WRC
Evans: Solberg threat 'no surprise' as focus shifts to Sweden
Elfyn Evans says Oliver Solberg’s victory at Rallye Monte-Carlo came as no surprise, insisting his Toyota GAZOO Racing team-mate already had the credentials of a genuine title contender.
Solberg dominated the season-opening round in the Principality to secure a landmark win, with Evans finishing second to bank a strong points haul as the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship got under way.
But while the result confirmed Solberg as the driver to beat heading into Rally Sweden, Evans said the Swede’s performance merely underlined what many in the service park already knew.
"He was very good," Evans told WRC.com. "He made full use of his position on Thursday and Friday to open up the gap. Of course, it's not changed so much since, but you still have to take your hat off to him.
"I think he was already a title contender anyway. He's a strong driver. He has many years' experience behind him now. I’m sure there will be some rallies where he needs to find his feet still, but definitely we've seen how strong he can be. I wouldn't discount him at all.”
Evans and co-driver Scott Martin contested last week's Artic Lapland Rally
© Toyota
Evans admitted he was relieved to leave Monte-Carlo with a podium after what he described as some of the most punishing conditions he has experienced at the iconic alpine event.
"It could have very easily been zero here," he said. "With the conditions we had, it was so easy to slip up, so it's not all bad.”
There was little time to reset, however, with Evans heading north last weekend week to contest the Arctic Lapland Rally, a traditional warm-up event ahead of Sweden, held inside the Arctic Circle.
“Driving on snow is so unique. You only do it once a year and it's so fast, obviously. It's good to get your eye in there."
Looking ahead to next week’s Rally Sweden in Umeå, Evans anticipates another close fight with Solberg, who has topped the WRC2 classification on the event for three years running.
“As I said earlier, he's very likely to be strong in Sweden. He's done well there in the past. Even when he was back in the World Rally Car [at the Arctic Rally in 2021], I think he was really strong. It won't be a surprise if he's strong next week.”
