WRC
Why Rally Sweden bounce-back meant so much to Pajari
Sami Pajari says his ability to bounce back from a difficult Monte Carlo with an impressive podium finish at Rally Sweden once again highlighted his potential to the Toyota team.
Pajari headed to Sweden eager for redemption after a rocky start to the 2026 season in Monte Carlo, which was headlined by a crash on stage three in tricky snow and ice conditions. The Finn rejoined the rally, only to crash out again on stage 12, with damage to the GR Yaris too severe to continue on Sunday.
However, on Sweden’s snow, Pajari and co-driver Marko Salminen were able to banish the demons of Monte Carlo with a stunning drive. The pair sat fourth heading into Friday before climbing to third after an eventful stage three for their rivals.
Holding a podium position, Pajari delivered a string of fast times, claiming stage wins on stages 12 and 14 on his way to finishing third overall, 46.0sec adrift of Rally Sweden winner and Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans. Pajari secured a second career WRC podium, equalling his best finish achieved at Rally Japan last November, with a comfortable 25.6sec margin over Monte Carlo winner Oliver Solberg, who finished fourth.
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At the finish, Pajari paid tribute to his Toyota team for the support he received after a Monte Carlo he was keen to forget.
“I want to say a big thanks to the team once again and for the huge amount of support after the not-so-well-going Monte Carlo. I'm happy to be back on the podium. We need to keep pushing for even better,” he said.
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Reflecting on the performance, he felt the drive demonstrated what he is capable of behind the wheel.
“I’m really satisfied with this one, especially after Monte, which was extremely difficult for us this time. It feels really nice and satisfying to be back at this level.
“I feel like Monte was somehow an anomaly and I was trying not to overthink it as a small drop, because at the end of last season we had some good results, including the first podium. I was trying to keep the confidence and trust myself that this is the level where we should be and fully forget Monte. It feels nice for me but it is also nice to show the team what we can do - no mistakes or issues this time, and a few stage wins.”
Monte was an anomaly… it feels nice to show the team what we can do - no mistakes or issues this time, and a few stage wins.
Following on from 2025, Pajari is once again driving for Toyota’s second WRC team and has not been selected to score manufacturers’ points for the main Toyota squad this year. When asked if that motivates him to achieve results, he said: “I think we are in a position where, let’s say inside the team, there are not many different roles for different drivers and as far as I see everyone is doing their own thing and trying to do it as well as they can. I don’t see much of a difference regarding who is scoring the points and who is not.
“At least so far, I don’t think about it. At the end of the day you just need to do the job. There are more clever people making the decisions for that [scoring points]. I guess I just do the best I can and most likely the time will come.”
