Young Oliver Solberg has certainly turned heads. He’s surprisingly leading Rally Estonia, the eighth stop on the World Rally Championship calendar. Driving a Toyota Yaris, Solberg finished day one firmly in control. This marks his return to the sport’s top flight.
The 23-year-old talent is the son of 2003 world champion Petter Solberg. He holds a solid lead over Estonian local hero Ott Tänak. Tänak, in his Hyundai i20, sits 12.4 seconds behind. Belgian driver Thierry Neuville, also in a Hyundai i20, is close behind in third. He’s 14.2 seconds off the pace.
Solberg couldn’t hide his wide grin after the day’s action. “I feel really good,” he told reporters. “This is, by far, the best car I’ve ever driven. I’m just enjoying it right now. If I need to slow down, I will. But for now, it’s one step at a time.”
It’s been a while since Solberg last drove a top-tier Rally1 car. His last appearance was at the end of the 2022 season, then with a Hyundai i20. Since then, he’s been competing in the WRC2 class, the championship’s second tier. Toyota handed him this chance, putting him in a Rally1 car. The Japanese team is looking ahead, perhaps planning for the eventual retirement of French star Sébastien Ogier.
Solberg showed his speed early, winning two of the four morning stages. He arrived at midday service with an 8.5-second lead. That was over Tänak, who is racing on his home turf. The young Swede added another stage win in the afternoon. He even stretched his lead to 13.7 seconds at one point. But in the final special stage, he gave back 1.3 seconds to the local driver. Tänak later admitted he lacked confidence. He explained, “I’ve been struggling to connect with the car. I just haven’t found my rhythm yet.”
Meanwhile, Finland’s Kalle Rovanperä, another Toyota Yaris driver, had a tougher day. He’s still battling issues on loose gravel surfaces. Rovanperä, the reigning world champion from 2022 and 2023, finished fourth, 20.1 seconds behind Solberg. He’s also behind Thierry Neuville. “Especially on loose gravel over hard-packed dirt, I still feel lost,” Rovanperä commented. “But we have to keep pushing.”
Things were even harder for Britain’s Elfyn Evans, also in a Toyota Yaris. Evans leads the championship coming into this rally. This meant he had the tough job of clearing the track on day one. He lost a significant 41.4 seconds. This left him down in seventh place.
Saturday promises more thrills. Drivers will tackle nine more stages. This covers a total of 125.76 timed kilometers. The battle for the Rally Estonia crown is far from over.