Oliver Solberg made a thunderous comeback to the FIA World Rally Championship’s top tier by seizing a dominant lead at Delfi Rally Estonia. Piloting a GR Yaris Rally1 for Toyota Gazoo Racing in a one-off appearance, the 23-year-old Swede delivered a blistering performance on the gravel stages, claiming three stage victories and finishing the opening leg 12.4 seconds ahead of the pack. His co-driver, Elliott Edmondson, helped guide him through the high-speed terrain in what turned out to be a dream return to Rally1 machinery.
Solberg wasted no time asserting his pace, snatching his maiden WRC stage win on the very first pass through Peipsiääre. By the time the cars reached the service halt, he had built a commanding gap of 8.5 seconds over 2019 world champion Ott Tänak. Some crucial set-up adjustments during the midday break allowed him to extract even more grip from the car, stretching his advantage further in the afternoon. Elated by the day’s outcome, Solberg described it as “the best day of my life” and emphasized the sheer enjoyment he felt behind the wheel.
Despite massive crowd support, Tänak couldn’t match Solberg’s momentum. The Estonian, who triumphed in the previous round in Greece, admitted struggling with grip, saying the surface was too loose to generate the traction he needed. Thierry Neuville ended the day in third, just 1.8 seconds behind Tänak, though he too wrestled with a Hyundai i20 N Rally1 that lacked balance and stability throughout the stages. Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä, a three-time Estonia winner, sat fourth, acknowledging that he was already driving near the car’s performance ceiling.
Further back, Adrien Fourmaux made a steady recovery after a lackluster morning in his Hyundai debut on fast gravel, climbing to fifth following car improvements. He edged out Takamoto Katsuta by a mere two-tenths of a second after Katsuta suffered early delays due to a missed braking point and intercom issues. Elfyn Evans, the current championship leader, had a rough time opening the road and finished the day in eighth, just ahead of teammate Sami Pajari, who was hampered by inconsistent engine power.
Rounding out the leaderboard, Mārtiņš Sesks and Josh McErlean occupied ninth and tenth in their M-Sport Ford Pumas, with only 18.6 seconds separating them. Grégoire Munster faced a litany of setbacks including brake failure, a puncture, and an overshoot, leaving him 11th. Meanwhile, local favorite Robert Virves led the WRC2 category, and 19-year-old Tymek Abramowski impressed on his WRC3 debut, topping his class. Rally Estonia’s longest and most grueling leg kicks off Saturday, featuring over 125 kilometers of fierce competition and signature high-speed stages like Kanepi and Raanitsa.
About the Author
