This year’s FIA World Rally Championship is set for a thrilling finale in Sardinia this weekend, with three British competitors in contention for the sport’s ultimate prizes.
The Italian island event will decide the winners of both the Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ titles after the FIA and WRC Promoter confirmed that Rally Saudi Arabia, scheduled for November, will not form part of the 2026 WRC season.
Having finished runners-up no fewer than five times in the past six years, Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin are still gunning for their first world titles, while Elliott Edmondson – co-driver to Evans’ young Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Oliver Solberg – is entering uncharted territory as he completes his first full season at the top level of WRC1.
With 35 points available from the final round, Evans heads the Drivers’ standings by 17 points from another Toyota team-mate, Sami Pajari, with Solberg a further four points behind. One of the three is therefore guaranteed to achieve the dream of becoming World Champion.
Victory for Evans would see him become only the third Briton to lift the Drivers’ crown, following Colin McRae in 1995 and Richard Burns in 2001.
British co-drivers have enjoyed considerable success, too, with Derek Ringer and Robert Reid winning alongside McRae and Burns respectively, while Phil Mills claimed the title with Petter Solberg – Oliver’s father – in 2003.
With the WRC returning to the UK for Rally Scotland in 2027, British rally fans will be particularly keen to see another homegrown champion crowned in Sardinia.
Out front Evans and Martin will be looking to cap another highly impressive and consistent campaign, having taken victories in Sweden and Japan while leading the championship since round five in the Canary Islands in April.
Their ability to continue scoring strongly while opening the road on predominantly loose-gravel rallies has been a defining feature of their pace-setting campaign, and the Toyota pairing now head to Sardinia with everything to play for.
“Our approach for Sardinia doesn’t change just because it’s the last rally of the season: we have to go there and have the best rally that we can,” said the Welshman who, as championship leader, once again will be disadvantaged by running first on the Mediterranean island’s notoriously sandy, gravel roads.
“We’ve worked hard to put ourselves in this position, holding on to the lead through a difficult run of gravel rallies. Sami and Oliver have been driving well, and with so many points still available, especially on Sunday, we know things will most likely remain open until the end.
“We just need to drive it like a normal rally and focus on doing the best job we can. Sardinia is usually not an easy rally to open the road on, and although we might be more likely to see some rain at this time of year, which could help reduce the cleaning effect for us, we have to prepare for a demanding event like usual.”
Edmondson is also no stranger to the pathway to the top, having followed the same Motorsport UK Academy route as both Evans and Martin.
Selected for the highly prestigious scheme in 2013, the British co-driver received elite-level performance coaching from the legendary Nicky Grist among others, gaining valuable experience as he progressed through the ranks.
The Motorsport UK Academy provides a national talent pathway for high-potential young competitors across multiple disciplines, equipping them with the technical, physical and professional tools required to progress towards world-class careers.
Evans, Martin and Edmondson are among the programme’s standout alumni – and all three now have the opportunity to add another chapter to their remarkable journeys in Sardinia.