 on October 4.
Those times now define the rest of the title fight.
The Italian rally was already part of the 2026 calendar, and its dates haven't moved. Its role has changed. The round originally scheduled before Saudi Arabia will now distribute the season's final points and decide the drivers’ champion.
Toyota arrives with one title secured
Toyota GAZOO Racing has already wrapped up a successful manufacturers’ campaign. The team clinched its sixth straight manufacturers’ crown at Rally Chile BIOBÍO, drawing level with Lancia's record of 10 titles.
The drivers’ championship is still open.
Evans, Solberg and Ogier all drive for Toyota in the three-way contest. The manufacturer will therefore arrive in Sardinia with the teams’ trophy already secured as its crews fight for the remaining individual prize.
Chile showed how fast the order can shift. Solberg took victory and Ogier placed second, while Evans' puncture cost him ground and reduced a lead that had provided greater protection before the penultimate stage.
Support titles join the final-round program
The Sardinian finale comes after major developments across the WRC support categories.
Yohan Rossel secured his third WRC2 win of 2026 in Chile and his first victory on gravel. He beat Robert Virves, who moved closer to the WRC2 championship.
Ali Türkkan won WRC3 in Chile and completed a landmark Junior WRC campaign. Türkkan placed second to rally winner Leevi Lassila in the Junior classification, becoming the first Turkish driver to win the Junior WRC title.
The focus now moves to the senior championship and its revised finish line. Crews will complete their final preparations before shakedown begins at 09:01 on October 1, with the 2026 WRC drivers’ champion set to be crowned following the October 4 stages.
