He has to do it, doesn’t he? 

The stars couldn’t be more aligned. He has a 17-point advantage. There is now only one rally left. It simply has to be his year. And, if not now, when?

That last bit is probably critical. If Elfyn Evans doesn’t win this year’s FIA World Rally Championship, will he ever get another opportunity? Everything changes next year after all. Sure, there will be new cars, but that won’t make much difference. Toyota are likely to dominate completely in 2027, as they are going to be the only full manufacturer team and, unless Rally2 cars are competitive, I don’t see anyone troubling them too much. 

It’s not the cars he needs to be worried about then. His team mates though? They are more of a concern. Evans has been a master of consistency in 2026, as always. There have been a few incidents and a couple of super rallies, but there has also been two wins. So, despite some setbacks, he has notched up points consistently and put himself into a great position heading to Sardinia. That’s how Elfyn operates. He has a plan, he sticks to it, and it usually equals good results. That’s why he has finished second in the WRC five times in the last six seasons.

I’m not sure he can keep banking on that approach, however. His chief rival this year has turned out to be Sami Pajari. The young Finn had a poor start to the season in Monte Carlo but, since then, has been superb. Five podiums in the first half of the year, followed by consecutive wins in Estonia, Finland and Paraguay announced him as a genuine contender at the top level. He has a lot of work to do if he wants to steal this year’s title from under Evans’ nose, but he has almost out-consisted Mr. Consistency.

Looking ahead to 2027, Pajari could pose one of the greatest threats to Evans title ambitions and, if he hasn’t sealed the deal this year, the pressure will only ramp up further. Finishing second six times would do little for his confidence and he might be left wondering just what it is he needs to do to finally get his hands on that trophy.

And we didn’t even get to Oliver Solberg or Sébastien Ogier yet. The latter has been Evans’ foil for years now; snatching glory, often on the final round. The nine-time champion has had an uncharacteristically difficult season however, and there’s currently no certainty on whether he’ll be back to try and win championship number 10 in 2027. 

One man who will be back however is Oliver Solberg. While Toyota is yet to confirm its 2027 driver line-up, only a fool would bet against the Swede being part of it. He’s had a rough season at times this year, but the pace is clearly there. Wins in Monte Carlo and Chile prove that, and he retains a chance at this year’s championship, albeit a slightly distant one now Rally Saudi Arabia has been cancelled.

Solberg is one of those drivers that has speed by the bucketload but lacks consistency. There have been too many mistakes this year for him to put together a solid title bid, but that won’t last into next season. Solberg is still learning his craft, but I expect him to be far less error-prone after the winter break, and that makes him another serious threat to Evans’ future glory.

And we haven’t even mentioned the other big names yet. Ott Tänak had his first competitive outing for Toyota since 2019 this month, driving the GR Corolla Rally RC2 at Overmountain Rally Tennessee in the United States. He is keeping quiet about his future currently, but don’t rule out a WRC return for the 2019 champion. There’s also Thierry Neuville and even Adrien Fourmaux to consider. Both are potentially looking for drives for next year, but both could factor in any championship race with the right car underneath them.

And off of this could decide Elfyn Evans’ chances for 2027 and beyond. If he goes into next year as reigning champion, with all that pressure finally lifted, he will carry a huge advantage over the likes of Pajari and Solberg. The monkey will be off his back and the second and third titles could come much easier. If he doesn’t, they might not allow him another chance, as both are almost certainly champions in the making.

Evans now needs to go to Sardinia and get the job done. He has already seen-off arguably the best driver in the history of the sport in Sébastien Ogier so, unlike in previous years, he is the one with wisdom on his side. He is the man with experience, knowledge and the cool head. Victory is his for the taking. He just needs to do what he is already so good at; bring it home. From there, he really could become unstoppable.

He has to do it, doesn’t he?