Oliver Solberg dominated the Monte Carlo Rally to take the early lead of the 2026 World Rally Championship.
Having won on his Toyota debut at last year’s Rally Estonia, few expected Solberg to win again as soon as the Monte – his first event as a full-time Rally1 driver.
But the WRC2 champion took the lead on SS2 with a commanding 31s stage win, and never looked back.
While he went off the road and into a field on Saturday and suffered a small spin on Sunday, Solberg remained calm in the treacherous winter conditions to record a controlled 51.8s victory over Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans.
He leads the championship by four points over Evans who won the powerstage and finished second on Super Sunday, beaten incredibly by Yohan Rossel’s Rally2 Lancia.
“I don’t understand it at the moment I think, it’s another emotional day,” said an emotional Solberg, before he embraced his father Petter and fiancé Chloe.
“It was the most difficult rally I’ve done in my life and it’s my first rally in the car on Tarmac, first rally back at the full level. And here we are winning the whole thing. It’s so demanding, it’s been so stressful, just a big thank you to Toyota and the belief that I could deliver for you.”