{"id":3798,"date":"2026-01-22T23:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T23:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldrally.eu\/?p=3798"},"modified":"2026-07-03T19:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T19:49:14","slug":"solberg-stuns-the-field-to-lead-monte-carlo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldrally.eu\/index.php\/2026\/01\/22\/solberg-stuns-the-field-to-lead-monte-carlo\/","title":{"rendered":"Solberg Stuns the Field to Lead Monte Carlo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson are the early leaders of the 94th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo. After three special stages, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 crew holds a 44.2-second advantage over Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, while S\u00e9bastien Ogier and Vincent Landais complete an all-Toyota top three.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship has already delivered everything Monte Carlo is famous for \u2013 changing conditions, difficult tyre choices and significant time gaps after only a handful of kilometres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest surprise of the rally so far is the performance of Oliver Solberg. The Swede and co-driver Elliott Edmondson have mastered the Alpine roads and lead the event with a cumulative time of 43:10.3. Their average speed of 84.4 km\/h underlines the impressive pace shown by the Toyota crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second place belongs to Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin. The British pair trail the leaders by 44.2 seconds but enjoy a comfortable 24.4-second margin over third-placed S\u00e9bastien Ogier and Vincent Landais. The eight-time world champion has endured a difficult start to his home event and already sits 1:08.6 behind Solberg after three stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo \/ PhotoMS Media Agency<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Toyota can hardly have wished for a better start to the season. The Japanese manufacturer occupies the entire podium, while Takamoto Katsuta sits seventh overall. Having four GR Yaris Rally1 cars inside the top seven is a clear indication that the team from Cologne has arrived in Monte Carlo in formidable shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville is the highest-placed Hyundai driver in fourth position alongside Martijn Wydaeghe. The Belgian duo is 1:25.9 adrift of the rally lead. Just behind them, Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne are producing one of the biggest stories of the opening leg, placing their Ford Puma Rally1 in fifth overall, only 1:34.5 behind Solberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria hold sixth place and are the final crew within two minutes of the rally lead. Seventh-placed Takamoto Katsuta is already more than two minutes behind, highlighting just how demanding the opening stages have been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overall top ten also includes two Rally2 crews. Eric Camilli and Thibault de la Haye lead the WRC2 category and sit an impressive ninth overall in their \u0160koda Fabia RS Rally2. Their fellow Frenchmen, L\u00e9o Rossel and Guillaume Mercoiret, complete the top ten in a Citro\u00ebn C3 Rally2, just 15.3 seconds behind the WRC2 leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After only three special stages, the gaps are already substantial. The top ten is covered by 3 minutes and 46.5 seconds, while a remarkable 44.2 seconds separate first and second place. It is further proof that Monte Carlo once again punishes even the smallest mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is still a long way to go before the finish in Monaco, but after the opening stages of the 94th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson are firmly in control and have produced the first major sensation of the 2026 WRC season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson are the early leaders of the 94th Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo. After three special stages, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 crew holds a 44.2-second advantage over Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, while S\u00e9bastien Ogier and Vincent Landais complete an all-Toyota top three. The opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrc"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t