WRC Rally ESTONIA 2026: conor edwards
WRC Estonia
Toyota Gazoo Racing's Sami Pajari produced a commanding performance at Rally Estonia, claiming his maiden World Rally Championship victory. The young Finn wasted no time establishing himself as the driver to beat. After sharing the fastest time in Thursday morning's shakedown, Pajari carried that momentum into the opening competitive stages, winning the first three tests in his Toyota Yaris Rally1, setting an early lead of 4.1 seconds over the chasing pack.
Friday
Starting fourth on the road, Pajari benefited from favourable conditions but also displayed exceptional speed and confidence on Estonia's notoriously fast gravel roads. He extended his advantage throughout Friday, adding four more stage victories to end the opening leg with a 14.7 second lead after winning every stage of the day. The only scare came on the fifth stage, where Pajari admitted to making a small mistake in one corner. Over the rally’s opening day, Oliver Solberg emerged as Pajari's closest challenger. The fellow Toyota driver, who secured his breakthrough WRC victory in Estonia 12 months earlier, consistently matched the leaders despite struggling to find confidence in his car throughout Friday, ending the first leg in second place.
Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux completed the overnight podium positions after an impressive and consistent display that included several top three stage times. Fourmaux survived an early scare when he landed awkwardly after a jump, collecting grass in the front of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, but avoided serious damage and continued to impress throughout the day. Team-mate Thierry Neuville endured a more frustrating Friday, repeatedly reporting balance issues with his car, while Sébastien Ogier settled into fifth place on his first Rally Estonia appearance since 2021. Championship leader Elfyn Evans faced the difficult task of opening the road on the loose gravel stages, a disadvantage that cost him valuable time. Despite a determined effort, the Welshman ended Friday well outside the podium fight after struggling with the cleaning effect of running first on the road.
Saturday
Saturday's demanding 149 km leg provided the biggest test of Pajari's composure. He responded perfectly, extending his incredible run of consecutive stage victories to nine by winning the opening two stages of the day and stretching his overall advantage beyond 17 seconds. Solberg finally halted Pajari's remarkable sequence by winning stages ten and eleven, briefly reducing the gap and offering hope of a comeback. However, Pajari immediately responded with another dominant run during the afternoon, adding three more stage victories to reestablish complete control. There was a nervous moment late in the day when Pajari clipped a rock and almost spun approaching the finish of stage 14. The incident prompted a more cautious approach over the remaining stages as deteriorating road conditions increased the risk of costly mistakes. Nevertheless, he safely reached Saturday evening's finish with a commanding 25-second lead.
Behind the leaders, the battle for the final podium position intensified. Fourmaux continued to hold third despite striking an anti-cut barrier, which tore away part of his Hyundai's bodywork. A slow puncture later in the day further reduced his advantage, allowing the 2024 world champion Thierry Neuville to close to within just 1.9 seconds heading into Sunday's final two stages. Elsewhere, Elfyn Evans recovered strongly after his difficult opening day. The Toyota driver climbed from ninth to sixth overall as rivals encountered tyre problems and mechanical issues, helping minimise the damage to his championship campaign.
Sunday
Sunday's short final leg presented Pajari with one final challenge. Solberg claimed the fastest time on the opening stage, trimming just four-tenths of a second from the overall lead, but Pajari remained calm and avoided unnecessary risks on the decisive Wolf Power Stage. By safely bringing the car home, the Finn secured a memorable maiden WRC victory after one of the most dominant performances seen this season. with the young Toyota driver leading from start to finish while winning the majority of the rally's stages. Solberg finished second, securing his third podium of the 2025 campaign. In addition to his runner-up finish, the Swede collected maximum bonus points by winning both the Wolf Power Stage and the Super Sunday classification, leaving Estonia with an impressive haul of 27 championship points.
Fourmaux successfully defended third place after team-mate Neuville lost valuable time on Sunday's opening stage due to last-minute work on his car's communication system. The Frenchman completed an excellent weekend to give Hyundai a valuable podium finish. Ogier crossed the line in fifth, ahead of championship leader Evans, whose recovery drive helped extend his advantage at the top of the drivers' standings despite the disadvantage of opening the road during the early stages.
Martins Sesks finished as the leading M-Sport Ford driver despite a 20 second lateness penalty following a shakedown incident, while Esapekka Lappi marked his return to WRC competition with eighth place for Hyundai. Jon Armstrong completed the top nine after recovering from early tyre damage in his M-Sport Puma, and Estonia's Robert Virves delighted the home crowd by winning the WRC2 category and collecting a €25,000 prize as the event's top local driver.
