SOLBERG TAKES FIRST RALLYE MONTE-CARLO VICTORY. THREE TGR-WRT CREWS SWEEP THE PODIUM IN MONACO
On Sunday, January 25th, the final day of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) Round 1, Rallye Monte-Carlo, Day 4, started in Monaco, and Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson (GR YARIS Rally1 No. 99) of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT), with its brake parts supply partner Endless, got the victory.
Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin (Car No. 33) finished second overall, and Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais (Car No. 1) finished third, giving TGR-WRT a sweep of the podium. Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston (Car No. 18) finished the rally in seventh place overall.
The final day of Rallye Monte-Carlo, competitors ran two stages twice each in the French mountainous region north of Monaco. The total distance of the four stages was 71.90km. SS15/17 of these stages passed through the famous Col de Turini, an iconic stage of Monte-Carlo. The rain that had been falling since the previous night around Monaco turned to snow in many parts of the mountain stage, making the final day a battle in difficult conditions with road surfaces that changed rapidly, from snow-covered to slush-like, icy, and wet.
Solberg maintained his lead from SS2 on Day 1 through to Day 3, and although Evans finished in the best time on the final Power Stage, SS17, he recorded second-fastest time, 6.5 seconds behind, and ultimately beat Evans by 51.8 seconds, achieving the feat of winning Rallye Monte-Carlo that his father, 2003 WRC champion Petter Solberg, had been unable to achieve. Solberg also earned bonus points for finishing 5th on Super Sunday and 2nd on the Power Stage, putting him in the lead of the Drivers’ Championship. At just 24 years old, he is the youngest winner of the modern Rallye Monte-Carlo.
This marks the first time since 2015 that a single manufacturer has dominated the podium at Rallye Monte-Carlo, and the first time for Toyota.
Evans finished second overall, 51.8 seconds behind Solberg, and also earned bonus points for finishing second on Super Sunday and first on the Power Stage.
Ogier, who took his 10th win at Rallye Monte-Carlo last year, finished third overall, 2 minutes 2.2 seconds behind Solberg, helping his team to sweep the podium.
Despite suffering damage to his power steering system on Day 2, which caused him to fall far behind, Katsuta had recovered to 9th place overall by Day 3, and he continued to drive steadily on the final day, moving up two places to finish in 7th place overall.
The next, Rally Sweden (February 12-15) is the only full winter event of the season held on snow and ice. Metal studs inserted into the tyres bite into the surface to provide grip and allow for some of the highest speeds of the year.
Please read the details on the team’s official web site: