The Rally Islas Canarias returned as the fifth round of the WRC, celebrating its landmark 50th edition. Known for its abrasive, technical asphalt, the event once again proved that precision and consistency matter as much as outright speed, delivering a rally that subtly, but decisively, reshaped the leaderboard.
Thursday
The rally began with a 6.26 km shakedown in Santa Brígida, where Toyota immediately set the tone. Oliver Solberg led a clean sweep ahead of Takamoto Katsuta, Sébastien Ogier, Sami Pajari and Elfyn Evans. Hyundai followed with Adrien Fourmaux, Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo, while M-Sport rounded out the Rally1 field with Josh McErlean and Jon Armstrong.
The rally then moved to the iconic Gran Canaria Stadium for a short but spectacular 1.89 km opening stage. In front of thousand of fans, Katsuta set the pace to take the early lead, narrowly ahead of Pajari, while Roberto Daprà delivered an impressive third overall in a Rally2 car.
Friday
Friday featured a demanding but flowing itinerary, Valleseco–Artenara, Tejeda–San Mateo and Mogán–La Aldea, each run twice, plus another pass through the stadium stage. Despite the technical challenge, the day unfolded with minimal drama.
The only interruption came early, when the second stage of the morning loop was cancelled due to spectators parking in a protected natural area even though they were not in the stage itself.
On the stages, Toyota asserted complete control. Ogier opened the day with a benchmark time, climbing five positions to take the overall lead. Behind him, the margins were incredibly tight: Katsuta, Pajari, Solberg and Evans were all separated by less than two seconds, creating an intense intra-team battle.
As the day progressed, the order continuously reshuffled within Toyota. Ogier extended his lead in SS3, while Solberg moved into second during the afternoon loop. Evans then climbed into third in SS7, only for Pajari to reclaim the position after winning the Super Special and closing the day on third overall.
Hyundai, meanwhile, occupied positions just behind the dominant Toyota group. Sordo led the trio on his return to Rally1 competition, finishing just over 20 seconds adrift, while Fourmaux and Neuville followed. Neuville, in particular, struggled for confidence, describing the car as feeling so unfamiliar that it affected his driving rhythm.
For M-Sport, the day proved more challenging. Armstrong’s rally began to slip away in SS4, where a tightening corner forced him down an escape road. Although he initially recovered the lost time, a transmission issue in the final stage left him completing it with front-wheel drive only, costing him the position once again.
Friday standings
- 1. Ogier – 54:27.5 2.
- 2. Solberg – +8.9
- 3. Pajari – +15.9
Saturday
Saturday brought another six stages, Maspalomas, Arucas–Firgas–Teror and Moya–Gáldar, each run twice, but the overall order remained largely stable.
Evans wasted no time reasserting himself, reclaiming third place in the opening stage and gradually building a comfortable gap over Pajari throughout the day. Ahead, Ogier and Solberg continued their close fight, separated by 3.8 at the end of the day.
One of the standout moments came in SS13, where Ogier and Solberg set identical fastest times (7:43.8), an illustration of just how closely matched they were at the front.
Katsuta, meanwhile, lost a few seconds in SS11 after an extra donut at a roundabout, an unusual but costly moment in an otherwise precise rally.
Within Hyundai, Fourmaux moved ahead of Sordo to lead the team, while Sordo continued rebuilding confidence after a year away. Neuville remained in search of a better feeling, unable to match the pace of the leaders.
Armstrong endured another difficult day. Intercom issues in SS12 disrupted his rhythm, and in the final stage he went off the road, losing nearly two minutes before spectators helped him return to the stage.
Philip Allen had an accident in SS9, leading to the stage being cancelled.
Despite the scattered incidents, the leaderboard remained largely unchanged.
Saturday standings
- 1. Ogier – 1:58:05.7
- 2. Solberg – +3.8
- 3. Evans – +21.9
Sunday
Sunday’s Super Sunday loop, Ingenio–Valsequillo and Santa Lucía–Agüimes, each run twice, set up a tense final battle.
In the opening stages, Solberg began to close the gap to Ogier, reducing it to just over two seconds and putting real pressure on the rally leader. A fight for victory seemed inevitable.
But the rally turned decisively in the penultimate stage.
Solberg went off the road and hit a barrier, losing a wheel and retiring . In an instant, the fight at the front was over. As Ogier later reflected, rallying rewards not just speed, but survival to the finish.
The final stage was subsequently cancelled following another accident for Philip Allen, bringing an early end to the competitive action.
Behind the drama, there were smaller but meaningful shifts. Neuville overtook Sordo after a difficult stage for the Spaniard, while Armstrong, despite a troubled weekend, managed to bring the car home in 11th place.
Final results
- 1. Ogier – 2:43:18.9
- 2. Evans – +19.9
- 3. Pajari – +1:40.8
Power Stage
Evans delivered a perfectly judged run to secure maximum points, followed by Katsuta, Ogier, Pajari and Neuville, ensuring a strong points haul despite not winning the rally.
Super Sunday
With Solberg out of contention, Evans seized the opportunity with authority, delivering a composed and efficient run to secure maximum Super Sunday points. He finished ahead of Ogier and Pajari, while Katsuta and Neuville completed the top five.
