– It was the outrage of the Rally Japan 2026: In pursuit of the leader Elfyn Evans, Oliver Solberg slid too far to the outside with his Toyota GR Yaris in a left-hand corner, hit a post, and tore off the right rear suspension. End of the run, only the Super-Sunday points on Sunday prevented another complete disaster like in the Canaries.
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The reaction from teammate Sebastien Ogier was not long in coming. The world champion criticized that Solberg had taken too high a risk, which is why the crash “was no real surprise.”
Solberg firmly rejects these accusations: “Of course, we push for every second in the fight for the top 3, but it was no different than any other stage I have driven. I didn’t take any crazy risks, just tried to deliver what I had done all weekend.”
“I came to this spot, it was quite slippery and muddy. I didn’t expect that. I just braked a tick too late, hit that post, and destroyed the suspension.”
Solberg’s Asphalt Curse 2026
For Solberg, it is already the third retirement on asphalt this season. Already in Croatia and at the event in the Canary Islands – where he also had a direct duel with Ogier for the win – his rally ended prematurely due to mistakes.
“Asphalt is definitely tough for me this year,” the 24-year-old admits openly. “The speed was fantastic again, I was able to consistently fight with the two best drivers in the world every time. But the margins at this Rally1 level are extremely small. I just have to better understand how to handle these different scenarios at tricky spots on asphalt. I don’t have a real answer at the moment.”
On Saturday evening, Sebastien Ogier softened his initial harsh reaction from the cockpit and showed more understanding. The Frenchman praised the “amazing speed” of his young teammate:
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“Honestly, as teammates we are just frustrated that he crashed, because the speed he shows is insane. There is no doubt about that. But rally sport means being fast and consistent – and that second part is still missing. That’s part of the learning process. He still has many years to prove that.”
Latvala as Psychologist: The “Missing Two Percent”
Toyota team boss Jari-Matti Latvala shows great understanding for his protégé. From his own active time, in which he also lost possible world titles due to accidents, the Finn knows the mental tightrope walk of the absolute will to win all too well.
“Oliver is currently the fastest driver in the field, but not the most consistent,” analyzes the Finn. “He is young, ambitious, and absolutely wants to win. That’s great – without that will, you will never be world champion. I told him he has to respect Ogier’s experience and learn from it.”
The team boss emphasizes how important the full backing of the team is in Solberg’s first full season in the top class: “We have to find the tools together to bring consistency to this great speed.”
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“The hardest part is to take out exactly those two percent of speed. Your mind wants to win, and if you ease off a bit, your brain says: ‘No, don’t do that, you have to push!’ You fight with yourself and first have to learn to trust that even a slightly lower speed is enough for the front.”
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