Oliver Solberg dominates Rally Estonia and is on the verge of his first WRC victory – but rain on Sunday could change everything
Toyota driver Oliver Solberg is on the verge of his first victory in the World Rally Championship (WRC). The young Swede finished Saturday at Rally Estonia 2025 with a commanding 21.2-second lead over Hyundai driver Ott Tänak, continuing his impressive performance from Friday.
The 23-year-old, who is driving a Rally1 car for the first time since 2022 as part of a one-off appearance, dominated Saturday with four more stage wins and a total of seven stage victories. Solberg either set the fastest time or finished within 1.2 seconds of the lead in all nine special stages (SS) of the day. A clear sign of his consistency and speed.
“Today was definitely better than yesterday. The starting positions were the same and I was able to drive clean stages without any mistakes. I gave it my best,” said Solberg in the evening. “Of course, at some point you think about winning. I tried everything to avoid being caught. So far, it’s worked.”
Three stages remain on Sunday, but rain is expected. This could make the race for overall victory even more exciting.
Battle for second place: Tänak vs. Neuville
While Solberg is heading for his maiden victory, Tänak and teammate Thierry Neuville are engaged in a thrilling duel for second place. Tänak initially lost the position to his teammate after mistakes in SS 9, but regained it several times during the day. Ultimately, the local hero goes into the final day with a four-second lead over Neuville.
“It was clear from the test drives that it was going to be a difficult rally, and that’s how it turned out. But we have to push to score important points for the championship,” explained Tänak.
Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota), who dominated the Rally Estonia in the last three editions, has no chance of a podium finish this year. The Finn once again struggled with grip levels on the Hankook gravel tires and heads into Sunday in fourth place, 26.5 seconds behind Neuville. “We’re doing our best, but that’s all we can do at the moment,” said a visibly frustrated Rovanperä.
Fourmaux prevails against Katsuta – Evans out of contention
Adrien Fourmaux in the Hyundai managed to pull away from Takamoto Katsuta during the day and is now in fifth place, 1:08.2 minutes behind the leader. The Frenchman also benefited from problems with the Japanese driver’s Toyota GR Yaris, the cause of which is still unclear.
Sending it like rent’s due WRC RallyEstonia pic.twitter.com/C7MMW4cweA
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) July 19, 2025
Elfyn Evans (Toyota), on the other hand, had a disastrous day. The championship leader finished seventh in isolation and found no way to get involved in the action at the front. When asked about Solberg’s performance, Evans replied: “Oliver is driving with a radical setup that is not an option for us at the moment.”
Sami Pajari finished the day in eighth place, 26.5 seconds ahead of M-Sport driver Martins Sesks. Josh McErlean and Gregoire Munster (both M-Sport Ford) complete the Rally1 class.
In the WRC2 standings, Estonian Robert Virves (Skoda) leads with a comfortable 26.5-second advantage over his compatriot Georg Linnamäe (Toyota).