WRC Rally Estonia 2026: Sami Pajari achieves first victory in the Rally World Championship

– Toyota pilot Sami Pajari secured his first victory in the World Rally Championship (WRC) at Rally Estonia. The Finn dominated against his teammate Oliver Solberg, who scored the maximum points on Sunday. Third place went to Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai).

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Just like Solberg a year earlier, Pajari celebrated his first WRC victory on the fast gravel roads in Estonia after leading the event from the start. The Finn went into Sunday with a solid lead and was not pressured by Solberg, although the Swede kept attacking until the end.

Pajari had already dictated the pace from the start on Friday and won twelve of the 18 special stages (SS). Gradually, the Finn extended his lead so much that he was no longer threatened by the competition. (to the results)

Now all five Toyota drivers with wins in the 2026 WRC season

For the 24-year-old Pajari, this is his first WRC win in his debut season with Toyota. He was the only one of the five brand drivers who had not yet won this year. This success rewards a strong first half of the season: after his retirement in Monaco, he finished seven of the following eight rallies in the top four and stood on the podium six times.

Despite all efforts, Solberg had to settle for second place. With the ten points from Sunday, he collected a total of 27 points, just one less than Pajari, who scored only three points on Sunday and none in the Power Stage.

Fourmaux completed the podium. The Frenchman had fought with Solberg at the start of the rally but lost contact on Saturday and came under pressure from his teammate Thierry Neuville, who had closed to within two seconds. With a strong performance in the first stage on Sunday, Fourmaux gained some breathing room again. Neuville eventually finished in fourth place.

Difficult rally for Ogier, Evans, and Katsuta

After his win at the Acropolis Rally, Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) never found the right rhythm this weekend, although his driving feeling improved on Saturday. The nine-time world champion had to be content with fifth place.

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The start was even more difficult for Elfyn Evans (Toyota). As the championship leader, he had to open the road and quickly lost contact with the front. After ninth place on Friday evening, he fought his way up to sixth on Saturday and held that position until the finish.

Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota), second in the championship, experienced a severe setback. After a tire damage, he had to retire from the rally early. Although he rejoined on Saturday, he had no chance in the overall classification. The Japanese driver saved only one point in the Power Stage on Sunday.

Next up is Rally Finland

Seventh place went to Martins Sesks. The M-Sport Ford driver lost a wheel in the shakedown. Due to the subsequent repairs, he checked in at the start of the rally with a two-minute delay, which resulted in a 20-second time penalty. However, this ultimately had no impact on his final result. He placed ahead of Esapekka Lappi (Hyundai) and Jon Armstrong (M-Sport Ford).

The last remaining championship point went to local hero Robert Virves (Skoda), who also won the WRC2 category.

In the drivers’ standings, after nine of 14 rounds, Evans leads with 177 points and now has a 25-point lead over Katsuta (152). Pajari moved up to third place in the championship (144) thanks to his win in Estonia.

The WRC continues in two weeks (July 30 to August 2). Then the next fast gravel event, Rally Finland, is on the program.

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