Swedish driver Oliver Solberg has secured his maiden Rallye Monte-Carlo victory alongside co-driver Elliott Edmondson, dominating the 94th edition from start to finish.
The pair led from the second stage and built an advantage of more than 50 seconds in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, claiming their second WRC win.
“I don’t think I’ve realised it yet. It’s been an emotional day,” said Solberg after crossing the finish line. “I would like to warmly thank Toyota for their confidence in us.”
The 24-year-old’s victory literally rewrites the history books. No Swedish driver had won Monte Carlo since Ove Andersson in 1971. Solberg also became the event’s youngest winner in nearly 90 years, and the first member of his rallying family to conquer Monte Carlo – something his father Petter, the 2003 world champion, never achieved.
Japanese manufacturer takes over the podium
Toyota celebrated an unprecedented clean sweep, with Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin taking second nearly 52 seconds behind, while Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais finished third more than two minutes back.
For nine-time world champion Ogier, it marked his first time finishing off the top two steps at Monte Carlo since 2013. “Oliver definitely did better than anyone expected,” Ogier said. “It’s good for the championship to have some new blood.”
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Saturday’s unique spectacle
Saturday evening saw Monaco’s streets spectacularly come alive as competitors tackled a special stage through Monaco’s F1 circuit for the first time in 18 years.
Despite heavy rain, thousands packed Port Hercule to watch cars navigate a 2.69 kilometre course in the thrilling wet conditions.
Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria took Hyundai’s only stage win of the rally. The spectacle attracted celebrity guests including F1 driver Liam Lawson and cycling stars Tadej Pogačar and Chris Froome.
Toyota president Akio Toyoda also made a personal appearance, experiencing the action from Takamoto Katsuta’s car.
Competitors encountered torrential rain, fog, snow, ice and mud across the four-day event in the French Alps. Even with a comfortable margin, Solberg endured two nervous moments on Sunday morning but recovered to seal his historic win.
Regarding the WRC2 division, Léo Rossel claimed victory alongside Guillaume Mercoiret in a Citroën C3 Rally2, continuing his family’s dominance after his brother Yohan had claimed three straight victories before crashing out early this year
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Main photo credit: Automobile Club de Monaco