The swede, alongside Elliott Edmondson in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, dominates saturday on the sardinian gravel and ends the day with a 33.6-second lead over Ogier-Landais and 1'39.9 over Pajari-Salminen. Punctures and drama shake up the standings, while Evans-Martin climb to fifth and retain the lead in the FIA World Rally Championship. Sunday will decide the 2026 world title.

Alghero (SS), Saturday 3 October 2026 - The unforgiving gravel roads of Rally Italia Sardegna provided another dramatic chapter in the FIA World Rally Championship title fight on the third day of competition. The three stages “Lerno - Sa Conchedda - Monti di Alà”, “Coiluna - Loelle” and the brand-new “Solorchè” repeatedly reshuffled the overall standings, with punctures playing a major role across the 120 competitive kilometres.

It was Oliver Solberg, alongside Elliott Edmondson, who seized the rally lead during the morning loop thanks to an impressive pair of stage wins on SS9 and SS10. The Swede pushed his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 to the limit and managed to stay clear of punctures and trouble during the afternoon as well. Solberg had no option but to attack and aim for the top spot to keep his hopes alive in the fight for the world title, while behind him the order changed several times throughout the day. By the end of Saturday, Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais had moved into second place, finishing the leg 33.6 seconds behind Solberg. The frenchman, who had also suffered a puncture, claimed two stage wins during the afternoon and capitalised on Thierry Neuville’s retirement on SS11, after the Belgian damaged the left-rear of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 in an impact.

Neuville’s retirement benefited the other WRC title contenders, Sami Pajari and Elfyn Evans, who were able to gain positions after fellow Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux also suffered punctures. Pajari, co-driven by Marko Salminen in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, climbed into a provisional podium position after avoiding punctures, although he remains 1'39.9 behind his team-mate and title rival. After suffering two punctures, Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria dropped to fourth place. The Frenchman nevertheless remained one of the fastest drivers of the day, setting a sensational time on SS13 “Solorchè” that allowed him to regain the position from Elfyn Evans. The misfortunes of his rivals played into the hands of the championship leader. Evans, alongside Scott Martin, adopted a more measured approach and stayed out of trouble to move into fifth place, despite sitting more than two minutes behind the rally leader. With this result, Evans remains at the top of the FIA WRC standings with a six-point advantage, giving him some margin heading into the decisive final day. However, with five points available from Super Sunday and another five from the Power Stage, the title fight remains wide open.

Behind the top five, Takamoto Katsuta-Aaron Johnston and Jon Armstrong-Shane Byrne ended the day sixth and seventh respectively, after focusing on making it safely through Saturday following a difficult opening leg. Josh McErlean-Eoin Treacy, meanwhile, damaged their Ford Puma Rally1 on both SS12 and SS13 and ended the day more than eight minutes off the lead.

“Good job by Fourmaux to get back ahead of Evans,” said Solberg at the end of the leg. “I just tried to do my own thing and, so far, I think I’ve done a good job – everyone can see that. I really enjoyed it, even though this stage was more difficult than the previous pass, with a lot more stones on the road.”

It was also an action-packed day in WRC2, where Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka emerged on top after a long battle with Gus Greensmith and Jonas Andersson. The Briton had started the day in the lead, but Korhonen responded stage by stage and eventually moved ahead, ending Saturday with a 19.6-second advantage. Behind them, Teemu Suninen and Janni Hussi climbed to third after an impressive recovery from Friday’s difficulties. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak completed a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 lockout of the top four positions. It was a day of mixed fortunes for Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti. The ACI Team Italia crew began the morning challenging for a podium position and set the fastest time on SS10 “Solorchè”. During the afternoon, however, a puncture and a minor off-road excursion dropped them out of contention for the top three. Daprà ended the day in sixth place, also behind Robert Virves and Jaakko Viilo, who produced a strong recovery after losing ground on Friday with two punctures. It was a more difficult day for the other ACI Team Italia crew of Giovanni Trentin and Pietro Elia Ometto. Punctures and technical issues prevented them from turning their strong pace into a result that reflected their potential, although they offered a glimpse of their speed by setting the fourth-fastest time on SS12. Local driver Valentino Ledda, alongside Claudio Mele in an Opel Corsa Rally4, also returned to action with the aim of reducing the gap and fighting his way back to the top of the two-wheel-drive standings.

In WRC3, Eric Royère and Maxime Andernack remain in the lead aboard their Ford Fiesta Rally3, while Alex Lorenzato and Nicolò Lazzarini continue to recover significant time despite the sizeable gap.

The final day on Sunday will feature another 61.62 competitive kilometres across two stages, each run twice. The 23.71-kilometre “Osilo-Tergu” returns in a long and particularly demanding configuration, with an abrasive opening section that will make tyre management crucial, especially on the final day.

The rally will conclude with the 7.10-kilometre “Sassari-Argentiera”, one of the most iconic stages of Rally Italia Sardegna. Its second pass, scheduled for 14:15, will serve as the Wolf Power Stage. Sand, constant changes of rhythm and the spectacular seaside finish will provide the backdrop to the final competitive kilometres of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship. The final podium ceremony in Alghero is scheduled for 17:00.

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION AFTER LEG 3: 1. Solberg-Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2:42'33.2; 2. Ogier-Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +33.6; 3. Pajari-Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1'39.9; 4. Fourmaux-Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2'32.0; 5. Evans-Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +2'38.4; 6. Katsuta-Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +5'43.9; 7. Armstrong-Byrne (Ford Puma Rally1) +6'01.2; 8. McErlean-Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +8'12.0; 9. Korhonen-Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +8'23.0; 10. Greensmith-Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +8'42.6.