The FIA World Rally Championship celebrated its 83rd different winner when Sami Pajari took a breakthrough victory at Delfi Rally Estonia, a result that further livens up the 2026 title chase.
Leading from start to finish in his Hankook-equipped Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, Pajari added 28 points to his previous season total of 116 to move into third in the provisional order, 33 points behind championship-leading team-mate Elfyn Evans.
With fellow Finn Marko Salminen co-driving, Pajari excelled on the high-speed gravel event, banking 12 stage wins and beating Oliver Solberg by 19.5 seconds. He follows Kalle Rovanperä (2021) and Solberg (2025) by registering his maiden WRC victory in Estonia.
The result also hands a 199th WRC victory to Finland, which hosts the 10th of 14 rounds from 30 July – 2 August on similar terrain to what Pajari mastered this weekend. The 24-year-old, now a six-time podium finisher in 2026, is already being marked out as a contender for back-to-back wins, such was his standout showing on the Tartu-based event.
“It’s something so amazing, maybe I didn’t really realise what I’ve just done,” said Pajari, the 17th different Finn to triumph outright in the world championship. “Thank you to everybody working at Toyota Gazoo Racing, I’m super-happy for you and super-grateful, thanks for all the support and trusting in myself. Thanks to everyone who stood behind my back when there were some tricky times, this is for you. I thank myself for not giving up and going for it once again. Now I’ve done it, it feels good.”
Pajari began the two-stage final leg leading fellow Toyota driver Solberg by 25.0 seconds. Although Solberg went quicker on SS17, he did so by a scant 0.4sec to leave Pajari firmly in control starting the repeat of the 24.39 kilometer Kääriku test, which doubled as the Wolf Power Stage. Solberg was quickest again to top the Super Sunday ranking, while Pajari went sixth quickest to secure victory and third among the Super Sunday contenders.
Second place for Solberg was the Rallye Monte-Carlo winner’s third podium visit of the season and ended a frustrating run of recent results. His Wolf Power Stage victory and Super Sunday success means he leaves Estonia with 27 points.
“It’s been a very good weekend for sure, I need to be happy,” Solberg said. “It’s been a couple of hard rallies. Didn’t have the full confidence to push on the proper 100 per cent limit like Sami had, he deserves it. Very happy with my weekend, good points and a good stepping stone for the upcoming events.”
Adrien Fourmaux began leg three in third place, albeit a mere 1.9 seconds ahead of Hyundai team-mate Thierry Neuville. The 2024 world champion had moved into podium contention after he went quicker than Fourmaux five times on Saturday, the rally’s longest leg at 149.60 timed kilometers, following tweaks to his i20 N Rally1’s transmission settings.
But when Neuville went 7.9 seconds slower than Fourmaux on Sunday’s opener, the 9.8 seconds gap between the pair was too great for Neuville to try to overcome on the Wolf Power Stage.
Afterwards, Neuville revealed that he wasn’t on top form on SS17 after he was almost late starting the run due to work required to his car’s hearing system.
On his first appearance in Estonia since 2021, reigning world champion Sébastien Ogier finished fifth, one place ahead of Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans. While opening the road on day one had cost the Briton a strong result, he continues to lead the WRC standings by an increased margin of 25 points over Takamoto Katsuta.
The Toyota-driving Japan star dropped out of contention with tire damage on Friday’s penultimate stage and was further hampered by running first through Saturday.
Mārtiņš Sesks was the leading M-Sport Ford finisher in seventh with Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi eighth on his first WRC outing since Safari Rally Kenya in March.
Sesks could have finished higher up the order had it not been for an off in Shakedown resulting in a 20 seconds penalty. He was also delayed by a damaged front-right tire on SS9.
Jon Armstrong could have challenged Lappi for eighth had it not been for a heavy landing on SS1 leading to front-left tyre damage. The Irishman finished 25.7 seconds adrift of the Finn.
Armstrong’s M-Sport teammate Josh McErlean restarted on Sunday after an exhaust issue caused his retirement on Saturday morning. He was eighth after leg one.
Robert Virves completed a dream weekend by winning WRC2 on home soil in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 by 7.6 seconds. He also received a €25,000 prize from WRC Promoter for finishing the event as the top local talent. Teemu Suninen beat Roope Korhonen to the runner-up spot by 1.2 seconds during a thrilling Wolf Power Stage showdown.
