WRC 2026 result after Round 12: Rally Chile

Toyota Gazoo Racing secured its sixth consecutive 2026 FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title at Rally Chile, where Oliver Solberg led a one-two finish. How did this superb WRC 2026 result play out, and what other dramas took place? Read on as we review each day’s activities.

WRC 2026: Rally Chile

In the ten days since the last round in Paraguay, the team rebuilt its five GR Yaris Rally1 cars and transported them across the Andes mountains to Chile. Toyota arrived at this round with a lead of 173 points in the manufacturers’ championship, and if the team scored at least seven points then this year’s overall world title was theirs. Meanwhile, the team’s drivers and co-drivers made up five of the top six positions in their respective championships.

This year represented the WRC’s fifth visit to Chile, although around 40% of the 2026 route was new. What remained the same, however, were the conditions – gravel roads in the forests of the Biobío region surrounding the Pacific port city of Concepción. The stages combined fast and technical sections with a mix of smooth and abrasive surfaces, while rain and fog often create challenging conditions.

Day 1

This second leg of the WRC’s South American adventure started on dry roads in the pre-event shakedown. But the conditions deteriorated overnight for the technical forest tracks and farmland roads designated for the day’s action. That wasn’t necessarily bad news, as it meant the front-runners – the majority of whom were Toyota drivers – weren’t clearing the road of loose gravel for those behind. Everybody experienced the same lack of grip.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans capitalised on that equalising as the first on the road. Also enjoying the slippery surfaces was team-mate Oliver Solberg (above), and together the pair took a stage win each and twice traded the lead before Solberg finished the morning 2.3 seconds ahead. As conditions dried out in the afternoon, Evans encountered more loose gravel and the gap grew to just over ten seconds once Solberg won the day’s final stage.

Sébastien Ogier (above) and Sami Pajari were fifth and sixth respectively after the morning but found stronger performance in the afternoon. They claimed a stage win each and finished the day fourth and fifth overall. Meanwhile, Takamoto Katsuta ran wide in the slippery opening stage and got his car stuck on a bank. He was unable to continue and forced to wait until day two to restart.

WRC 2026: Day 2

The day consisted of 86 competitive miles across two loops of three familiar stages. As the roads are notorious for destroying tyres, the teams were allowed to provide crews with up to two additional tyres before the final stage of each repeated loop.

Solberg began day two with a 10.1 second lead over Evans (above). The Welsh driver reduced that gap in the first two stages but Solberg fought back hard in the third and restored his advantage to exactly the same as it was when he started the day. Evans still had a strong second half and fended off another in-house attack by Ogier, who was quickest in the afternoon’s first two stages. But by the time Solberg repeated his final stage win he had almost doubled his overall lead to 19.1 seconds. The day therefore concluded with Toyota forging a one-two-three lead with one day remaining.

Day 3

Second-placed Evans started the final day strongly with a stage win. He was also leading the Super Sunday classification until a cruel blow in the penultimate stage, where he had to stop and change a tyre. This interruption cost him two minutes and dropped him to fifth position. Now with his position at the top of the drivers’ championship under threat, Evans drove hard to take second in the rally-ending Power Stage, half a second behind Solberg and just 0.1 seconds ahead of nearest championship rival Pajari.

Solberg ultimately secured victory by 16.6 seconds with the fastest time in the Power Stage – his second victory in 2026 after the season-opening triumph at Rallye Monte-Carlo. This meant that all five Toyota crews have now won multiple rallies this year. Meanwhile, Ogier finished second overall and topped the Super Sunday classification by 3.8 seconds. It was the French driver’s 213th WRC rally – matching team principal Jari-Matti Latvala’s all-time record – and the event that equalled Sébastien Loeb’s record tally of 120 podium finishes.

The result in Chile is Toyota’s eleventh win from 12 rallies this season, and our eighth one-two finish. Talking of records, this latest title success equalled a further two long-standing WRC records. Toyota has now matched the six successive championships achieved by Lancia between 1987 and 1992, and brought Toyota level with Lancia on ten titles in total.

WRC 2026 result in Round 12: Rally Chile

WRC 2026 championship: drivers and co-drivers

WRC 2026 championship: manufacturers

WRC 2026: Where next?

The penultimate round sees the WRC return to Europe for Rally Italia Sardegna, which has switched to an autumn date for the first time since 2020. The event takes place on 1-4 October, and the island rally is known for featuring fast but narrow gravel stages and a rocky, abrasive surface.

Learn more: How did last year’s WRC end for Toyota?