Elfyn Evans has been runner-up in the World Championship five times – after a completely mad finale at the Rally Italia, he can finally call himself World Rally Champion
Elfyn Evans can breathe a sigh of relief: after years of hard work, his big dream has come true. Following a “surreal” showdown on the final special stage of the Rally Italia in Sardinia, the Toyota driver is the new World Rally Champion and thus the first British WRC champion since Richard Burns in 2001.
Yet rather than celebrating exuberantly, Evans seemed, immediately after the rally ended, more like someone with a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. And that is exactly how the Welshman describes his state of mind. “It’s a bit of relief, a bit of happiness, a bit of joy”,
“It’s a rather surreal feeling this afternoon. There have been plenty of ups and downs. After my run on the Power Stage, I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to happen. But it just goes to show that anything can happen in this sport,” said Evans.
Rally Italy: a rollercoaster of emotions
The course of Rally Italy underlined this statement. Evans, who had led the World Championship for much of the season, felt powerless at times on Friday. As the first car on the road, he had to contend with difficult conditions and watched as his lead melted away.
A puncture on the penultimate special stage on Sunday then threatened to tip the title race decisively in Oliver Solberg’s favour. The Swede had travelled to Sardinia trailing Evans by 21 points.
Evans knew he had to beat Solberg on the final Power Stage to have any chance at all of winning the title. But after his own run, the Toyota driver was convinced it wouldn’t be enough.
A finale for the history books
And then came the incredible finale: Solberg seemed to have the title all but secured when he went off the track two bends from the finish. Suddenly, Evans was world champion.
After finishing as runner-up five times in 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025, Evans could scarcely believe he had won his first world title. He is also the first WRC champion from Wales.
Yet even at the moment of his greatest triumph, Evans remained true to himself. Instead of celebrating exuberantly, he took a critical look at his own performance. “I’m usually very self-critical, and I’m not particularly proud of my last event of the season,” he says.
I swear you’ll never see anything like this ever again 🤯
Oliver Solberg && Elliott Edmondson were just a few corners away from becoming world champions 🫨
#WRC | #RallyItaliaSardegna 🇮🇹 https://t.co/05g0zaZ9D5
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) 4 October 2026
“But it was the work of a whole season. In a way, I think we had quite a bit of bad luck in Chile [mit dem Reifenschaden auf der vorletzten Prüfung] and here too, we went through a bend, eased off the speed and still ended up with a puncture.‘
’Of course, I’ve put a great deal of work into this sport and perhaps my raw talent isn’t quite on a par with some of the other lads sitting alongside me. But, like everyone else, I put in a lot of effort. I try to give it my all, and I’ve finally managed to win a title,” said the 37-year-old.
Scott Martin also becomes world champion
Evans’ co-driver, Scott Martin, also had reason to celebrate. The Englishman is now also the first WRC world champion from England amongst the co-drivers. Yet even for Martin, the realisation that he had won the title hadn’t quite sunk in at first.
“It took a long time. When we saw how Oliver [Solberg] and Elliott [Edmondson] put in a very strong final stage, I started to think it would slip through our fingers again,” said Martin.
“After the drama that unfolded, my heart goes out to the two of them, because you never want to see something like that. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m a bit dazed at the moment,” Martin continued.
Sébastien Ogier: “Nobody deserves it more”
In the service park, there was great admiration for Evans following the dramatic finale. In particular, his Toyota team-mate Sebastien Ogier – who had beaten Evans in the battle for the World Championship title in 2020, 2021 and 2025 – sees the new World Champion as a thoroughly deserving champion.
“As far as I’m concerned, he is the deserved world champion this season. He’s had a tough job all year round, and I believe that after so many, many years of hard work, nobody deserves it more than him,”
The 2024 world champion, Thierry Neuville, expressed a similar view: “I really do believe that Elfyn deserves it, and in the end, everything turned out well for him. But I’d also like to pay tribute to Oliver, who was absolutely outstanding all weekend. He simply put all his eggs in one basket, with the sole aim of winning the World Championship. Hats off to him – he absolutely delivered this weekend.”
“But there can only be one winner, and I think most of us agree that Elfyn is the true winner this year. He’s been in the sport for many, many years and has come very close on numerous occasions. Even after so many seasons, he still puts all that effort into it and has clearly lost the title twice in very dramatic circumstances. That’s why I believe no one can say he doesn’t deserve it,” said Neuville.